EVELYSS / Guides / Beauty

Smoky Eye for Beginners (Without the Raccoon Look)

“The raccoon look almost always happens in the first minute, when a brush full of black goes all over the lid. Most tutorials skip this part. You don't need more dark shadow. You need less of it, later, and twice as much blending.”Her take

Why most smoky eyes go wrong

A smoky eye is a gradient: darkest at the lash line, fading softly up toward the crease and out toward the brow. It goes wrong when the darkest shade goes on first and over too much of the lid. Dark pigment is hard to move once it's down. You end up blending black into black, the shape gets bigger and heavier, and fallout lands on your cheeks.

The fix is to build it up. Lay down a mid-tone first, set the shape, blend it until it looks soft, and add depth only at the end, in small amounts, right where the lashes are. You can always add more dark. Taking it away usually means starting over.

What you need

You don't need a big palette. Three shades and two brushes do the job.

• An eyeshadow primer or a thin layer of concealer on the lid, so the shadow grips and doesn't crease.
• A light shade close to your skin tone, for the brow bone and for blending out edges.
• A mid-tone (taupe, soft brown or bronze) to do most of the work.
• A deep shade (charcoal, deep brown or black) for the final depth.
• A fluffy blending brush and a small dense brush or smudger.
• A soft kohl or eye pencil in a dark shade, plus mascara.

Step by step: build from the lash line up

Do your eyes before your foundation. Any fallout can then be wiped away without wrecking your base. Prime the lid and dust the light shade over it and up to the brow bone.

Draw the pencil along the upper lash line, as close to the lashes as you can, and smudge it with the dense brush. This is the base of the smoke. Press the mid-tone over the pencil and across the mobile lid, then use the fluffy brush with small windscreen-wiper movements to blend it up into the crease. Keep the darkest area close to the lashes and let it fade as it goes up.

Now blend more than seems necessary. Use a clean fluffy brush, or the light shade, to soften the top edge until you can't see where the colour stops. Only then pick up a tiny amount of the deep shade on the small brush. Press it along the lash line and into the outer corner, and blend again. Finish by smudging a little of the mid-tone along the lower lash line, keeping it thinner than the top, and add mascara.

The bronze version for anyone wary of black

If black feels harsh or too much for daytime, a bronze smoky eye uses the same method with warmer, softer shades. Use a warm brown as the mid-tone, a deep chocolate as the depth and a satin or metallic bronze pressed onto the centre of the lid with a fingertip to catch the light.

Bronze is forgiving: the edges blur easily and mistakes look softer. It works for daytime, and it pairs well with a winged liner if you want more definition. Keep the wing thin and lift it in line with the outer corner of the lower lash line, so it continues the smoke rather than sitting on top of it.

Fixing common mistakes

Most problems can be fixed without taking everything off. Keep a few cotton swabs and a little micellar water or makeup remover nearby.

• Too dark or too big: blend the light shade over the top edge to pull it back, and stop adding the deep shade.
• Hard line at the crease: blend with a clean fluffy brush in small circles until the line softens.
• Fallout under the eye: sweep it away with a dry fluffy brush, then clean up with a swab before your base goes on.
• Lower lash line looks heavy: smudge it with a clean brush. It should be thinner and softer than the top.
• Eyes look tired: put a little light shadow or a light pencil on the inner corner to open them up.

Questions people ask

The takeaway

Mid-tone first, darkest shade last, and blend at every stage. If black feels like too much, use bronze. It's the same method and much harder to get wrong.

Read next