How to Create a Dramatic Smokey Eye for Halloween (Or Any Other Day)

After last week’s hair tutorial, I’m kind of on a beauty kick. So, I thought it would be fun to test the waters on our first makeup tutorial for a dramatic smokey eye.

You can amp this look up for Halloween with some crazy fake eyelashes like mine (they were $3 at Target). Or take it down a notch, sans eye lashes, for a night out with friends. If you’re going the Halloween route, I have the perfect costume idea to go with it, that I’ll be sharing next week. So, be sure to look out for that.

Here’s how to create a dramatic smokey eye for Halloween and beyond…

1. Apply base all over eyelid – we used a grey, smokey shade. You could use black if you want a more intense color.

2. With a flat shader brush apply a silvery grey shadow all over the lid up to the crease. Smudge the same color underneath your eye.

3. In the crease add a deeper grey or black. Smudge the same color on the upper and lower outer corners of your eye.

4. Blend all the edges out with a soft, fluffy brush using a windshield wiper motion so that all the edges are soft. Keep blending until you are happy with the “smokiness”, this includes underneath the eye.

5. Add black liner to the upper lid and smudge. Apply mascara.

6. You can stop there. OR keep going, if you want to play around with Halloween options, which is what we did! First, apply false lashes with lash adhesive. You can buy the same exact costume lashes as mine from Target, right here (only $3). Then, if any glue is showing from your false lashes cover the area with black liner.

And here’s how it looks with the lashes…

Photography Amelia Tatnall
Makeup Rachel Brewer

P.S. In case you need a laugh… The day that we did this makeup tutorial, I met one of the studio landlords (for the FIRST time), in full-on crazy town makeup. WITH the eyelashes. Haha. Talk about first impressions.

Think you’ll give this smokey eye a try? Which look do you like better – crazy eyelashes or no eyelashes?