Hello Gorgeous! It’s been a minute or actually an year since I’ve last posted but I’m back and full of energy. If you’re wondering why I’ve gone MIA is because after New Year I took a trip to the Maldives – paradise on earth!! I’ll post an article a vlog on this soon but meanwhile here‘s a post that you might like.
Flawless skin…
Moisturizing your skin before applying your foundation, is the key to a glowing healthy looking skin. And not a day goes by, without using the Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre, which is my all time fave moisturizer! I can’t rave enough about it. You can use it as a face cream, a hydrating face mask and as make-up base! 3 in 1 miracle cream! It gets absorbed into the skin instantly so you don’t have to wait before applying your makeup. How great is that?! Just try it, you will thank me later.
Choose the right foundation color for your skin tone. I have a tan now and I had to mix my foundations in order to get the perfect match. I mixed for this look the Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place foundations in 3W0 and 4N1.
And blend, take your time and blend your foundation. You don’t want a cakey foundation; build it gradually and with dabbing motions, don’t rub the brush/beauty sponge (always damp) on your face. You want to build it gradually, and get that nice coverage with a skin looking finish.
Let’s see now, what are the 5 Tips for a perfect smokey eyes!
1. Transition/Crease Shade
The first step before applying an eye shadow is to prime your lids. I personally like to use concealer and some powder on top.
The transition shade is a MUST. It should be a muted color like a taupe, a light brown or any other shade that is slightly darker than your skin. Why is this so important? Well, this will make the transition from your darker shadow to the lightest one underneath the eyebrow. This shall be applied with a blending brush, with circular or windshield wipers motions, holding the brush as far as possible from the ferrule. In this way, you will have less control and precision over the brush, and you will apply less color.
2. Accent Color
The outer V, the outer corner, that’s where your accent color should be placed. You guessed it right! The accent color is the darkest color you will use. In my case I used a matte black from the Huda Beauty Smokey Obsessions palette and Luna from the BH Cosmetics Supernova palette.
I applied these accent shades with a smaller, and stiffer blending brush that has shorter bristles. As you can see, I am holding the brush closer to the ferrule. This gives me more control and precision. I don’t want that black everywhere, but just in the outer corner of my eyes. For my lower lid I applied the same colors as on the upper lid.
3. Highlight Color
The highlight color is the one eye shadow that makes any eye look stand out. This should be applied on the center of the lid towards the inner corner of the eye. If you choose a shimmery eye shadow you need to know that these are best applied with your finger, like I did, or with a wet brush. i like to use Fix Plus from MAC.
4. How to Apply Eyeliner
A smokey eye look isn’t complete without some kind of eyeliner being it black, brown or any other color that goes with your look. But HOW you apply it makes the difference. As hard as it may be, trust me I’ve been there, try to look straight in the mirror when you draw the line.
I used the black gel eyeliner in no. 77 from Inglot Cosmetics and if you are in need of a good eyeliner brush I got you! Inglot 31T, a synthetic angled brush that has changed my life. Just kidding, but it’s truly the best brush in my kit. Not only you can trace the perfect cat eye, or a thin line at the roots of your lashes for just a bit of accent, but it’s perfect for applying brow gel as well and I promise that even if you are a beginner this brush will make this step less intimidating.
5. Natural Looking Eyebrows & Fat Lashes
We all made that mistake of over-plucking our eyebrows, right? I blame the ’90s and Sunset Beach :))
Eyebrows are the soul of our face, they can make us look harsh, angry, surprised etc. Draw them as close as possible to your natural shape. When I do a smokey eye, I like to keep them as natural as possible apply lots of mascara and lashes and you’re ready!
….and the final result.
if you want to see the complete tutorial on this look go check out my YouTube video! Thank you and please subscribe!
xoxo, Andreea
Face:
Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre
Estee Lauder double Wear foundation – 3W0 & 4N1
Too Faced Born This Way concealer – Light Beige
Too Faced Born This Way Ethereal Setting Powder
BH Cosmetics Studio Pro Contour Palette
Wet n Wild Color Icon Blush-Pearlescent Pink
L’Oreal La Vie en Glow Highlighting Powder palette
Eyes:
BH Cosmetics Glam Reflection Rose palette
Urban Decay Naked Heat
Huda Beauty Smokey Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette
BH Cosmetics Supernova palette
Inglot Gel eyeliner no.77 black
L’Oreal Paris – Paradise Extatic Mascara
Benefit Precisely My Brow – no. 3
Smashbox Brow Tech to Go Eyebrow Mascara
Lips: Mac Soar lip liner & Nothing To Wear lipstick
Fktlicious 