A soft smoky eye is far more forgiving than it looks. Instead of sharp lines, you build smudgy, diffused color, so small mistakes simply blend away. Here is a beginner-friendly method you can wear day or night.
What you'll need
- Pearl Eye Primer or 2-in-1 Eye & Lip Primer
- Eyeshadow Palette in Dark Storm (or Warm Winds for a brown smoky eye)
- Eyeshadow Brush and Mini Crease Brush
- Kohl Eyeliner in Deep Black or Dark Brown
- Volumizing Peptide Mascara
The tutorial
Step 1: Prime the lids
Tap a thin layer of Pearl Eye Primer from lash line to brow bone. It helps shadow look more vibrant and stay put, especially on oily lids.
Step 2: Add a transition shade
With the Mini Crease Brush, sweep a soft mid-tone matte shade into your crease using windshield-wiper motions. This is your blending base, so keep it light.
Step 3: Smudge liner along the lash line
Draw Kohl Eyeliner close to your upper lashes. It doesn't need to be neat. Then wiggle it into the lashes and smudge it upwards with a brush or fingertip.
Step 4: Set the liner with dark shadow
Press the deepest shade from the palette over the liner with the Eyeshadow Brush, concentrating it at the outer corner. This locks the liner in place and creates the smoky effect.
Step 5: Blend, blend, blend
Go back to the clean crease brush and blend the edge of the dark shade into the transition color until there is no hard line. This step is what makes it look polished.
Step 6: Smoke out the lower lash line
Run a little of the dark shade under the outer half of your lower lashes, then soften it with the transition shade.
Step 7: Light up the inner corner
A touch of shimmer, such as Glitter Dust in 24K or a light palette shade, in the inner corner and center of the lid keeps the look from feeling heavy.
Step 8: Finish with mascara
Apply two coats of Volumizing Peptide Mascara to top and bottom lashes.
Pro tips
- Do your eyes before foundation so you can clean up any fallout easily.
- For daytime, swap black for brown liner and a brown palette for a softer version.
Quick questions
How do I stop eyeshadow creasing?
Use a primer, keep cream products under the eyes thin, and set liner with powder shadow.
Which brush matters most?
A fluffy crease brush. Blending is the key to a smoky eye, and a soft, tapered brush does most of the work for you.
