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Smokey eyes have always been my favorite makeup look. And, believe it or not, it was one of the first eye makeup techniques I mastered. When I was 16, I regularly competed in beauty pageants but couldn’t afford to hire a professional makeup artist. I spent hours watching YouTube videos and blending away to perfect a stage-ready smokey eye. With a little patience—and a lot of practice—my finished eye look was blended to perfection, and my fellow contestants were so impressed I did my own makeup.
A classic smokey eye look is still a favorite of mine to this day. While it may look complex, a few foolproof steps and tricks prove that anyone can create a dramatic smokey eye. “It doesn’t have to be as complicated as people think,” assures celebrity makeup artist Jamie Greenberg. “A smokey eye is just a soft gradient that’s darkest at the lash line. Start with one eyeliner pencil and one shadow, then blend until there are no harsh lines. Keep it simple.”
After chatting with Greenberg, I put together this foolproof guide for creating the perfect smokey eye. Follow the below steps, and you’ll be a smokey eye expert in no time.
How to do a smokey eye for beginners
1. The nonnegotiable prep step: Primer does so much more than create an even base for your eyeshadow. “Primer grips onto eye shadow so your smokey eye looks bolder and lasts longer, and it can help with lid oiliness,” says Greenberg. Swipe a light layer onto your top and bottom lids and gently pat it in.
2. Start building color: To achieve a smokey eye, you’ll build and blend colors across your lid. The first shadow you apply lays the groundwork. With that in mind, Greenberg suggests starting with a neutral taupe hue. Using a fluffy brush, lightly dust the shadow all over your lid.
3. Bring in the liner: This is where you really need to trust the process—things will get messy before the effortlessly smoked outcome comes to fruition. Greenberg likes to introduce eyeliner before layering on more shadow. “Line your upper lash line with a creamy, dark pencil,” she says. “Get in the waterline, and a little above the lash line, too.”
4. Smudge it out: The key to a gorgeous smokey eye lies in the smudging and blending. Before the eyeliner sets, Greenberg says to take a small shadow brush and blend it back and forth along the lash line. “The darkest part of your smokey eye should be along the lash line, and as the color expands out over the lid, it should look lighter.”
5. Add a dark eyeshadow: Overtop of the smudged eyeliner, dab a light layer of a darker brown eyeshadow using a pencil brush. From there, use a clean blending brush to diffuse the color toward the outer corner of your eye. You’ll probably need to blend more than you expect—keep at it until all harsh lines are softened.
6. Incorporate the lower lash line: Using the same dark eyeshadow (and brush), gently blend the color into the lower lash line for more dimension.
7. The finishing touch: To make your eyes pop, complete the look with two to three coats of a volumizing mascara.
The most common smokey eye mistakes
TBH, while smokey eyes can seem intimidating, they’re one of the easiest eye makeup looks to complete. When in doubt, blend, blend, blend! In fact, not blending enough is a typical mistake Greenberg sees. The goal is to create a gradient that seamlessly smokes out, and blending often takes more time than you think. When you think you’ve almost perfected the look, blend a teensy bit more—it will make all the difference.
Another smokey eye blunder is going straight in with the darkest eyeshadow. It’s important to build a smokey eye and add deeper colors as you go rather than going straight in with the darkest shade. “It’s a lot easier to add more pigment than it is to take it away,” Greenberg reminds. “Build slowly and keep the deepest color close to the lash line.”
Tips for mastering a smokey eye
So, you’ve followed the steps above, but you feel like you aren’t getting your smokey eye perfect yet? Remember, it does take practice, but there are a few things you can do to make achieving the look even easier. First and foremost, Greenberg says to make sure you’re using a clean brush to soften the edges. Using a brush with remnants of another eyeshadow can muddy the final look and will require even more blending.
If you don’t have any clean brushes on hand—take this as a sign to wash your makeup brushes!—don’t be afraid to use your fingers. Greenberg will often smudge out a smokey eye with her fingers. And remember, “The goal isn’t perfection. A smokey eye should look soft, effortless, and a little lived-in,” she says.
The bottom line
Smokey eyes shouldn’t feel intimidating. Whether you’re a makeup beginner or a total expert, these simple steps will get you one step closer to perfecting a smokey eye. Time to grab your favorite eyeshadow and a clean makeup brush and blend away!
Meet the expert
- Jamie Greenberg is a celebrity makeup artist with over 20 years of experience.
Why trust Cosmopolitan?
Mary Honkus is a contributor for Cosmopolitan with over eight years of experience researching, writing, and editing beauty stories, including rounding up the best smudge-proof tubing mascaras, and creating a complete guide to using bronzer. She’s an authority in all beauty categories and her go-to eye makeup look is a smokey eye. For this story, she consulted with a makeup artist to explain how to achieve a seamless smokey eye.
