How To: Recreate the One-Color Smokey Eye

The smokey eye has become one of the most popular makeup looks in recent decades. Worn by celebrities and the casual consumer alike, it is not only popular but is also one of the hardest looks to recreate.

A few months ago, I was aske to create a simple, easy to follow tutorial for creating the smoky eye effect for Sorme Cosmetics. Taking the classic smokey eye, which consists of three shades of shadow, pencil and liquid liners, and mascara, and developing a quicker method for achieving the same look was my challenge; a challenge met with an eye pencil, one shade of shadow and mascara.

Did I succeed? Give it a try, and you can be the judge!

THE ONE-COLOR SMOKEY EYE

Step 1: Begin with a clean, primed lid. Start by lining the upper and lower lash lines on the skin, just above and below the lashes, with a soft pencil liner. Using an angled shader brush, smudge out the pencil to create softness. Remove any hard lines.

Step 2: Using a dark shadow and a medium-sized fluff brush, press the shadow into the pencil and then blend the color upward toward the crease of the eye, and along the lower lashline toward the outer corner. Feel free to bring the shadow all the way into the inner corner of the eye.

Step 3: Using the same pencil as we started with, line the wet-line or the tissue that just inside the lash line, rimming the eye in a solid color.

Step 4: Apply a double (I'm fond of triple) coat of black mascara to the lashes.

Paired with a sheer, nude lip color, this look is red carpet ready!

Although I worked with Sorme's Charcoal pencil and Long-wearing Shadow in Smoke, and their Extreme Volume Mascara in Black, this look could recreated in any color with similar products from other lines! Play with it! Try using a navy pencil with a deep teal shadow and cobalt blue mascara, which looks great on someone with brown eyes. Try a violet pencil, amethyst shadow and black mascara if you have green eyes. They will really "pop"!

If you love the look of a smokey eye, but the three-shade method isn't working for you, the one-color smokey eye might be exactly what you need.