How to's:

This page will be for step-by-step directions of different makeup looks people request me to show them. It will be accompanied by step-by-step pictures of the look and of the brushes so you know exactly how to do the look and how each step should look.

The Smokey Eye (3/22/12 requested by Tori M.)
This is a traditional smokey eye, but you can make this a more day-friendly look by using browns and you can always use colors too. I also used e.l.f. cosmetics Studio Makeup Clutch ($15.00) for the eye shadows in this look. Keep in mind this look can be made as dramatic and dark as you'd like by layering the shadow or wetting the color to give it a deeper pigment. I went a little lighter so it's appealing to a bigger audience.


1.  Begin by prepping the entire eye lid with primer. I always use MAC's paint pot in "Painterly" ($17.50), which is described by MAC as a "nude beige".

2. After you've applied the primer, using a medium eye shadow brush (I used eye shadow brush "C" from e.l.f. cosmetics), apply a matte or sheeny silvery gray shade to your lid. Begin by applying from lash line to the crease. I applied about 3 layers in order to get the pigment I wanted.

3. Then I applied my crease color using a blending brush (I used the blending brush from Sephora). I used a darker gray, almost black shade for my crease. This is ideally a matte or sheeny shade too. You basically apply it in a windshield wiper motion from your outer corner inward, until you get the desired level of color.

4. Next, you will apply the outer corner color. I used a combination of a matte black and a sparkly black. I used the "angled contour brush" from e.l.f. cosmetics. The trick to getting this to look like a "smokey eye" instead of just a big blob is to make a sideways "V". The picture to the right shows where this "V" is. Work the brush from the outer corner upwards into your crease 1/3 to 1/2 way in, depending on how dark you want the lid to look. Then apply the color from the outer corner inward about 1/3 of the way in on the lash line.

5. Then, apply a very light, shimmery shade to your brow bone and inner corner. I used a shimmery white shade for this look. I used another medium shadow brush, but you can also use a blending brush. I applied it under the arch of my brow outward to the end of the brow/darker shadow beneath it. Then I swept it down and inward from the arch of my brow down to my inner corner.

 6. I then applied e.l.f. cosmetic's cream eyeliner in "Black" to my lash line using the small angled brush that came with it. I take the brush and dip it in the pot and then lay each side of the brush on my hand prior to applying so color is only on the thin line of the brush and doesn't transfer where I don't want it. I began by applying from the inner corner to the outer corner in little lines to keep the line thin and even. After I had a basic line up, I applied another thin line directly on top to smooth it out.




7. I then applied the black cream eyeliner to my water line to really define my eye using the brush that came with the eyeliner. Next, I applied the outer corner shades (a combination of matte and sparkly black) using a contour brush under my lower lashes to pull the smokey look together. Apply mascara to both your upper and lower lashes. If you're comfortable with applying mascara, you can look down and run the mascara wand on the top side of your top lashes so when you blink/close your eyes there will be no powder residue and your lashes will be completely coated.

Here are all the brushes I used to complete this look. (From left to right):
- Eye shadow brush "C" from e.l.f. cosmetics
- Blending brush from Sephora
- Angled Contour Brush from e.l.f. cosmetics
- Eye shadow brush from smashbox
- Contour brush from e.l.f. cosmetics
- Small angled brush applicator that came with the cream eyeliner

You now have a traditional smokey eye!

This picture shows you how the eye looks completed.

Here's the difference between the completed eye and an eye before it's done.