What is a Smokey Eye, Anyway?

Kim Kardashian, smokey eye proponent

Ahh, the smokey eye. The nouveau classic and source of confusion, envy and wonderment for many. I am asked a lot, "what is a smokey eye? what colors do you have to do? would it look good on me? how in the world would I ever be able to do it on myself?" I'm here to help, people! Let's break it down.

Deep grey matte shadow on the lid, blended up into the crease, bright ivory shimmery shadow on the brow bone, copious mascara

The elements that go into this look are (generally speaking) a dark, matte eyeshadow, a light-colored eyeshadow and a lot of eyeliner and mascara. On a basic level, the smokey eye is a wash of light shadow all over the eyelid up to the eyebrow, with a darker and/or brighter color in the crease. The crease, if you are unfamiliar, is the area that your eyelid recedes into when your eyes are open. We all have a natural shadow in that area, and so the smokey eye is essentially a dramatic way of highlighting bone structure. The look is typically finished with a generous amount of eyeliner around the rim of the eyes and (if you're me, above) gobs of mascara.

Contrary to popular belief, there are no rules for how a smokey eye should look. You can use as many colors of shadow as you want, or as few as one or two. There is no rule that says you must use black for any of it. I've done pairings such as gold on the lid, black in the crease, and a lighter champagne on the brow bone (on Lisa, above). I personally get bored by an entirely charcoal grey or black smoked-out eye. On Lisa I wanted to pop out the green tones in her eyes and define her incredible bone structure. The key piece to this look, and any smokey eye is well-blended eyeshadow. You can see how the black in her crease goes from being dark to soft and wispy as it moves up toward her brow. If you want to master this look it takes patience and good brushes. To master a well-blended crease, you will need a brush that has a tapered tip and soft bristles. Use a circular stroke when blending--think little circles.

All eye shapes, all skin-tones and all ages can wear this style. There are endless ways to wear it, from subtle mattes, to bright and colorful to shimmery tones and beyond. The key things to remember when trying a new look is that makeup washes off so there's no need to freak out about getting everything right the first time. Keep a box of q-tips and bottle of remover handy and you're ready to play without fear! I have taught many a lesson on doing the smokey eye and would love to show you how!