I've been meaning to do a makeup tutorial for a while now, and really wanted to do something different than my normal neutral warm eye look. Because I recently picked up both a navy blue eyeliner and some beautiful blue eyeshadows from Morphe, I decided to do a pretty and dramatic smokey blue eye.
This is definitely not an eye look that you can just rock wherever and whenever (does anyone really miss the old Shakira?). It's more of a night time appropriate look, or for an evening outing. I mean, by all means.. if you want to wear such a dramatic makeup look during the day, you do you.
Of course blue is a cool tone.. probably the coolest you can get. But me being me, I had to warm it up a bit with a brown crease and transition shade. I think the final look ended up being really pretty, and because it incorporates both cool and warm tones, can be worn with virtually any outfit!
It seems super complicated -- and I can't lie, it's not super simple -- but it's really not that hard to pull off!
Tutorial after the jump!
1.
I started off with a primed and foundationed face, and my brows already completed. Make sure to use foundation on your eyelids to keep them set and primed!
2.
Draw a bunch of navy blue eyeliner all over your mobile lid (the part of your eyelid that is below your crease and/or eye/brow bone socket). It doesn't have to be neat or clean, because this liner just acts as the base for the rest of the look. I used Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in "Midnight Blue" for my base.
3.
With any sort of smudger brush, really blend out that liner before it sets. I use those little rubber tipped applicators that you used to find in CoverGirl eyeshadows in 7th grade. You can actually buy them in a CVS/Walgreens for a few bucks, and I think they really come in handy.
4.
With a flat shader brush, apply a dark, navy shadow on top of the liner base. I think that a shimmery -- but not glittery -- shadow works best for this look. I'm obsessed with the shade "Burple (ES55)" from Morphe Brushes. It's a gorgeous velvety midnight blue with hints of purple (hence the name burple.. which makes me giggle). I also have to mention the fact that these pans of shadow are only $2 a pop. I can't believe how cheap they are for such a good quality product.
5.
Using a lighter blue shadow, blend out any harsh edges created with the darker blue shade, and extend it into the crease. I again used a gorgeous Morphe Brushes shadow, this time in the color "Cobalt Blue (ES49)". Use a fluffier brush to make sure the color is super diffused. The key to this step is making sure the two blue shades blend seamlessly into one another, without any weird line of demarkation in between them.
6.
Blend the lighter blue shade into the crease with a warm, neutral flesh colored (I hate the word "flesh" but you have to get over it) shadow, with a crease brush. I love my Make Up For Ever Artist Shadow in "Cookie (M650)" -- I know it's $21 for one eyeshadow, which is ridiculous, but they're so good it's worth it. Extend this shade down to the corner of the eye in a C or a V shape (depending on your own eye shape).
7.
With an even darker warm-toned brown shadow, deepen up the crease and add a bit of definition to the look. I used Makeup Geek Shadow in "Cocoa Bear", one of my favorite brown shades. Focus this color on the outside of the eye, but make sure to blend it into the inner corner of the eye with any leftover product on your crease brush.
8.
With a clean, fluffy blending brush, blend out any and all harsh edges in the shadows. Be sure that the warm transition/crease color is diffused, and both the blue shadows flow together nicely.
9.
For added oomph, gently pat a bright, shimmery turquoise shadow directly onto the center of the eyelid only. This creates a pretty spotlight effect, and really opens up the eye and makes everything brighter and more pronounced. It also adds a ton of dimension to an already multi-dimensional eye look. Unfortunately, the color that I used is "Venezia" by Anastasia Beverly Hills, which is only sold in the Tamanna palette.. which is sold out. But a very similar shade is "Peace" by Urban Decay.
10.
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| The lint in my hair.. |
Because it's so hard for me to go without liner, I tightlined my lash line and drew a very thin winged liner with my Stila Stay All Day Liquid Liner in "Black", to give a little definition. This step is totally optional, and can be left out if you don't feel like adding any liner.
11.
On the bottom lash line, blend the lighter blue shadow shade into the lashes with a pencil brush. I used my Morphe "Cobalt Blue" shade. It doesn't need to be neat, but don't go crazy -- try to smudge it pretty close to the lash line. Take it all the way from the inner to the outer corner, and connect it up with the shadow on the top lid.
12.
Blend out the blue shadow using the lighter brown transition/crease shade from earlier. Just make sure the blue shadow isn't a harsh line sitting right on the bottom lash line. Again, take this color and blend it from the inner to the outer corner, and bring it up to the top shadow and blend it out to connect the top and bottom lid colors.
13.
On just the outer third of your bottom lid, blend in the darker brown transition/crease shadow, and connect it to the top lid. (Don't mind the nail indentations on my cheek.. my lower lid tends to disappear because of my monolid, and I have to pull down the lower lid to reach my lower lash line!)
14.
Curl your top lashes and prep them for falsies with a few coats of your favorite mascara. If you don't use falsies, make sure to really amp up the volume of your lashes during this step. Because there is such a dark color on the lid, lashes tend to get lost in the fray and disappear. Be sure to keep them defined and visible with a really good mascara! As per usual, I used my holy grail Urban Decay Cannonball.
15.
Glue ya favorite pair of false lashes on the upper lid. I've been obsessing over my Flutter Lashes in the style "Kelsey" and can't stop wearing them. An even more dramatic pair could be used for this look -- and would almost look even better than the semi-natural ones I used -- but any long, fluttery lashes will do!
16.
Add some mascara to the bottom lashes, and that's it!
Tada!
I really love the way this blue smokey eye turned out! Like I said earlier, I think it's really appropriate for evening or nighttime events, but I suppose it could be worn for any nicer or fancier outing no matter what time of day. With some gold accessories, and a black outfit, this eye look will really pop and stand out in a crowd.
You can see what the blue shades look like on my natural dark brown eyes, as well as with my hazel contacts. Blue eyeshadow gets a really bad rap, but I think it looks gorgeous -- if done correctly -- on ANY eye color. The warmth from the crease colors prevents this smokey eye from looking like that 80s frosty blue terrifying one-dimensional makeup.
Keep everything else on the face neutral and natural -- minimal contour, a peachy blush, and nude lipstick does the trick! Let the attention fall on your pretty eyes :]
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