5 Steps to a Sultry Smokey Stare.

729

We don’t all have time to spend 30 minutes trying to perfect an amazing smokey eye. Still, not all of us want to leave the house with a slick of neutral shadow either, so use this guide to get you an eye look that’s not only sultry but smokey and easy to:

1. Take a creamy eye pencil, one that’s a liquid type but in a pencil, one like Urban Decay’s 24/7 glide-on eye pencil, as these glide over the skin so easily.

2. Shade is important, and I mean super important. You don’t want black, and you don’t want a really brown color, but you don’t want a bold shade either. You’re best off with a bronze-like color but with a hint of purple to it, something garnet toned. One of the best shade for this look is SEPHORA Retractable Waterproof Eyeliner 08 BROWN, or other similar colors to try are (NYX PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP Mechanical Eye Liner Pencil, MAC Cosmetics Eye Kohl Teddy)

3. Line the waterline. I’m not normally a fan of this, but I’m willing to make an exception with a really nice shade. For this look, you will need to line the entire lower waterline and go all the way into the waterline in the inner corner of the eye. Ensure that you hold the pencil at an angle, so you also catch the lower lash line. This is super important. If you don’t do that, then very carefully line the lower lash line.

4. Take a cotton tip and clean up the eyeliner so that it’s only precisely on the waterline and lash line, then take the same cotton tip and smudge the eyeliner that’s on the lash line down, and then clean it up, repeat this step 2-3 times.

5. Use a lengthening, jet black mascara and apply 2-3 coats on the upper lashes. Ensure that you wiggle the wand at the root of the lashes all the way up to the tips, then take a lash comb and brush out any clumps for defined and long lashes. Also, apply one light coat of mascara to your lower lashes. (Maybelline’s Lash Stiletto is great for this)

(Optional: apply a sheer red lipstick on top of the lips, this will bring the whole look together, just make sure the lipstick isn’t too bright and isn’t too pigmented, you want something that’s super sheer, not full coverage)

More: The Best Foundation Sticks

Beautiful Brows.

Your eyebrows frame your entire face. Having them too thin, too thick, or too arched can look terrible, so you must have your brows close to your natural shape and not any different.

– Get your eyebrows professionally shaped. Whether it be waxing or threading as the method you choose, getting your eyebrows done by a professional is the best way to go. It hurts a bit, but normally soothing treatments are applied after.

It’s important that you get your eyebrows done around a certain time. You should always avoid any hair removal around that time of the month as your skin is much more sensitive. You only need to get your eyebrows professionally shaped once if you can maintain the shape well. Still, it may take you a few shaping at a salon to get the shape you want.

When getting your brows shaped, ask for a small amount to be taken off, and check your brows after each wax. This way, you can tell the salon person how much more you want off.

A great tip that I have learned is to look back at some of your old school photos from when you were about 8 or 9, this way you will be able to see your natural brow shape, you can take a photo in with you if you like, but a good brow specialist should be able to determine your natural brow shape just by looking at them.

– Avoid using brow Stencils. Although brow stencils are quite a handy tool, avoid using them to shape your brows. The shape is often not natural enough for a person’s brows. Often, the stencils are too big for most brows (unless you’re a guy!).

However, brow stencils do come in handy when you’re filling in your brows, so you don’t go outside your natural brows. They are also not too bad if they match your brow shape well enough to determine which hairs need to go and which ones can stay.

– Invest In good quality tweezers. A pair of good-quality tweezers will effectively pull out an entire hair follicle with little to no pain. Brands like Tweezerman are expensive but are extremely well known for their good quality tweezers, used by professionals all over the world. They are also well known for their free tweezers sharpening service. Try: Tweezerman Slant Tweezers

– Pluck after showering. If you notice you’ve got some hairs growing back and want to tidy up your brows, do it after showering. The steam from the shower will help to open up the hair follicles, making it easier and less painful to pluck the hairs.

– Do not over pluck. It’s seriously important that you do not overpluck. Brows should be natural-looking and should still be semi-thick. At younger ages, you should always try and keep your brows full but maintain shape.

Once you get older, your brows start to thin out and fade. They also stop growing as fast, and thin brows don’t look good on anyone, especially those above the age of 40.

Handy Tip: If you have glasses or a monolid, keep your brows thick but still very well-groomed.

Handy Tip: If you have seriously bushy brows, you can lightly trim the long hairs to make them look shorter.

More: The Best Body Scrubs

MAKING YOUR BROWS FULL WITH MAKEUP.

