The smoky eye. Always imitated, but never duplicated. We see it in magazines, on the red carpet and everywhere else, but how can we imitate this gorgeous look without appearing as if we got into a fistfight and lost?

The good news is, you can create smoky eyes with little hastle. You can bring the sultry smoky look from the runway into reality.

To get started, you will need the following items:

• Concealer and pressed
powder
• A black, brown, navy, or bur-
gundy eye pencil
• A light, medium and dark eye
shadow in the same color-
family as the pencil you choose
• Q-tips
• Tissues
• Your imagination!

• Make sure your face is clean, moisturized and properly evened out, either with a light foundation or a dot of concealer in trouble areas. With a smoky eye, you want the eye alone to be the focus, and if skin is blotchy, this will take away from the effect.

• Lightly dot some concealer under and onto the eyelids so the eye is even colored. Then dab some pressed powder over the concealer to set the concealer and leave a dry surface for the dark makeup.

• Always place a tissue under the eyes when creating this look. If dark shadow falls onto the face, it can look messy and be tough to remove.

• Use the dark pencil to make a line from the inner corners of the eye (top and bottom) to the outermost corner, and try to make the lines meet into a small ‘v' at the outer corner. Don't worry about making this line perfectly straight—it will be smudged anyway, so go for it!

• Take a Q-tip and gently smudge the line back and forth across the lash line, working up toward the crease. As you do this, you will notice the darkest shade closet to the lash line and as you work upward it will get lighter. You don't want the complete eyelid to look dark.

• Use a similar color eye shadow, (for example if you chose a navy pencil, choose a medium blue) and with the same brush, place that color into the crease in a back and forth motion. This medium color should create a border for the dark pencil. It should give the effect of color seamlessly getting lighter as you get to the brow bone.

• Apply a white or beige shimmer and apply it at the brow bone.

• Use fake lashes or plenty of mascaras to finish the look.

If you make a mistake, just take a medium to light shadow and go over the dark parts to lighten them up and start again. It’s only makeup—have fun with it!
To finish off this outrageous look, use minimal blush and a light color lipstick or gloss. Colors such as buff, nude or light pink are always best.

To create a nude lip, place concealer on the lips and put a sheer gloss over it.
Remember that the eye is the focus, and you don't want the lips and eyes competing for attention.

If you are wondering how you should wear your hair, it's best to keep the hair simple. Loose waves or a tight ponytail look best.

What will make this look stand out is wearing the smoky eye with confidence. Once you have accomplished the look, be proud of it and own it! If you can re-create smoky eyes, you can do anything!

Now, when you see the smoky eyes look on TV, or in magazines, instead of asking “how did they do that?” you'll already know. And when you wear it, people will be asking how you did it.

Written by: Jennifer Grossman, professional makeup artist