Jackie writes:

“Hey Las F., I’ve always been curious about what they call "smokey eyes" or a "smokey look", and I’ve seen it done well on peoples' eyes before, but when I try to do it myself it just looks really... bad. And a dark mess. I realize it’s more for an evening look, so I know it wouldn’t look right for just going to work. Do you have any tips for pulling it off? Is there a method to the madness? I saw this totally cute makeup brush at Sephora with short bristles called a smudge brush.. I imagine this might help but I’m sure it’s been done without one. Thanks!”






Jan answered,
“Jackie, you can also use a q-tip to smudge your eyeliner. But regular eyeliner pencil is too greasy to work, you have to use black eye shadow, cake liner, or a kohl pencil to line your eye to get the smoky look to work.

I love to see this sort of exchange on Las Fashionistas! That’s what this site is all about! To answer Jackie’s question further…

The smoky eye is a bold look best reserved for night time wear while out on the town. Like a bright red lipstick, you've gotta have courage to wear this--it really makes a statement. If your eyes are your best feature and you want to play them up, you might want to try this trend. It is best worn with more subtle cheek and lip make-up. A light blush on the apples of your cheeks and a sheer, nude lip gloss work perfectly.

First, prep your eyelid by applying an eye shadow base or a little loose powder. Some women also like to apply foundation to their eyelids, but I find this causes the eye shadow to slide a bit.

Next, apply eye liner in black, brown or charcoal gray. As Jan noted, a kohl liner works great; it‘s “smudgeable,” but doesn‘t fade. You may want to make the liner a little thicker on the outer edges (a cat eye) or thicker at the center of your eye. Apply liner to the base of your lower lashes as well. The closer you can get to the base of your lashes, the better the look, but some people want to line just outside their lower lash line for hygienic reasons, and that is perfectly acceptable, too. You may want to smudge a little eye shadow along your lashes as well; this will help set the eye liner.

Then sweep a dark color from your lashes to the crease of your eye. (Some people start with a light base color, such as cream or white, but you can also wait and apply this color just to your brow bone.) Blend, blend, blend. The eyelid surface should look soft, not cakey.

Depending on your eye shape, you may look best with the color reaching slightly above or below your eye crease. Asian fashionistas often look best with a thick smudge of color along the upper lash line.

Finally, curl those eyelashes and apply your favorite dark mascara. The look is perfect is your eyebrows are well groomed as well.

Experiment to see what works best for you, but don’t be afraid of how bold it looks in the harsh light of your bathroom mirror. In a sultry restaurant downtown, your eyes will look gorgeous!