– Determine your brow shade. Filling a shade too dark in your brows will look unnatural and editorial, which isn’t what you want for an everyday look.

Generally, for people with dark hair, your brow shade will be one shade lighter than your natural hair color, sometimes the same shade as your natural hair color. For light hair/blonde’s, your shade will be a shade darker than your natural hair color.

– Choose which formula you prefer. So many brands nowadays have come out with brow fill-ins as they are becoming more and more popular, from pencils to shadows. Wax’s there’s a formula for everyone.

Overall I prefer brow pencils as it’s easier to find your shade, you have a bit more control, and you can just pop one in your bag, and you’re out the door. Try: Maybelline Define a brow pencil, Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow, Benefit Brow Zings.

– Fill In Your Brows. When filling in your brows, it’s super important that you don’t use a heavy hand.

The key to filling in your brows and making them look natural is using light, small feathering strokes from the inner corner of your brows to the outer point of them, ensuring that you follow the direction of the hairs and that you make sure your brows come to a point.

– Blend the color. I would say this is one of the most important steps to creating a full natural-looking brow. Whether you choose to use a mascara wand (one included in a brush kit or a disposable one), a brow comb, or you can even use a clean eyeshadow brush!

– Set your brows. In order to keep your brows tamed and in place instead of unruly, set your brows with a gel. Many professional brands like MAC carry these in clear and in colored (colored if often saved best for the runway).

Still, I think a clear mascara works just as well, or you can ever try a multi-purpose balm-like Lanolips, Suvana Paw Paw Ointment, or Vaseline. Try: Maybelline Great Lash Clear, Maybelline Define a Brow Gel.

Handy Tip: If you’re using a brow pencil and find that it looks harsh, feather it onto a cotton tip and apply it with that instead.

How to Make your eyes stand out

How do you make your eyes really stand out? Sound familiar? If you struggle with trying to make your eyes pop and reach their full potential, keep on reading!

– Don’t line the waterline of the eye with black. This closes up the eye and makes them look smaller. Instead, opt for white/fleshy toned eyeliner as these open up the eye. Eyeliner on the waterline can also risk eye infection, so try not to do it every day or try and use a gentle formula like kohl.

– Avoid lining the bottom lash line. This can also look really harsh on some people. Suppose you do want to line the bottom lash line, though. Use a  brown eyeliner and only take it 3 quarters of the way in from the outer corner of the eye and smudge it a little bit. In that case, this still gives impact and makes them look more defined, but it doesn’t look as harsh.

– Highlight the brow bone. Using a white highlighter on the brow will open up the eye area tremendously. Ensure that you don’t use one with a slight pink undertone, or it will look like you’ve just tweezed the area.

– Highlight the inner corner of the eye. Highlighting the inner corner of the eye with a white eyeshadow (shimmery or not) really helps to open up the eyes and make them pop. Simply place a small amount right by the tear duct.

– Highlight the outer corner. Using a white highlighter just under your bottom lash line and taking it three-quarters of the way in towards the inner corner of the eye helps to make you look like you’ve had a good night’s sleep!

– Use light-toned eyeshadows. Using a light-toned but pigmented eyeshadow always helps to make the eyes look larger. In contrast, darker colors will make them look smaller. Opt for whites, creams, light beige’s, off whites, eggshell, and dusty rose tones for the best impact.

– Use Mascara. Mascara is probably one of the biggest eye-openers out there. Whether you choose something clear, black, or brown, it will always open up the eyes. Ensure you wiggle the wand at the base of the root all the way to the tips of the lashes. For even more impact, do your lower lashes too, but only apply one coat. Also, make sure you curl the lashes before any application of eyelash products!

More: The Best Moisturizing Foundations

USE EYESHADOW SHADES THAT ARE BEST SUITED FOR YOUR EYE COLOUR!

Blue eyes should try: Gold, bronze, ash, taupe, grey, heather, slate, apricot, peach, and lilac tones.

Light Brown eyes should try: Rich dark brown, mocha, khaki, stone, and dark tones.

Dark Brown eyes should try: Electric blue, Milky chocolate and dark chocolate tones, indigo, teal, and white tones.

Green eyes should try: Purple, plum, beige, camel, slate, lilac, and taupe tones. Green can be used, but be cautious when using or switching it up with some green eyeliner.

Hazel eyes should try: Brown, Lilac, and pink tones.

Grey eyes should try:  You can experiment the most as you almost have a blank canvas, but try bronze and grey tones for added impact. To avoid looking washed out, avoid shades like white, and try darker tones.

