11 Tips for Smokey Eyes to Dazzle Your Date ...

My first tips for smokey eyes is to take off all existing makeup. Yes this step might seem self explanatory, but you would be surprised. I also say this to save yourself some time and frustration. You are going to want to apply your eye makeup first before your foundation. You will likely get some shadow to drop down under your eyes, which is much more easily removed without any foundation on.

This will be your saving grace while you pile on the dark eye shadow. Chances are you want this to last all night, and not having a primer underneath will only make this look last a short period. The primer will give you a smooth base for your eye shadow and prevent the annoying creasing.

You'll need about four good brushes to get the perfect smokey eye. First, you'll need a flat brush to apply the eye shadow to your eyelid. You will also need a mid-sized brush to apply to the crease of your eye as well as a fluffy brush to blend your colors together later on. The fourth brush you'll need is a pencil brush to work on the area near your tear-duct and lash line.

If you want to prevent eye shadow from getting all over your face, you can put a tissue under your eye to help catch remnants. This may not be foolproof but it will definitely help to keep the mess to a minimum. Don't worry if you make a mess, there's a tip for that later!

A smokey eye doesn’t necessarily mean it's black. You can do a silver or even a blue smokey eye – this is all preference. If you do want to do a black smokey eye, you will want your palette to be in the same family. So grab your black shadow, a lighter grey, and then a silver for the accent. Apply the darkest color to the outside of your lids, and gradually apply the lighter colors to the inside of your eye.

Once you have applied all of the eye shadow, don’t forget to blend them together. We don’t want harsh lines to divide up the colors. Use a shadow brush and lightly blend them together, working towards your nose. Then, take a color which is a little lighter than your skin tone, and apply this under your eyebrow to add dimension.

This will be the KEY part to do your smokey eye. This really tops it off and frames your eyes for the shadow. I recommend using a pencil as it is easy to smudge and liquids dry too quickly. You will want to apply this to your lash line after you have applied the eye shadow. You can add the pencil to the bottom lash as well, to add more effect.

Your lashes may be the most important part of this look. Apply a dark black mascara to the top lid lashes as well as the bottom. Wiggle the wand at the roots to build volume and, holding the wand still, blink into the wand to add length. If you know you are going to be wearing this for a while, apply a waterproof mascara to the bottom line to avoid smudges.

A lot of people seem to forget about their eyebrows when doing their makeup! After you apply your primer, make sure to use an eyebrow brush along with some powder and make your eyebrows look strong! If your eyes are going to pop, how can you leave out your eyebrows? Make sure you don't, you want them to look great too!

Now it’s time to pay attention to the rest of your face. Apply your foundation and a light blush if needed. Try to be a minimalist with this part as you want your eyes to be the main focus. Go for a light lipstick as well, as you don’t want to overpower the eyes.

If you used the tip to prevent a mess and you still made a mistake, don't freak out! There's a quick and easy way to get rid of all of your smokey eye mistakes without worrying about the rest of your makeup. Take a cotton swab and dip it in your concealer, then skim the cotton swab over your mistakes. This trick will help to pick up your eye shadow remnants without smudging the rest of your face!

Make sure you bring your confidence with these eyes! If you follow these tips and steps, your eyes will turn out beautifully. There are tons of YouTube videos as well that give you step by step ‘how-tos’ that are very helpful. Have you tried this look and been successful?