Look of The Week

I can’t believe I haven’t posted anything in a week! I am so sorry. It was my Mum’s birthday last Saturday and I organised a big party for her and apparently organising that consumed my entire life! But I am back now, and this week’s Look of The Week is the look I wore for the birthday bash. This is my take on Jaclyn Hill, beauty blogger extraordinaire’s, classic cool tone smokey eye and I really hope I have done it justice! It is very easy to create and easy to wear smokey eye that will compliment every skin tone and eye colour. Hope you like it!

      Happy Birthday Mum!  

As with all smokey eyes it is important that we keep the eye area bright and open. As always we start with a prepped and primed eyelid using an eye shadow primer potion and concealer. I like to have a very matte canvas for smokey eyes so I don’t use any setting powder on my lids, I just go straight in with my colours.

I started with a transition shade, my very trusted MAC Tickety Boo. I applied this very intensely to my crease line pushing it upwards. This needs a  lot of blending in order to create a very smokey effect. It needs to be most intense in the outer corner so focus on that area. I used a big fluffy blending brush to start with, and then I went over it with a smaller blending brush to deepen the crease, always focussing on the outer corner.

I then used an eyeshadow brush to apply MAC’s Satin taupe all over the lid, stopping right at the crease. This is a beautiful golden brown colour. Using the same eyeshadow brush I applied the lilac shade from Smashbox’s Heat Wave palette all over the lid. Blending this with Satin Taupe creates a very cool lilac colour. For the next step I used a short bristle eyeshadow brush and applied MAC’s Electra to the lid. I focussed this bright silver colour in the inner corner and blended it outwards. Applied over the previous two shades the result is a fantastic, bright, cool tone silver-purple shade. Then I took a small eyeshadow brush, preferably one with dense bristles, and applied MAC’s Embark. I used this unusual shade to define and deepen the outer corners. I call it unusual because depending on what you pair it with it can look anywhere from deep brown to deep violet, I love this shadow. I applied it in a triangular shape in the outer corner, blending it in to the middle of my eye lid. I also used this shade to create a very subtle wing on the outer edge. Using darker shades like Embark as one of your last shades means you can lose the intensity of the brighter colours, for this reason I went back over my inner corners with Electra to bring the bright pigment back. I then blended it out across the lid into Embark. Don’t forget that between every application of eyeshadow you should be blending the crease area with a big fluffy brush to ensure every new shadow blends with the previous one. With smokey eyes blending is the most essential step. Using a transition shade like Tickety Boo is super important too because it emphasizes the smokey effect.

Black eyeliner is important to this look. I made mine relatively thin, but of you prefer a thicker line stick with that. I used Rimmel’s 001Black gel liner. Have a look at my eyeliner application post for more specific tips on this step.

Once my eyeshadow has been applied it’s time to move on to the face. I always apply my under eye concealer before my foundation. With smokey eyes fallout from eyeshadow brushes is almost a given so you may need to clean up under your eyes with some eye cream and a cotton bud, but be gentle! I used MAC’s pro long wear concealer in NC15 as always, and applied it with my Sigma tapered Kabuki brush.

Having already primed my face with Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Glow Primer, I now apply my foundation. I am wearing Estée Lauder’s Double Wear Light in 0.5. The coverage in this foundation is spectacular and it is so long wearing, after a very late night at the party, lots of singing and smiling, my makeup had not budged.

I am trying out a new MAC powder for setting my under eye concealer. I wanted a brighter power than what I use to set my foundation because I want my eye area to be really bright. I used the Mineralize Skin Finish in Light, and although the difference between it and light plus, which I use to set my foundation, is miniscule it does just brighten up the eye area that bit more.

With a smokey eye I like to keep my blusher subtle, preferring a light application to anything too intense. I used Smashbox’s Blush Rush Chiffon.

Highlighter is very important with a smokey eye because you want to balance out the intensity of the eye area. I used a powder highlighter to lift my cheekbones, forehead, the bridge of my nose, and my chin. Smashbox’s Fusion Soft Lights provided the ideal highlight to compliment my smokey eye.

When my face is done I go back and add the finishing touches to my eyes. I sculpted my brows using MAC’s brow crayon in lingering. I also highlighted under my brow bone with the white shade from Fusion Soft Lights. For more precise tips on this have a look at my recent post on brow sculpting.

I almost always revert to the same technique to line my lower lash line, just adjusting the colours to suit my look. I generously apply my transition shade first, and make sure it is blended so that there are no harsh lines. I then take the deepest shade that I have used, in this case, Embark, and I apply this to the water line and blend it with the transition shade. The more blending you do the smokier the eye will look so go for it!

Last but most certainly not least, add a coat of black mascara. I used YSL’s Volume Effet Faux Clis. Lashes are optional if not preferable!

With a smokey eye keep your lips neutral. I used Kiko’s Instant Volume Lipgloss in shade 21. Keep an eye out for my review on my new Kiko products, coming very soon.

Now we’re done. A cool tone smokey eye with loads of dimension. Have a look at the photos below.

Product List:

Foundation: Estée Lauder – Double Wear Light 0.5
Concealer: MAC – Pro Long Wear in NC15
Blusher: Smashbox – Blush Rush Chiffon
Highlighter: Smashbox – Fusion Soft Lights
Setting Powder(s): MAC – Mineralize Skin Finish Light Plus (Face). MAC – Mineralize Skin Finish Light (Under eye)
Eyeshadows: MAC – Embark, Satin taupe, Electra, Tickety Boo. Smashbox – Heat Wave purple shade
Brows: MAC – Eyebrow crayon in lingering
Liner: Rimmel – Black 001 gel
Mascara: YSL – Volume Effet Faux Clis
Lipgloss: Kiko – Instant volume in shade 21