How to get the perfect black smokey eye look?

If you want to see more of my makeup looks I suggest that you follow me on Instagram (@henna.vee), since I tend to post most of my looks there instead of uploading them to blog.

This black smokey eye was based on IG live Petra from Viilankantolupa and Elisa from Miten niin liikaa? blogs hosted. They host one live each Saturday on Elisa’s Instagram and the idea for the makeup look can come from pretty much anything.

You know when you start doing black smokey eye and in the middle you doubt that it will turn into anything pretty – instead you might just end up looking like a panda. Well, I give few tips how you can perfect your intense black smokey eye look with few simple steps.

1. Use a black creamy base

I used Inglot gel liner in 77 (matte black) for this look. You could use eye pencil or cream eyeshadow – make sure it’s matte and quite opaque.

Black creamy base gives that depth to the look you will need when working with black eyeshadows – also it prevents from black from wearing out or creasing.

Blend out the creamy base but keep it quite low – you don’t want to blend it past your crease since it’s harder to fade out nicely.

2. Do your eyes first

Yeah it might look weird with just having black eyeshadow around your eyes but believe me – it’s way easier to fix fall out mess when you start from the eyes.

3. Pat on the black eyeshadow

I am one that does not add crease colour before black, since I want the black to really stick to the base. For eyeshadows I used black, grey and light matte colours from Anastasia Beverly Hills Sultry palette.

Pat on the eyeshadow with flat brush to your moving lid. Once you have deep enough payout you can start slowly – using a small blending brush – blend out the black to the crease. Once you’re satisfied with your black eyeshadow placement, pick up your preferred blending shade – you can use pretty much anything you want, for this look I used grey.

Start from the crease and slowly blend the colour higher until you’ve reach the shape of your liking.

4. Layering is the key!

You most likely need to go back to black eyeshadow and then back to crease colour – and repeat this until you have depth, colour payoff and blending you are after. Black smokey eye – unless you go for a grungier look – isn’t a fast process. Take your time and add colour little by little.

5. Trust the process!

Yes, you will look odd with just black hollows around your eyes but trust me – it will turn out fine. Just concentrate on eyes and after you are satisfied, apply the rest of your makeup.

I prefer using at least medium-coverage foundation with black smokey eyes to cancel out any unwanted colouring on my face – redness, spots etc. You might want to make your brows a bit darker than normal since black is usually quite a contrast to your skin tone and can make every other feature look faded.

Don’t be afraid to use a bit more blush or bronzer to bring colour back to your skin.

And pair the black smokey eye with whatever lip shade you want. I used Jeffree Star Cosmetics Cherry Wet for this look.

I say more is more – it’s just makeup!