The easiest way to create those sooty, slept-in-your-makeup eyes is to, well, sleep in your makeup. But that’s neither good for your skin nor your bed sheets, so these three steps are the next best way to get the look with minimal effort.
THE TOOLS:
- A creamy black eye pencil. A kohl formula such as L’Oréal Paris Le Kohl Eyeliner in Carbon Black is ideal because it’s soft enough to smudge while still delivering rich black color. Avoid waterproof pencils, which don’t blend as easily.
- Shimmery or metallic gray eye shadow. This is key to smoky eyes that are sexy, not raccoon-like. A luminous, medium gray shadow provides that smoky effect without the heaviness of a matte charcoal or black shadow. Choose a powder formula (creams don’t last as long) such asMaybelline New York Expert Wear Eye Shadow Duo in Grey Matters.
- A domed eye shadow brush. The curved head allows for smooth blending. Try Lancôme Large Shadow Brush No. 11.
- Black mascara. You need fluttery lashes to balance the strong eye makeup. Choose a volumizing formula such as Yves Saint Laurent Volume Effet Faux Cils Mascara.
THE TECHNIQUE:
1. Line your eyes top and bottom with black pencil. For your top lid, place your finger at the outer corner of your eye and gently life the skin up and out slightly—this makes it taut, so it’s easier to draw a smooth line. Hold the pencil as close to the lash line as possible and, using short strokes, draw from the outer lashes inward, creating a thick line. Stop just short of the inner corner. Then trace your bottom lid, wiggling the pencil in between your lashes. Smudge both lash lines with a cotton swab.
2. Sweep on the shimmery shadow. Start at the outer corner of your eye and brush the gray shadow across your lid using quick flicks and concentrating the color close to your lashes, then blend up to your crease.
3. Fade the color outward. To create a halo of gray around your eyes, dust whatever shadow is left on the brush from your crease up to your brow bone, then do a soft sweep under your bottom lashes. If you see any edges of shadow, feather the brush over them to blend. Then dip the brush back in the shadow and work it back and forth in the crease of your lid to create depth. Finish with several coats of black mascara on your top lashes, and just a dab of it on your bottom lashes.
