LoveSmokeyEyes Blog

All you want to know about smokey eyes. Classy smokey eye makeup explained: how to do it, how to master it, how to look good in it.

Wear Purple Smokey Eyes: Fall 2010 Trend

Purple smokey eye continues to be trendy this Fall 2010. The good news:
learning it is easier than you think. Here is some top advice on how to pull it off.

Firstly, decide if purple suits you. There is a lot to choose from since
there are so many fabulous hues of this color. From delicate mauve to
audacious amethyst. You can learn all about what's best for your eye color
in my free report about smokey eyes

The best way to learn is by looking at great examples. Let's start with
Kim Kardashian. The purple smokey eyes she wore a few weeks ago were a
perfect look for autumn. The whole area around the eye socket was expertly
sculpted with two shades: purple and charcoal. Charcoal is a great
sidekick to purple!

For classy take on this color just copy one of the looks by Emmy Rossum: a
combination of muted purple eyeshadow and black liner. It is an elegant
classic. I recommend to use two shades of purple to successfully define
the eye.

Browsing through the new eyeshadow palettes for Fall 2010 is a great way
to learn what's in, what's out, what color combinations work well with
purple. I have selected four fabulous eyeshadow palettes for this season:
all including purple and all offering different solutions on how to do a
great purple smokey eye. Check out the in-depth overview in my article
about purple smokey eyes Just reading about these color selections will
help you create your perfect formula.

Purple smokey eye is a look worth learning. It is trendy. It is
flattering. And, from my experience, men quite like it. So get your purple
eyeshadows out and start practicing. Good luck!

Smokey Eyes For Brown Eyes: Best Colors For You

It's essential to consider your eye color before finding the right smokey eye look. There are various approaches you can take: it all depends on what you would like to achieve. Do you want to enhance your eye color or rather harmonize with it? Enhancing? Harmonizing? To get complete know-how on making brown eyes look spectacular click here to my article about smokey eyes

 For a quick skim, read through my three top recommendations for brown-eyed ladies: colors that are guaranteed to flatter and deliver that smokey magic.

My first recomendation is: brown smokey eyes. It sound pretty obvious but it just works together so well! And it is convenient too because brown and earth toned makeup is totally on-trend this (and next) season! A tip worth remembering: refresh this look by using a dash of soft color with your blush and lipstick.

The second tip is: dark shades of blue and navy. They are perfect for brown eyes, they make them look dark, rich and full of sparkle. More pastel shades of blue are a good solution as well, mainly as accents of color.

The last of the top three is charcoal: a smokey eyes must. When using it right, you can create strong but lady-like smokey eyes. 

Make your brown eyes sultry and rich with these elegant and selected shades. To learn about various color solutions for all eye colors get my free report on smoky eyes (it has two pages of great ideas for brown eyes!)

And stay fabulous!

Tame Your Black Smokey Eyes With Great Face Makeup

Have you seen how Jennifer Lopez looks when wearing smoky eyes? Fresh and pretty. What's her secret? Fabulous face makeup.

To make sure you look great in black smokey eyes learn how to define your face in six simple steps. Read my detailed article on smokey eye makeup or zoom quickly through the facts below.

When wearing smokey eyes make sure to use an under-eye concealer. It lifts the eye and gives contrast to the eye makeup.

Don't skip foundation. Dark eye makeup clashes with bare skin.

Sculpt and add warmth with the bronzer.

Create a subtle blush with... the blush.

Use highlighter to enahnce your smokey eyes and accent your cheekbones.

 Finally, stay matte with blotting papers.

And remember the secrets of the amazing smokey eye. Discover the smokey eye that is perfect for you. Know how to re-create it time and time again. Blend like a professional. Get the intensity of color right. To learn more about it read my article about black smokey eyes

And stay sultry!

Black Smokey Eyes: How To Make It Subtle And Sultry

We love black smokey eyes for their "vavoom!" and their smouldering effect. But sometimes too much black is simply too much. How to keep the balance? How to look sultry without being over-made up?
 
You can have control over the intensity of your black smokey eye by following these tips.
 
Use an extra wash of color to soften your black eyeshadow. Go for a natural shadow that corresponds with your skin tone: pinks mixed with beige for a light skin, and beige combined with peach for darker, warmer complexions.
 
You can also sweep some bronze or shimmery brown next to your black eyeshadow. It would warm it up and give the face a healthy feel.
 
Try something different: consider using colors other than black when choosing your eye pencil and eye shadows. Think dark browns or deep plums for a user-friendly yet sultry look. 
 
