You've seen it in every fashion magazine: models with dark, smoky eyes, defined and dramatic. I don't usually wear a lot of dark eye make-up. I've got pale, pale skin and blonde hair, so using so much black and gray on my eyes, I really thought I would look like a ghoul. But I found no shortage of photos in magazines where the subject was fair like I am, so I thought, hey, if they can do it, so can I.
I was getting ready for a concert. I had on a tiny little black top, skinny jeans and 4-inch heels, and thought, "this outfit was made for the smoky eye look." And I started experimenting.
(Tip #1: Don't experiment with this look when you actually are planning to be somewhere at a specific time. The third time you get out the eye makeup remover, panic will set in and your makeup application skills may suffer.)
Starting with a clean face, I applied moisturizer and eye cream and followed with concealer, foundation, and bronzer. InStyle magazine recommends starting with a base of moisturizer with some light powder pressed in as a base around the eyes to hold the eyeshadow in place. You're going to be wearing an awful lot of dark eyeshadow and you don't want it all over your face.
Next, I applied white eyeshadow (Revlon ColorStay 12 Hour Eye Shadow in Pure Pearl) over my whole eyelid, all the away up to my eyebrows. This gives your eyebrows a lift and really brightens up the whole eye area.
I followed with the lighter pink and plum shades from the Sterling Rose eyeshadow quad (pictured right), also Revlon ColorStay. This is all pretty normal for me; I wear this look to work all the time.
After the lighter shades were applied, I started applying some gray eyeshadow in about a 1/4-inch line above my top eyelash line. I blended it in more around the inner corners of my eyes, but left the line wider and darker at the outer corners of my eyes.
(Tip #2: No matter how dark and smoky the undereyes look in a photo, don't try to emulate it using shadow, especially if you are as pale as I am. You will look like a ghoul. Trust me.)
I then applied my Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner all the way around my eyes from corner to corner. You want the line to be pretty thin and well-defined so that your eyes really pop. After the gel liner, I decided I wanted something even more Jet Black, so I applied a second outline with my Blinc Kiss Me Eyeliner.
(Tip #3: Patience is the key here. Your eyes are the focal point of your face tonight and it's easy to pick out mistakes if your line is smudgy or wobbly.)
The final step is mascara, and you need something ultra-dramatic. I used Urban Decay's Skyscraper mascara over top of the Maybelline XXL mascara's lash primer for extra volume. Curling your lashes is an absolute must.
(Tip #4: Apply your dramatic mascara to the top lashes only. On the bottom lashes, use a lash tint if your lashes are blond or leave the mascara off entirely. Mascara on both the top and bottom lashes when you're wearing that much other eye makeup will not make you look sexy and mysterious, but rather more like Tammy Faye Baker.)
All of the tips I've offered to you are the result of major tactical errors when I was trying out this look. I found it easy to be too heavy-handed, which lead to multiple uses of my eye make-up remover. And still, at the end, I thought I looked less like I belonged in a magazine and more like I belonged in Kiss Army. It seemed like a bit much at first, but it grew on me every time I looked in the mirror. Which was something like every 5 seconds.
When my friend came by to accompany me to the concert, my look was met with rave reviews, so I decided to give this trend a full field trial, first at an upscale martini bar, then at the late-night concert. The smoky eyes were at home in both places; even at the small bar where the concert was held I didn't feel out of place.
You want to know the best part about the whole thing? As my mascara went under my eyes a little and my eyeliner smudged, it didn't mess up the look at all, in fact it may have added to the smoky look as the night progressed. Thr picture on the right was taken near the end of the night, after I'd worn my make-up for nearly 8 hours!
I was doubtful, but I think this is a look that you can pull off even if you are as pale as I am. A little patience and a little experimentation, and this may be a trend you can pull out of your bag to accessorize all of your Saturday night outfits.
Revlon ColorStay Eyeshadow: 
