BeautyBijou

TUTORIAL: NEUTRAL, SUBTLE SMOKEY EYE

This is one of my every day routines when I don't have much time on my hands; All you need are two eyeshadows, a liquid eyeliner and a decent volumizing/lengthening mascara. My all time favourite is the Max Factor 2000 Calorie in Black, which is a bargain at £7.99 from Boots. 

Large eyeshadow brush and nude shadow application.

1. Prime your eyelids with a primer such as Urban Decay Primer Potion or Stay Don't Stray by Benefit. Make sure to use your finger tip for no fuss application. I find that eye primers keep the colour of the shadows 'true', and also allow for your shadows to stay put all day without any creasing or smudging. 

2. With a large eye shadow brush, apply a buff, matte nude like Urban Decay's 'Naked' all over the eyelid, making sure to 'pat' the colour in lightly for full application. 

3. With the same brush, using the tip this time, lightly apply a shade like 'Buck' by Urban Decay in the crease of your eyelid. This will start to create definition and widen the eye. Pivot the brush to and from the outside corner to the mid-section of the eyelid to form a defined, pigmented contour. 

4. Using a fluffy blending brush (I use a Revlon brush similar to MAC's 224 Tapered blending brush but it has been discontinued. The MAC one is great, though.) Work a little more of the darker nude into the crease, creating a diffused effect graduating outwards towards the brow bone. Be sure to not use too much product though, we want to keep this natural and subtle. 

Step 5

5. Now here comes the part that I know some people find a little tricky - the cat eye. Don't be alarmed, honestly, practice does make perfect! Grab your favourite liquid eyeliner, (I currently use the magnificently cheap Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner - £2.99!) and line the lash line, building a slightly thicker edge on the outer corner. 

Step 6

6. Plan and sketch the beginning of your cat-eye flick starting from the base of the section you just drew and form a diagonal line, keeping in with the natural shape of the eye, we don't want an Amy Winehouse kind of scenario here.

Step 7 - Cat eye complete!

7. Finally, join the two sections together starting from the very tip, dragging the applicator into the lash line. This creates a seamless connection, and the cat-eye remains polished. 

8. Apply a few coats of mascara, wiggling the applicator at the roots of the lashes to really volumize. Add a little of the excess product onto the bottom lashes. Your eyes are immediately wider and you're looking more awake.  

9. To finish the look off, apply a few dots of concealer under the eye and use either your fingertips or a concealer/foundation brush to simply clean up and brighten the area underneath the eye. Once blended fully, apply your bronzer/blusher combo, a slick of some lip balm and you're done! 

The finished look. Easy peasy!

Once you've got this look down, you'll never bother with anything else again. It's so simple yet looks great; A good one for uni/work or simply just a quick, easy day time look. 

Thanks for reading,