....aaaaand i am already slightly behind the ball on my mup mondays -- unfortunately, unless i pulled an all nighter yesterday (which i am vowing not to do this year!), there was no possible time to fit one in. so instead, on this gorgeously bright Tuesday, i bring to you mup mondays a day late . ...question number one!

Q. from Kristen :

How do I do a cool brown smoky eye (shadow/liner?) etc..and what products do u like to use for shadow that don't crease..I have issues w/ that. What tools do u use, I can't ever do that crease thing right w/ my almond shaped eyes.

A. from ksen :
a smoky eye can be done a number of ways & there are also many different levels of what people consider 'smoky'. however, i am going to do my best to break it down as simply as i can! below will be an example of a 'cool brown smoky eye'. please note that the products used may need to be adjusted slightly due to your skin color tones!

first :
in my opinion, i believe that in order to achieve a great smoky eye easily (or any eye-look for that matter), your number one needed tool is a set of fab brushes!!! brushes will make everything SO much easier & also apply your products best. investing in a good set of brushes is essential & when you do, be sure to spend a few extra bucks on some brush cleanser so that you can maintain your brushes. if you do so & take the time to take good care of your brushes, they WILL last... leaving that investment to be not as costly when you stretch it out over the years.

however, with that said & knowing that we all may not have the master set of brushes of our dreams at home, i will try my best to help you create a smoky eye with only 3 brushes!

second :
all the products that i use professionally & that are listed below are from MAC. i can go into this subject more perhaps on another mup mondays!

ok! here we go :

step 1)
begin with a good base. i adore MAC Eye Paints, as well as MAC Paint Pots. for myself, i usually use MAC 'Painterly' Paint Pot. i would suggest applying it all over your eye (from the lid up into the brow bone) as a base with the soft & fluffy MAC #217 Blending Brush. however, instead of a brush, you may use your ring finger to apply this product as long as you apply it gently!! both MAC Eye Paints & MAC Paint Pots go on easily & then set -- once set i always say you can 'cry, sweat, get rained on & your shadows will stay!' the key, however is that a 'little goes a long way' -- so no need to glob it up! in fact, with all MAC products it is pretty much a given that 'a little goes a long way'. you will always get the MOST out of your products & be so surprised as to how long they last you!

step 2)
take MAC Stubborn Brown Powerpoint Eye Pencil (also glides on easily & then sets becoming waterproof) & line the top of your lid, as well as slightly 'hug' or round out the outer corner of your eye with a touch of the liner. don't worry about how 'perfect' your line is either because the next step will be to take the MAC #219 Pencil Brush & smudge the line well.

step 3)
use the MAC #239 Eye Shader Brush & apply MAC Tempting Eye Shadow (once again, this is just an example) as your lid color. then dip your #217 Blending Brush into your crease color, in this case i would suggest MAC Twinks Eye Shadow. place the round fluffy #217 Blending Brush at the outer corner of your lid & create the crease color by going back & forth like a sideways "v" shape. the softness of that brush will allow you to soften the color to your liking, as well as build the color by adding more to the brush & repeating the process. this brush will also allow you to shape the crease color around your eye to best suite your eye shape!
***side note!*** if you used the #217 Blending Brush to apply your MAC Paint as a base in the first step, then you will need to use a clean & dry brush to apply the crease color! very important!

step 4)
take your #219 Pencil Brush and apply MAC Retrospeck Eye Shadow as an inner highlight to the inner corners of your lids & then a lower liner highlight underneath your eye. ps. i LOVE this color. very versatile for so many occasions & looks!

step 5)
ever tried to do a smoky eye before & then thought to yourself, 'this just doesn't look right?' to me, this next step is one of the most important parts to making that smoky eye look 'complete' and the best part is, it is so simple! take MAC Graphblack Technakohl liner & line the inside of your lower lid with it. it might go on a bit dark, however keep in mind that that is the tissue part of your eye so it will eventually fade a bit to a more subdued gray. this also helps make the white of your eyes pop, & in turn bring out the vibrant color of your eyes!

step 6)
at this point, you may go back in & vamp up the crease color or add more upper eye liner -- all depending on how 'smoky' you want to go. the very last step, though, is to pump up your lashes with mascara! this step truly brings it all together. i would recommend a waterproof mascara if you are going to an event & don't want to worry about your look smudging, falling, etc. however, any mascara that you are comfortable with is key. make sure to place the mascara on both your top & bottom lashes in order to achieve more of a balanced smoky eye look!


i hope that all helps at least a bit.
happy tuesday!

ksen

below are two examples of smoky eyes with two different eye shapes. here is one of the wonderFULL Tanya:

and another version of a smoky eye of the FABUUUlous Nicole :

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