Smoky Eye Makeup Tips and Tutorials

Creating a smoky eye look has become very popular among women because it's very easy to do and looks fantastic and attractive when applied correcly.

Another strength of smoky eye makeup is it works well with a variety of facial shapes, making it desirable to a large number of women. That's mostly because the eyes are what attract the gaze of viewers.

Okay. So what is smoky eye makeup exactly? At its basic level its darkening the eye lids while highlighting the bone of your brow. That's it.

While it's a very easy procedure, the results are anything but simple, as they create a gorgeous, sexy appeal that always attracts attention. And that's what it's all about ... isn't it?

Some women have taken it a little further and applied the makeup style using lighter colors; still identifying it as "smoky makeup." It really doesn't matter what you call it if you like it.

While the dark look is where it all began, using the same application with different colors is still a great way to do yourself up. They key is to have a deep or strong color, not necessarily a totally dark color.

We'll look at some pictures of smoky eyes on women in a moment, as well as some video tutorials showing different colors and looks. But first, let's look at the basic way to apply smoky eyes. Once you get that down, you can expand and include other elements to the look to make it even better.

First of all, there are only two colors you need to create a nice smoky look - along with a highlighter and deep contour shade.

To do a quick job to start to learn, look at the upper socket of your eye and begin to apply the highlighter in that spot, starting from the eyelid and moving out to the brow.

Now use the contour shade, beginning at the outer part of the eye towards the nose. When applying the shade, do it darker on the outer part of the eye and lighten it up or fade it more as you move inwards.

Now take the makeup brush and sweep it towards the inner part of the eye.

To avoid an unpleasant look, bend in the area between the highlighter and the darker color. If you don't, it'll look strange. Use a mid shade for blending the two together. Do it right where the crease line is.

Keep in mind this is just a basic place to start, with a lot more things you can do to accentuate the look.

As for brush types, the shorter bristle brushes work the best when creating smoky eyes because they apply the color in a thicker concentration than most other brushes.

If problems arise with little particles of powder dust dropping below the area of the eye while your dabbing on your smoky shadow, you can try applying concealer after making up your eyes to manage it better.

If you already know how to do smokey eyes, a little tip in times you need to do it quickly, is to just bypass using real eyeliner and in place of it use eye shadow as a liner.

That will instantaneously create a smokey look for you.

Well, that's the basics. We'll now take a look at some great smokey eye looks women wear.

The look of the woman below is probably what most of us think of when thinking about smoky eye makeup and how it began, and to a large degree, how it continues on.

Seeing the photo below, you can see why it's such a popular choice for women. It's also a good example of how to apply smoky makeup when you have brown eyes and brows. It's fantastic.

Below that is another example of a woman with brown eyes and smoky eyes makeup. This time showing how it may look with a lighter complexion.

After those two there will be a group of photos using this makeup design, featuring different colored eyes, hair and colors.

Next we'll take a look at several different video tutorials on how to apply the smoky look to your eyes.

Each video has a different color theme, while retaining the overall design that makes smokey eyes what they are.

Included colors in the group are purple, blue, orange and cranberry, all given you different look at how they may go in certain social situations and circumstances.

In this next segment we'll look at a group of closeups of the eyes of women with a variety of smoky styles and looks. Each will have a different color, design or shape, and will generate some ideas on a particular look you may want to attempt for yourselves.

Sometimes a still shot that is real close to the eye is the best teacher for smoky makeup, and so this should help those who learn better that way, as well as give a better view for those wanting a closer view of the work in general.

The photos of the eyes will also be kept larger in order to get the best possible view of the way the makeup was applied.

Colors included are pink, black, teal and blue. My favorite of the quality gallery of smoky eye makeup photos is probably the teal, although all of them look fabulous.

Hopefully you learned something about smoky eye makeup here. Between all the photos and videos, most of those reading should get some inspiration for your own look, or for a new one that you may want to try.

Most deep, rich colors were included in the examples, and even if you want to experiment some, there is a good foundation to work from.

If you haven't ever tried smoky eye makeup, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. It's fast, efficient, beautiful, and provides many options for the mood you're in for that particular day or night.