And last but not least: blend. Put your heart into it and your smokey eyes will make you proud. Become a blending expert by reading the chapter about this specific topic in my complete, illustrated smokey eyes ebook.
 
There are many easy tricks to make smouldering eye makeup work for you. Practice and learn with more of my advice on black smokey eyes .

Black Smokey Eyes: How To Do It Great

Black smokey eyes are such a classic. Full of sex appeal and confidence. They flatter any eye color and compexion. But they can also look dramatically... bad, when not done properly. How to get it right? There are three secrets to amazing black smokey eyes.

Secret One is keeping it as dark as possible right next to the lashline. Essential tools for this are: a soft black eye pencil and a high quality black eyeshadow. You use them to keep the area closest to the eye as dark as possible. The further out you go the less intense the black is. 

Secret Two is getting the shape of your smokey eye right. There are smokey eyes that are close to the lashline, there are extended ones that reach out almost to the temple, there are cat-eyed winged ones. And so many more! Let your eye shape guide you and  always keep it perky and up at the outer eye corner.

Secret Three is blending. Blending means making the edge of the smokey eye soft and gradual. It is the most important skill. Learn all about it with my detailed illustrated ebook about smokey eyes which has a special chapter about blending. And practice! Don't smudge and blend precisely.

And last but not least: touchups. Carry cotton buds in your cosmetics purse and tidy up specks of eyeshadow and eye pencil throughout the day or night. That will keep your eye makeup clasy and presentable.

Yes, black smokey require some effort and learning but they are so worth it! If you want some great advice, read more here about black smokey eyes. Meanwhile, stay sultry! 

Celebrity Smokey Eyes Uncovered

These days we are spoiled for makeup information. One of my favourite beauty blogs is “Girls In The Beauty Department” at Glamour.com. They post once or twice a day (at least). The posts are short, useful, sweet and fun. Smokey eye, being a major trend, is featured often, to my delight. Two main writers: Beth Shapouri and Petra Guglielmetti have some really good insights and observations.

My favorite feature is when they analyse celebrity makeup. Firstly, they know what they are talking about. Secondly, the style of writing is entertaining and enjoyable. Thirdy: the photos! Being Glamour after all, they have access to best new hot celebrity shots - something that most smaller blogs just don’t offer. I’ve seen best smokey eyes on the planet enjoyably dissected there and I loved it.

Another nice thing about it is the exchange with the readers. There are usually quite a lot of comments and enjoyable makeup conversations.

Today, they are serving a nice little post about The Mighty Highlighter. Although highlighter is not really eye makeup it has everything to do with smokey eyes. As the loveliness of Jennifer Lopez’s and Kim Kardashian’s smokey eyes proves. If you are serious about your smokey eyes never underestimate the power of highlighter. This great post by Beth Shapouri will explain where to apply it. Keep lovely.

 

Purple Smokey Eye For Spring: Make It Classy

I believed that smokey eyes look best in all sorts of “neutrals”: blacks, greys, browns, taupe. This season’s surge of colour made me reconsider. Really, I had no choice but to give it a try. 
 

I started to experiment with different sorts of purples, violets and lilacs and different ways to make them look “smoky”. And you know what: it’s actually more wearable and flattering than I thought! Actually quite pretty.

Sculpting and creating dimension is key here. Otherwise one just ends up with a colourful eye and nothing smokey about it! You need 2 or 3 shades to make it work. Learning this technique of smokey eye makeup is essential.

Base: a light (but vibrant) lilac/ violet shade all the way up to the brow bone.

Dark eyepencil (preferably plum) all around the eye on the lashline

Darker eyeshadow (darker purple, plum, soft mocha brown, charcoal) to sculpt the lid and “smoke out” the eye pencil.

Then the usual: highlighter here and there and a touch of bronzer to give dimension and glow to the face. 

I used a plum eyepencil and inexpensive Avon eyeshadows in Purple Haze. The intensity of colours was just right and the look was elegant and romantic.

My husband liked this spring purple smokey eye and it mattered to me. For the obvious reason, but also because men famously dislike strong, colourful makeup. So there is something in this violet/ purple/plum combo that goes down well with men.

For visual inspiration check out this lovely close up from Michael Kors Spring Summer 2010 catwalk. These sublime purple eyes courtesy of makeup artist Dick Page almost single handedly created this trend. 

What is your secret formula for purple smokey eye?

 

Why Now Is The Time To Do Smokey Eyes?

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There are four great reasons to start doing smokey eyes right now. Or to learn it, if needed.

First of all: it’s totally trendy. I would say even more: smokey eye is here to stay as opposed to being a seasonal thing. There is obviously public demand for it and makeup companies are loving it. It is becoming an “always great” classic such as red lips.

