AYU How To....Smokey Eye

How to do a Smokey Eye:

1. Prep the lid. The key to keeping eyeshadow from melting into your eyelid crease as the day goes on is to keep eyelids oil-free. To do this start with an eyeshadow base (also called “primer”). Simply swipe the primer across the eye and let it dry before you continue.
2. Apply eyeliner. If you’re going for a typical black, brown or grey smokey eye, apply liner in one of those colours above the upper lash line, drawing line thicker in the middle of eye. If you’re opting for a jewel-toned eye (violet makes a gorgeous smokey eye), line eyes with a purple, blue or deep green liner.
3. For colour on the bottom you’ll want to use a eyeliner pencil because they’re easiest to smudge. Once the line is drawn, run your AYU Pencil brush over it to smudge the line. You can also apply a bit of shadow to get full smudge effect.
4. Apply light base colour- the key to a smokey eye is pairing a lighter base with the darker hue. I prefer a nice cream shade for my base. Sweep a light, shimmery shadow over the lids to your browbone. 
5. Blend in darker colour, but keep dark colour below the crease. Now that you have the base and eyeliner on, it’s time to get the smokey effect. You need a darker eyeshadow shade. Using an eyeshadow brush blend in colour starting at your lash line, blending upwards. Make sure to blend colour into the lash line so the eye liner disappears. Stop your deep colour at crease. The key here is to blend, blend, blend! (Brushes to use her are the AYU Pro Blender and AYU Blender)
6. Finish with several coats of mascara. You’ll want to apply a few coats of mascara so lashes are thick and dark. If you don’t have naturally long, curled lashes, curl them with a lash curler first or for an even quicker fix apply false lashes!

Tips:

• Remember to keep lips nude. When applying strong makeup (like smokey eyes or red lips) put the focus on either eyes or lips, never both. 
• For a bit of fun, try a blue or purple mascara. It will make blue eyes “pop.”
• Liner doesn’t have to come in pencil form. Eyeshadows can make some of the best eyeliners. To do this take an eyeliner brush, wet it, then dab the wet brush into the dark shadow. This allows for a deep, precise line. You can also use the dark shadows without wetting brush first. Either way, eyeliner is necessary for smoky eye.

What You Need

• Eye primer 
• AYU 28 Colour Eyeshadow Palette(€24)
• Eyeliner(or eyeshadow)
• Makeup brushes (See www.ayu.ie for our range of individual brushes & brush sets)
• Mascara & False Lashes

The key to the perfect smokey eye is proper blending. You want to make sure colours are blended together flawlessly. Also, it’s important to pair light base colors with rich dark colours. Nice mixes include: Soft gold base with deep purple on top, champagne base with bright blue and peach base with green hue.

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