How-To: The Basic Smoky Eye

Mastering the perfect smoky eye can be intimidating. Don’t let that put a damper on your holiday prep. Take the mystery out of this party ready look with these easy steps.

MAC senior artist, Romero Jennings, was on hand to give his tips on achieving the perfect (and easy) smoky eye.

Step 1:

Jennings starts by making the model’s eyes look bigger with an eyelash curler (try the Kevyn Aucoin lash curler). Then, he smudges a black kohl liner to the waterline on both the top and bottom lashes.
MAC Eye Kohl in Smolder, $15.00
Kevyn Aucoin The Eyelash Curler, $25

Step 2:
Lifting the lid slightly, Jennings adds the same black kohl pencil to the upper lashes, trying to stay as close to the root line as possible.

Step 3:

Using a stiff, pointed brush Jennings smudges the color out by adding a little bit of the kohl pencil to the brush. Using the same brush, he pulls the line out slightly in a winged shape, towards the temple so it doesn’t close the eye in. “By making the line fat and fluffy,” says Jennings, “you end up with a younger, softer look.”
MAC Eye Brush #219, $26.50

Step 4:

Jennings then uses a black gel liner and blends it into the lid with a fluffy natural bristle brush. “Start close to the lash line,” Jennings says, “and blend towards the crease for a softer look.”

MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack, $16.50
MAC Brush #224, $31
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Step 5:

With the same fluffy brush (wipe the bristles off on a tissue first), Jennings adds a shimmery golden beige color to the lid, starting close to the lashes and blending out towards the brow.

MAC Eye Shadow in Patina, $15

Step 6:

He then takes a stiff, pointed brush (the same one as before) to add the golden beige color to the bottom lashes as well, right over the black kohl pencil.

Step 7:

Don’t forget to add a generous amount of mascara. “I love the small brush on this mascara,” says Jennings about the MAC Extended Play mascara. “It separates and adds drama.”
MAC Extended Play Mascara, $16

Step 8:

“The key is to use soft bushes and blend with clean bristles.” Jennings advises. Here, he adds a cool, plum color right over Lauren’s lid, patting it on with a stiff bristle brush.

MAC Eye Brush # 272, $25

Step 9:

He adds the same cool, plum color below the lashes as well, using a stiff pointed brush.

MAC Eye Brush #219, $21.45

Step 10:

To add a pop of dimension to the lid, Jennings uses a shimmery gold shadow to just the center of eyelid, right on top of the rest of the color.

MAC Pressed Pigment in Warming Heart, $2

Step 11:

Finish your look with a dab of a shimmery lip gloss in the center of your lips.

MAC Lip Glass in Perky, $15

Final Look
The final look is a sultry, sexy and easy to do smoky eye look that can go from desk to dance floor with just a few simple steps.