Stamp First, COLOR After
Before you begin, apply an eyeshadow primer, such as Urban Decay’s bestseller, to your lids. “A good primer will intensify the color you wear as well as adhere to the shadow, allowing it to last longer and prevent creasing”.
Less is More, Guys
“The thing I tend to see the most with smoky eyes gone wrong is that people get over-zealous and too ambitious with the shadow. Don’t go overboard a little goes a long way,”. Define the shape first and follow that with your shadow. Don’t bring the shadow all the way up to your eyebrows follow your natural eye shape and the curve of your eyelid crease.
Eyes Before Foundation
Avoid getting shadow residue under your eyes on your finished face by applying your eye makeup before you start on your base. “If your foundation is applied before your eye shadow, [the shadow] falls and sticks in your face leaving a muddy mess,” Always use a shadow brush with bristles that are stiff, not fluffly, to avoid fallout.
Know Your Eye Shape
Working out what shape your eyes are will help to assess how you should apply your eye color.
For round eyes: Elongating the smoky shadow outward from the corner of her eye made them appear more cat-eye like. To create a defined line like this is to take the edge of a sponge wedge and drag it from the outer corner of the eye underneath the liner, upward towards the end of the eyebrow. “The sponge will collect and clean up any unwanted product and leave you with a clean line.”
For almond-shaped eyes or smaller lids: We suggest opening them up by applying your shadow in a more circular shape. “Try to keep the shadow mostly on the lid and under the eye – stay away from the outer corners.”
Bring On The Color:
Switch up your eye shadow colors from the standard black or gray to something more exciting. Kate Hudson’s recent Oscar’s makeup used a purple and silver hue teamed with black for a great color combination, which added dimension to the eye,
For a really flattering effect, though, we recommends choosing different shades of one color, such as navy blue teamed with cobalt or sky blue. “Mixing different shades together from the same color adds fun dimension and makes the eye pop,” she says.
