I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, oh beauty-savvy Primpers, that a smoky eye need not actually be the colour of smoke. In makeup-speak, after all, smoky refers not to a hue, but to a technique – where you blend shadow around the eye for a kind of hazy effect.
Which means that you can create a smoky eye using any colour at all. Even yellow if you heart so desires. Although I’d advise against it, unless you like looking like you have an ancient disease such as scurvy. Or red or pink or orange. Unless, again, you want to appear as though you’re a little contagious.
The best smoky-eye shades tend to be the darker ones, as these have more visual impact. Which is probably why most girls do fall back on greys and slates and blacks. Being the neutral of the dark-hued world, these tones are also the safe bet, and well suited to all skintones.
But here’s a thought: what about dusting on a shadow that works back to your actual eye colour? After all, we’re often told it’s best to highlight the features that Mother Nature gave us in order to find out most flattering looks – so surely this could apply to a smoky eye, too?
And if the 4th Annual amfAR Inspiration Gala, which has just taken glamorous place in New York, is anything to go by, the eye-inspired smoky eye is having a bit of a moment. Just check out these three gorgeous examples of the look…
Blue Eyes: Candice Swanepoel
Let’s ignore the fact that, with her newly platinum-ed hair, the model looks a little like Donatella Versace. And let’s zoom in on those baby blues. See how the navy powder that she has dusted around her eyes – and winged out at the outer corners – prettily picks up the colour of her irises? Yet how, to keep her smoky eye looking as oomphy as it’s supposed to, she has defined her lashes and lashline in sultry jet-black? Nicely played, Candice. As blue eye makeup – combined with platinum hair – could all too easily have ended up in Barbie land.
Get the Look: Bobbi Brown Eye Shadow in Navy, $44, department stores
Green Eyes: Leigh Lezark
Our favourite beauty adventurer never fails to inspire. For one, there’s the flapper-worthy finger waves. For another, she should be the poster girl for all green-eyed gorgeous things. This forest shade is dark enough to wear on its own while being green enough to make her eye colour that much more vibrant. And don’t you love how she has pushed the look below the lower lashline (tip: dampen a sponge-tipped applicator this this kind of intensity)? It gives her eye makeup an edgy twist, in true LL style.
Get the Look: Napoleon Perdis Color Disc in Electric Forest, $29, department stores
Brown Eyes: Izabel Goulart
You might well know, we love a smoky brown shadow here at PRIMPED. But if you find the traditional smoky-brown look a little too heavy for your already-dark features, try model Izabel’s version of the look: a sweep of mocha-brown across the upper lids, balanced out by a streak of golden shimmer below the lower lashline, and around the inner V. As you can see, the touch of gold adds a lovely lightness and loads of luxe to the look.
Get the Look: The Balm Nude’tude, $49.95, from selected David Jones stores
Tell me, Primpers, do you ever work your smoky eye back to your eye?
Kat x