Tutorial: Black Smokey Eye

Hello my lovelies!

So I hope you're all having a lovely week so far. As promised, Ive prepared a step by step tutorial for a black smokey eye. Please excuse the fact that I have mascara on right from the beginning (instead of applying it right at the end, as it should be!) but I did this tutorial immediately after coming back from class... I already had mascara on... And I thought I'd just go with it...

So enjoy yourselves and leave comments, tell me what you thought and how you think I can improve before the next tutorial!

1. Start off with a clean, moisturised eye. Apply an eyeshadow base all over your eyelid and up to the browbone using your finger. You can use Urban Decay Primer Potion, Benefit FYI, Too Faced Shadow Insurance or any of MAC's paint pots or paints in a colour that resembles your skin tone.


2. Apply a coloured base for your look. This will help to really enhance the colours of the overall look. Since this is a black smokey eye, I chose to apply a black base all over my eyelid (NOT going past the crease). This is MAC's shadestick in Sharkskin but you can use any cream or gel based product. It doesnt have to be perfect or even neat as this will all get covered up!




3. Take a stiff, flat eyeshadow brush, pack on some matte or shimmery (depending on your preference, Ive used a bit of both) black eyeshadow and PAT the brush gently all over the black base. Don't drag the brush across the lid, just pat it gently. Youre packing the eyeshadow on, not sweeping it across.



4. This is what you should end up with... apply little and keep adding more if need be. Its easier to add than it is to take it off!

5. Take a fluffy, fairly stiff blending brush and sweep it back and forth in your crease, exactly on that harsh black line. We're going to blend that line out till we can't see it... keep going back and forth in a windshield wiper motion till you're satisfied that the line is completely blended.

6. This is what it should look like once you're done blending...

7. Pick up a dark grey eyeshadow with the same blending brush and sweep it across the area where you just blended out the harsh line in the same windshield wiper motion. This will create a gradient of colour... and the black will appear to be fading into grey...

8. Once you've applied and blended the dark grey, take a clean blending brush and a white or silvery highlight colour and sweep it across your browbone. Dont tap as you did earlier, that will make the highlight too intense which can look tacky. Take a flexible fluffy blending brush and just gently swish it across the browbone - the highlight should show but in a subtle, beautiful way. Something like this...

9. Take a small eyeshadow brush or a smudger brush, pick up some black eyeshadow and very carefully pat it on on your lower lash line. Again, go light and then build up as much as you like... In the next picture I have a very faint shade of black on my lower lashline but then I darkened it up... Dont go all the way in on your lower lashline. Stop where your lashes stop.

10. Now, Ive lined my inner lower waterline with black kohl pencil (MAC's Black Russian) and intensified the smudged black line on my lower lash line. Ive already got mascara on but this is the point at which you will apply your mascara. Two coats ATLEAST!

And this is your completed look - a dramatic black smokey eye!

I hope you enjoyed this - Im waiting on pins and needles to hear some feedback! ;)

x