Make-up Tips and advice from Debbie Jean: Smoky eye look

Use a large dome shaped make-up brush to apply your eye shadow across the entire eyelid area. This should be the darkest part of your application. Hold your dome brush flat across the skin and apply the shadow using the flat side of the brush and not the tip, this technique will help you achieve a more even application of colour.

Using a rounded make-up brush to blend a little of the same shade or a slightly lighter shade into and above the crease of the eyes. Making sure the top edge of the eye shadow is the most blended part of the application. Use this image as a guide line – as to the shape of the eye shadow application. A round brush is used to apply this section because the shape of the hair allows you to hold the brush at any angle and blend. Mainly use the top and the sizes of the round brush to blend and apply the shadow. Make sure you don’t flick and sweep the eye shadow all over the place. Just stick to the area where you should be working, using light short, even strokes. How much shadow you have on your brush and how hard you push will have an influence on the application. Practise makes perfect. Work until the shadow is even in colour and blend.

Using the shadow (darker one if you are using two shades) apply close up underneath the lashes all the way from the out side corner towards the inside corner of the eye. The shadow should gradually get thinner and less towards the inner corner of the eye. Using a firm dome brush, works well for this section of the application. Make sure you apply a fairly wide band of smoky eye shadow under the eyes. Notice how the brush is held to come in under the lashes and the tip and flat side of the brush is used to apply the smoky band.

Applying concealer and powder in a thin band under the eyes, creates a good base for the eye shadow to adhere to and blend on.

Using an eye liner pencil inside the lower rim of the eyes creates more definition and intensifies the look. You can also apply the pencil on the inside upper rim for even further definition.
At this point close your eye and apply your pencil on the top of your eye lid all the way along the base of your eye lashes. Use your finger to blend in the line if necessary. If you like, you can also apply the liner to the eye lid before you start with your eye shadow. My favourite pencils are Teddy by Mac – which is the pencil colour used in the photo – it’s a lovely chocolate shade. Smoulder is another great pencil by Mac, it’s black. The pencils are easy to smudge on top of the eye lid or even under the eyes.

Dip a cotton bud into a shimmery eye shadow – a highlighter, and apply the light shade of shimmer to the inside corner of the eye. Make sure the intensity of the shimmer lasts, while you blend on the small area you are highlighting.