The smoky eye: It's a makeup look that's as coveted as beachy hair. While both seem easy and effortless, an unexpected amount of product and time go into creating each look. More often than not, a few different colors are blended for a smoky eye, but the palette doesn't have to be the normal black, gray, and silver trio. Personally, I have a hard time working with those hues as I tend to end up looking like a raccoon. (Or perhaps I'm not applying it right.) Either way, I've found my happy medium using plum, violet, and lavender to compliment my brown eyes.

Fashion designer Rebecca Taylor was looking for a super-strong eye and lip to off-set the femininity of her spring 2011 collection on the runway. Lead makeup artist for MAC Sil Bruinsma used a combination of brown, copper, bordeaux wine, and orange for an intense eye, along with a brown eyeliner pencil and a few coats of black mascara on just the top lashes. (He's not a fan of piling it on to the point where your lashes look like spider-legs.)

Watch Bruinsma's how-to here:

Since one of the attributes to a sultry, nighttime look is loaded lashes, he compensated by working a kohl eyeliner right into the waterline. Think of it as coloring in the spaces between your lashes, which gives the instant effect of a lush and full set. Senior Beauty Editor Andrea Lavinthal shows you how here:

A few more tips to keep in mind:

1. If you tend to have oily eyelids, use an eyeshadow base or primer to melt-proof the makeup and to prevent creases.

2. When applying eyeliner, extend the top line out a bit so it creates a wing. This cat eye effect can be flattering on most eye shapes.

3. Regardless of what color palette you're using, dust the lightest one up through your brow bone, the medium hue over your lid, and concentrate the darkest color at your lash line.

4. Your fingers can do the job to an extent, but a fluffy eyeshadow brush can work wonders when blending, which is the real key to getting that smoked-out effect. (Bruinsma used this one.) Since a good brush set can be expensive, this one from e.l.f. does just fine for novices. Just be sure to clean them as bacteria can build up, which may lead to infections.

5. Lastly, blend the shadows upwards and outwards above the outer corner of your eye. The more you blend, the better the look will turn out.

More Smoky-Eye How-Tos:

1. For Blue Eyes, Using Blue Shadow

2. For Brown Eyes, Using Purple Shadow

3. For the Girl on the Go

Be sure to check out the Reel Beauty blog the rest of the week for more tips, videos, and glimpses backstage!

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