A sultry smokey eye never goes out of style. It’s a timeless classic that’s perfect for dates, dancing and all those special occasions when you just want to ‘wow’ your company.
Although creating an iconic smokey eye isn’t all that tricky once you’ve mastered the basics, us perfectly pale girls can have a few more problems pulling off the look than our beautifully bronzed friends.
If you’ve ever attempted a beautiful smokey eye only to end up looking like you’ve just done five rounds with Mike Tyson, this post is for you. We’re going to share some of our best tips on how to do smokey eyes for fair skin.
Let’s get started!
#1 Choose the right colours
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Often, girls will come to us exasperated, because they’ve faithfully followed a Youtube smokey eye tutorial from beginning to end only to see a raccoon staring back at them in the mirror.
Sound familiar? Don’t panic – you’re not a lost cause. The fact is, just because your fave Youtube guru can rock an intense, black smokey eye, that doesn’t mean the same style will suit you. In order to create the sexiest and more wearable smokey eye for you, you have to choose the right colour scheme.
If you’re as pale as Kate Winslet or Gwyneth Paltrow, super dark colours are going to wash you out and look unflattering. Instead of selecting a black base colour, create your smokey eye with medium browns for a softer, earthier look that’ll appear less harsh against your skin. Medium/fair girls like Elizabeth Olsen should try a rose-based bronze colour palette for a warm glow.
Your eye colour also impacts on how to do smokey eyes effectively. For example, a gorgeous smokey eye for blue eyes can be best achieved by using colours that will really bring out those baby blues. Golds, bronze and copper colours are ideal. Meanwhile, brown eyes love lavender and teal. Are you a green eyed goddess? Try taupe.
#2 Use the right brushes
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A smokey eye is one of those looks that really does require a few decent brushes. You can probably get away with using your finger to apply a wash of colour to your lid and your brow bone; however, there are three main brushes you definitely need to create an effortlessly easy smokey eye:
- Crease Brush – An angled crease brush is a must have. It lets you easily pack or shade colour into the crease of your lid.
- Blending Brush – A fluffy blending brush is used to draw colour up from your crease in a smokey eye to create a gradient. Moving it back and forth in a windscreen wiper motion will help to blend out any harsh lines.
- Small Angled Brush – This brush will help you redefine and intensify the outer corner of your smokey eye. It’s also great for applying eyeliner along your waterline and upper lash line.
#3 Blend, blend, blend
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If there’s one point that most MUAs agree on when it comes to how to do smokey eyes, it’s that very pale ladies often require more blending and an additional transition colour to create the smokey effect without harsh lines and edges.
For example, for a traditional black smokey eye, some beauty junkies might just use one shade of black in their crease and blend it up and out into their brow bone highlight colour. However, if you’re super pale, we suggest that you make this transition a little more subtle. Instead of transitioning straight from black to white/nude, add a medium grey between those two colours for a smoother gradient.
#4 Put it all together
Now we’re going to show you how to do smokey eyes step by step. The following instructions will help you to create a gold and brown smokey eye that will flatter most skin tones beautifully. Of course, there are many ways of achieving this timeless look, so if you prefer to use a different method, go straight ahead!
Step 1: Prime your eyes with an eye shadow primer to intensify your eye shadow colours and prevent creasing.
Step 2: Sweep a white or champagne coloured eye shadow over your brow bone as a highlight.
Step 3: Apply a gold eye shadow all over your lid.
Step 4: Using your angled crease brush, work a dark brown colour into your crease. Concentrate the colour on the outer ‘v’ and the end of your upper lash line.
Step 5: With a small angled brush, connect the dark brown colour to your lower lash line, using it to line beneath your eyes. Then line your waterline with a black or dark brown eyeliner (black will be more dramatic, but also harsher).
Step 6: With your blending brush, blend out your gold eye shadow into the dark brown colour. Then, using a windscreen wiper motion, thoroughly blend the dark brown upwards and outwards in a fan shape.
Step 7: Apply just a hint of a medium to light brown to your blending brush, then repeat this motion until this colour acts as a gentle transition between your dark brown crease colour and your white/champagne brown bone highlight.
Step 8: Line your upper lash line with black eyeliner, winging it out slightly past the end of your eye if you so desire.
Step 9: Paint your lashes with a generous coat of mascara and, if desired, highlight the inner corner of your eye with white or silver eye shadow to open it up.
With these simple tips, we hope you’re confident and inspired enough to give smokey eyes a second try. If you do attempt this look, be sure to leave us a link in the comments so we can check it out!