Mastering the perfect smoky eye can be intimidating. Don't let that put a damper on your holiday prep. Take the mystery out of this party ready look with these easy steps. Plus, 4 eyeliner looks everyone should master.
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How-To: The Basic Smoky Eye
Hellin Kay
MAC senior artist, Romero Jennings, was on hand to give his tips on achieving the perfect (and easy) smoky eye.
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Step 1:
Hellin Kay
Jennings starts by making the model's eyes look bigger with an eyelash curler (try the Kevyn Aucoin lash curler). Then, he smudges a black kohl liner to the waterline on both the top and bottom lashes.
Lifting the lid slightly, Jennings adds the same black kohl pencil to the upper lashes, trying to stay as close to the root line as possible.
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Step 3:
Hellin Kay
Using a stiff, pointed brush Jennings smudges the color out by adding a little bit of the kohl pencil to the brush. Using the same brush, he pulls the line out slightly in a winged shape, towards the temple so it doesn't close the eye in. "By making the line fat and fluffy," says Jennings, "you end up with a younger, softer look."
Jennings then uses a black gel liner and blends it into the lid with a fluffy natural bristle brush. "Start close to the lash line," Jennings says, "and blend towards the crease for a softer look."
With the same fluffy brush (wipe the bristles off on a tissue first), Jennings adds a shimmery golden beige color to the lid, starting close to the lashes and blending out towards the brow.
He then takes a stiff, pointed brush (the same one as before) to add the golden beige color to the bottom lashes as well, right over the black kohl pencil.
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Step 7:
Hellin Kay
Don't forget to add a generous amount of mascara. "I love the small brush on this mascara," says Jennings about the MAC Extended Play mascara. "It separates and adds drama."
Click through to see how to add even more dimension to your eyes with just a few more products.
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Step 8:
Hellin Kay
"The key is to use soft bushes and blend with clean bristles." Jennings advises. Here, he adds a cool, plum color right over Lauren's lid, patting it on with a stiff bristle brush.