To us, experimenting with eye shadow usually includes dabbling in brights like turquoise and violet, or maybe using a blue mascara (to enhance the whites of our eyes). These hues however would be a snooze fest for the makeup artists backstage at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Just ask Gilbert Soliz, a lead artist for Sephora PRO who opted to create a red smoky eye with brown-based pencils for Charlotte Ronson's Fall 2011 collection.

We know what you're thinking: red hues around the eyes are usually the result of a poor night's sleep or a mean case of allergies. But as we learned from Soliz, the shade can be quite wearable and surprisingly flattering. Here are his five tips for pulling it off.

1. Use a combination of colors. Soliz actually used lip liners (Sephora Collection Nano Lip Liner in Beau Bordeaux and Make Up For Ever Aqua Lip Waterproof Lipliner Pencil in Chocolate Brown) in place of eye shadow. One reason was because the formulas of these lip pencils blended easier, the other was because they stayed creamy throughout the wear. He smeared the pencils on his hand first, and then mixed.

2. Be a blending master. Using his fingers first and then a fluffy eye shadow brush, Soliz blended a wash of color over the model's lids and out past the corners of the eyes. Like any smoky eye, getting the color to fall in all the right places is key.

3. Tone down your eyeliner. Rather than drawing a line from the inner to the outer corner of the eye, Soliz took Make Up For Ever Aqua Eye in Pearly Brown and dotted it along the lash lines. This effect made the overall eye a bit softer and "less perfect," as Soliz said.

4. Keep the rest of your makeup simple. When working with such a unique eye color, you don't want to overdo your complexion with blush and bronzer. Soliz finished off lashes with Dior DiorShow Mascara in Black. Next he applied Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer and YSL Touch Eclat to skin, then contoured the hallows of the cheeks with Make Up For Ever Sculpting Kit.

5. Pay attention to your arches. Well-groomed brows are a must for any makeup look, so he shaded in sparse areas using Dior DiorShow Brow Ultra-Fine Precision Brow Pencil. A good rule of thumb when filling in your brows: Go by the color of your hair and choose one shade lighter. That hue will create the shadow effect that your brows need to look natural.

Check out the final look on the model below. Not so intimidating, right? You can layer on as much or as little color as you want, or switch out these red-based browns for a brown with plum in it.

Tell us: Would you try this red-based eye the next time you're going out?

For the latest beauty news, freebies, and more, become a fan of Real Beauty on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!