Create a Smokey Eye in Ten Minutes or Less

Creating a perfectly sensual smokey eye is easier than you thought! Follow these 5 steps to master the art of the smokey eye, known as the "little black dress" of makeup!

Step 1: Prime.

If you have never used an eyeshadow primer before, now is the time to start! Shadow primers are made to prevent creasing (the ugly lines that can form when eyeshadow clumps together after a few hours of wear) and bring out the true pigment of any color. With a primer you are able to use less product and avoid touch-ups throughout the day. Two of my favorites are Urban Decay's Primer Potion and Benefit's Lemon-Aid. While both are excellent for priming any shadows, Lemon-Aid has the added benefit of color-correcting your eyelids! Whichever primer you use, it's important to remember that a little bit goes a long way- sweep primer over lids from lash line to crease and under lower lash line as well.

Step 2: Line

Using a black eyeliner (preferably one with a creamy texture, such as Urban Decay's 24/7 Eye Pencil in Zero or Sephora's Nano Eyeliner in Black) draw a line from inner corner to outer corner on top lid, staying close to the lash line. Don't worry about how straight or neat the line is- we're going to smudge it out anyways! Start with one eye first (until you have perfected the look) to prevent the liner from drying before you have time to smudge it. Take a small eyeshadow brush with dense bristles (I suggest Sephora Smudge Brush #14) and blend liner upward, focusing on pulling color up toward the crease. Make sure the color remains darker at the lash line and fades upward, creating the appearance of a sunset, not a parfait! Repeat this on the other eye, then mimic the application underneath the eye. You decide how smokey you want the eye to look on the lower lash line- blend further downward with the liner to create more depth, or simply smudge the liner back and forth to keep it subtle.

Step 3: Shade

This step allows the liner to fully set in place and give you a more flawless, finished appearance- pick a darkly colored shadow (I prefer black or deep purple for the most classic look; try Kat Von D's Beethoven Shadow Palette, which features both colors) and apply a small amount to an eyeshadow brush made for blending. Choose a brush that has smaller sized bristles, as we don't want the color to move any higher than your natural crease-line. My favorite is Sephora's Small All-Over Shadow Brush- it has natural bristles to absorb some of your color, and is still big enough to make blending super easy! Tap out excess shadow color and begin applying color to the center of the eyelid, right above the original eyeliner line but not higher than halfway from the crease to lashes. Blend brush back and forth, repeating this step on the other eye. A trick I've learned to make blending easier is to stop when the amount of color you want has been deposited, wipe your brush clean with a tissue, and blend in the same area again to move color upward and create more of a faded effect up to the crease. Swipe your Shadow brush under the lower lash line to set liner and enhance the appearance of fading. Remember, sunset, not a parfait!

Step 4: Define

My favorite beauty trick for defining and making eyes of any color pop- lining the inner rim! Sharpen your black eyeliner again (this ensures the eye area will remain clean and not irritated) and draw right along the fleshy part of your top and bottom inner rims, all the way to the inner and outer corners. If it is difficult for you to master this, color the bottom rim a little thicker and blink hard- this moves color to the upper rim and evens out your liner overall. For sensitive eyes or contact lens-wearers, try an eyeliner from a hypoallergenic line, such as Tarte's EmphasEyes High Definition Eye Pencil or the #1S Black Eye Pencil from Korres (another liner great for smudging and defining).

Step 5: Finish

Your Smokey Eye cannot be complete without the final step- Mascara! Skip curling lashes, even if you do so regularly. The idea is to fan out the lashes and focus on outer corners, which brightens and opens the eye (curling can sometimes have the opposite effect). Layer as much as your mascara lets you. For extremely thick, dark, long lashes, try my absolute favorite: Sephora's Atomic Volume Mascara in Ultra Black. You won't need to layer more than twice, and the brush has a longer, thin side to pull through any clumps and really separate the lashes. Skip applying mascara to the very inner corner lashes on top and bottom- this can take away from the effect of the sultry smokey eye.

There you have it, 5 Steps to a great look in under 10 minutes! Now that you have mastered your perfect smokey eye, enjoy it! Be proud of your success and awesome talent- your friends will envy you. Remember the most important rule of the Smokey Eye- it doesn't have to be perfect! Don't get caught up in being a perfectionist. Even the most talented makeup artists can get stuck trying to create a perfectly even smokey eye.