Black eyes should try: Like grey eyes, black eyes are a neutral canvas for eye makeup, so any color will suit them! For the most intensity, though, electric blues and bright purples look great!

More: The Best Makeup Organizers

Dark circles.

Put your hand up if you’ve ever had dark circles? That’s what I thought just about all of you, yes? Whether they be slightly faint or really dark, we must all admit we sit there trying to cover them up with way too much concealer. So here’s a couple of tips to (well.. at least) hide them.

– Use a light eye cream the second you wake up. This will help to fade dark circles but make sure you wait at least 15 minutes before applying any makeup to the eye area. For best results, use a brightening eye cream like Origins Gin Zing Refreshing Eye Cream.

– If you have extreme dark circles, use a corrector before concealer in a peach or pink tone and follow with a yellow-toned concealer after.

– Make sure you are using a peach, yellow, or orange-toned concealer.

– Orange is the best way to correct grey and blue, so mix a tiny amount of orange in with your concealer, and apply. For best results, use lipstick as they have creamy hydrating properties.

– Your concealer for dark circles should only be 1-2 shades lighter than your foundation. If it makes them look grey, it’s too light.

– Use a good high-quality concealer. Brands like Bobbi Brown and Laura Mercier carry little sets that contain a powder and a concealer to help hide your dark circles.

– Apply your concealer over the top of your foundation. Generally, your foundation hides imperfections a bit, and if the concealer is put underneath, it can rub off.

– Make sure you use a concealer that’s the same shade as your foundation over the top.

– Apply your concealer with a brush but blend it in with your ring finger, preferably in a patting motion, as the warmth of your fingers will help to smooth it onto the delicate skin and look more natural.

– Set your concealer with a blending eye brush and a yellow-toned (White toned if you are extremely pale) translucent powder. This will help it to stay in place.

– Also, ensure you get a good night’s sleep, so avoid eating hot and spicy foods and instead opt for things that contain ammonia acids, like milk, cottage cheese, and chocolate.

More: The Best Minimizing Beauty Products

Nicely curled.

Straight is always a nice look for hair, but not necessarily for our hair by our eyes, our eyelashes. Many people suffer from straight stubborn eyelashes that never want to move.

In contrast, others have the luxury of being able to walk out the door with nicely curled eyelashes without a hint of eyelash curling or mascara. So here’s a couple of hints and trips to get those eyelashes curled, girly, and flirty.

– High-quality eyelash curler. No, not that one you got from the drugstore or the $1 shop a year or so ago. Suppose you want nicely curled eyelashes. You’re going to have to invest in a good quality eyelash curler, preferably one from a high-end brand.

A good quality one should last you for a very long time (ensure you change the pads every couple of months, though!) Shu Urema’s eyelash curler is great.

– Heat your eyelash curler. When it comes to your hair, and you want something either seriously straight or nice and curly, what often makes it last long? Heat. That’s what, and the same goes for your eyelashes. Either heat your eyelash curler underneath a medium-high heat on your hairdryer for just under a minute, then test it on your arm to make sure it’s not too hot, or use a high-quality eyelash curler that heats itself up.

– Waterproof mascara. For quite some time now, waterproof mascara has been known to hold curls on the eyelashes very well as water, sweat, and tears cannot make the eyelashes move their shape too much.

– Use mascara with a curved wand. Using a mascara with a wand-shaped in a curve will help give your eyelashes a good amount of curl.

– Wiggle the wand at the root of your lashes. When applying mascara, you should always wiggle the mascara wand at the root of your lashes and continue wiggling it to the tips. This means you will have mascara by the roots of your lashes, which will help make your lashes’ tips look longer and more curled.

– Ensure you catch every lash. Many mascaras have a nice long wand that will help to catch every lash when applying mascara. Ensure you get every lash with your mascara wand and angle them all out the outer corner of your eye to give a more curled and romantic look.

– Don’t apply more than 2-3 coats of mascara. Avoid applying too much mascara as this can weigh down your eyelashes, making them look like they have no curl and are nowhere near as long as they should be.

– False Eyelashes. False eyelashes are always a good option to fool people into thinking you’ve got nice long lashes with a gorgeous amount of curl. Opt for a pair of good quality natural-looking ones.

– Get your eyelashes permed. Just like the hair on your head, you can also get your eyelashes permed. Although your best off to leave this up to the professionals, many salons offer this service. If they’ve used a good quality brand, your lashes can stay permed, nice, and curled for up to 4 months.

Last update on 2024-11-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API