Secondly, it is universally flattering. And, before you stop me, let me say: yes it is. Following the shape of your eye, your age and colouring you can find so many ways to do smokey eyes! There is the full-lidded, bare-lidded, contour-only, misty, precise, smudgy, soft, hard, black, dark, purple, brown… So many smokey eye styles and techniques! Rest assured: in the smokey eye kingdom there is a look waiting just for YOU. I was once there: certain that my small lids and narrow eyes were not smokey eye material. Now I know better.

Thirdly, products available. I believe we are living in the golden age of makeup cosmetics. The textures are superb, the finish is natural-looking and wearable. The colours are finally as they should.   Really good makeup is increasingly affordable. Also tools, like brushes, which till recently were makeup artists’ domain are suddenly widely available. This is the perfect time to engage in some REAL makeup of which smokey eye is a prime example.

And finally: information. There was a time when the only way to learn smokey eyes properly was to enter a makeup school and wait till the last course: the difficult art of smokey eyes. But not anymore. Now everybody wants to advise you on how to do smokey eye makeup. Whether everybody doing that is good enough: that’s another issue. But still it is much more info than two or three years ago. I am obviously part of that smokey eyes revolution and so is my  “Love Smokey Eyes Ebook”  which I cordially invite you to order. That is, if you want a complete and detailed guide on how to get perfect smokey eyes every time.

So why not indeed? Have fun and look beautiful. Now. More on lovely spring smokey eyes in the next post!    

 

Smokey Eyes Icon: Verushka in the Sixties

Seeing smokey eyes in a wider picture can be educational. This makeup, so trendy now, actually dates back to almost a hundred years ago.

The Sixties were an era of smokey eyes’ great influence. I was reminded of that aesthetic while reviewing Sienna Miller’s look at the Met Gala two posts ago. Let’s see the real thing: smokey eyes straight from the Sixties. The example: wonderful and splendid model Verushka on the cover of Vogue. (Below I include a link to view this look).

It is interesting to analyse this makeup and see which elements still apply and which look dated.

My first  observation is the brow bone: it would definitely be done differently today. On Verushka it’s quite white and chalky. These days a more subtle and natural approach is encouraged. The eyeshadow/highlighter under the eyebrow is usually more flesh-coloured and sheer.

Another difference is the face. I would say that today a makeup artist would do more sculpting with highlighter, bronzer and blush. 

Otherwise, Verushka’s look it very on trend! Black eyeshadow spiced up with some seriously winged eyeliner. Seductive cat-eye shape enhanced by false eyelashes. Peach-coloured mouth and matching blush. And I just love the way she is wearing the head scarf: it frames the eyes and mouth perfectly.

You can admire this historic rendition of smokey eyes by clicking below onto the Irvin Penn photo of Verushka which graced the cover of Vogue in 1964. Isn’t it just groovy?

http://www.style.com/beauty/icon/071108ICON/

Celebrity Smokey Eyes in Copper: Sarah Jessica Parker at the Met Gala

A copper or gold smokey eye is quite a trend this spring. It will also go perfectly with a summer tan. But as with all metallics, it looks easier than it really is. Sarah Jessica Parker (or rather her makeup artist) showed how to do it at the recent Met Gala. (Yes, I am still writing about it, sorry!).

 

The lid was covered with a coppery eyeshadow all the way up to brow bone but not over it. (Alternatively it could be a soft coppery/gold eye pencil). The eye was lined with a dark brown eye pencil/liner including the inner corner. To add dimension and that smokey effect, the lid was sculpted with a brown eyeshadow. The bottom lashline was gently smoked out: I think it was a slightly shimmery brown.

 

Gold and copper look best with a warm skin tone so the face was beautifully “tanned” with a matte bronzer. To introduce variety, the blush had pink undertones.

 

The mouth was in nude lipstick with a dash of pink, just like the blush. The contour was lined with a natural lip liner to give fullness.  

 

This makeup went perfectly with the seventies look that Sarah Jessica Parker emulated in her pale-gold Halston dress. And she had a giant bow in her hair! (She must be one of the few people in Hollywood who can get away with it).

 

The hair had a deep side parting and cascaded down in golden waves. It reminded me of Jerry Hall hairstyles form the seventies.

 

A mass of vintage diamond and gold bracelets, worn together on one wrist, ensured a serious red carper status.

 

Copper eyeshadow is tricky and not always flattering. But with the help of a brown eyepencil and eyeshadow as well as bronzer it can look really good and so trendy! See for yourself by clicking on the link below. This look is saying to me: summer is coming! Can you hear it too?

 

http://bit.ly/9Yk1QG