Smokey, Sexy Eyes

If you hadn't guessed yet, I play roller derby. And the first Fashion Daisy question I'm going to answer is from my very good friend and Red Rockettes league mate, Bone Junior. We attended a bout together Saturday, and afterwards, she texted me to ask me to blog about how to achieve the perfect smokey eyed look, without looking like you live on the Jersey Shore. She was very kind to ask me, since her eye makeup always looks perfect, but I'm very happy to give my two cents!
Now as you know if you've met me, I love a good smokey eye. In fact, for me, there is no eye makeup without smoke. If I'm going to the grocery store, it might be just a little bit, but at derby, well it's full blown smoke and hopefully a little bit of fire. It's also a very fun look because it's easy to achieve and hard to mess up, and it often looks better at the end of the night than the beginning when it's had time to smush in and get a bit dirty, if you know what I mean. Don't tell my mum this, but one of my best smokey-eyed looks was achieved at the Pride Parade by going to bed the night before with full makeup on and then just piling more on in the morning. Obviously I don't recommend that for every day! (Unless you're really busy, then do it.)
The tools I use to do the smokey look are a small stumpy eyeshadow brush (like a little blusher brush) and an eyeliner brush that looks like a paint brush. I have also at times stolen my parents' paint brushes and used them for eye makeup in times of need. It's art, right? For eyeshadow, you really can't beat Urban Decay, although both of my very favorite products have now been discontinued. It might be worth looking for them on eBay or other sites. I was given the Book of Shadows for my last birthday from two of my fave derby girls which is a veritable smorgasbord of gorgeous colors- the closest I can find on their website now is the Eyeshadow Ammo Shadow Box ($38, urbandecay.com). I also use their Rollergirl Palette every day. The other product I use on my eyes every day is the Wet n Wild mono eye shadow in Jet Black, which is around $2.
My two main tips for creating the perfect smokey eye; first, don't try and match colors to what you're wearing. For example, if you're wearing black, sure, do the Jet Black under your eyes and at the top corners, but then add a color that's going to pop and contrast; maybe purple or green. If I'm wearing blue or red or pink, I will again do the black, then add a nice gunmetal grey. It's all about what you think looks good, but I would say, don't match, but don't clash completely.
My second tip is to start with the light colors first so you can get darker without having to take make-up off, which is a total pain in the arse. The order I do my make-up is to do my foundation first, then start on the eyes with a neutral color that you sweep over your whole lid using the little eyeshadow brush (I use Suspect from the Rollergirl Palette, it's a champagne color.) Then, pick the color that's going to be your popper. If it's gunmetal, load up your stumpy brush and sweep the color over about three-quarters of your upper lid. The bit you leave neutral is by your nose, I'll explain what to do with that later! Because I only use one stumpy brush, I sometimes find that another color from the last time I did smokey eyes will linger on the brush. I actually quite like that, because you'll get like a tiny little hint of blue or whatever the other color was. The next part is when your personal preferences really come into play. Take a look at your eyes at each stage. If you want to go smokier, load up the brush again and sweep it over about half of your upper lid. Smokier still? Load up again, sweep over the outer quarter. Make sure it's all blending smoothly and nicely. You can also put some of the color under your eyes with the eyeliner brush, just do a fairly thin line so it doesn't get too Kung Fu Panda, but a little smudgy so it doesn't look too '80's. I usually will do a line right from the inside to the outside of the eye.
Then, to get the real smokiness going, bring in the big guns; your Jet Black eye shadow. Squoozle it onto your stumpy brush and brush it onto the very outer part of your upper lid. Then grab your eyeliner brush and start work under your eyes. The key to the make up under your eyes not moving is putting it on with a brush rather than an eyeliner pencil. Again, this part is all a matter of taste and layering to see what looks good. It's the same process you applied to your upper eyelid. If you've already put some of the 'pop' color under your eyes, sweep the black over about three-quarters of your lower lid so the other color shows. Again, you want the line to be fairly thin, but a little smudgey. If you want more smokiness, go back in on the outer half and if you want to add the cat-eye look, paint upward beyond the outer corners of your eyes. This is really simple with a brush. I usually go outwards towards my hairline, then to get the precise line, lick the brush (again, sorry mum) and go the opposite way, towards your eyes.
I know this sounds a bit like rocket science, but honestly, it's more like finger painting. A tip I read recently to really make your eyes pop is to use a fairly bright pink (I use Woodstock from the Rollergirl palette) in the inner corner of your upper eyelid. It really looks good. Finish it all off with mascara- I personally never use it on my lower lashes, but that's up to you. My fave is the classic pink and green Maybelline Great Lash in Very Black, which is around $5, and I also like Rimmel and Urban Decay. Make sure you really get your outer upper lashes.
So your eyes are done and looking super-sexy. If you're husband or partner doesn't rip your clothes off at this point, continue with your makeup. This is the part where you put powder on, so you can wipe away any rogue eyeshadow that has got on other parts of your face. Another tip: if you're doing the smokey eye, don't wear red lipstick. I'll write about lips in another blog, but you want your eyes to be the focus of this look. Any pinks or neutrals are good. If I'm going to derby, I like to use a sponge eyeshadow applicator and smack on three go-faster stripes on each side of my face, usually purple, green and black. If you use Urban Decay, these won't move, however much you sweat.
I hope this helps Bone, and sorry I don't have any close up pics of the smokey eye. I'm posting a couple of pics where I've done the smokey eye and you can see how it looks with a whole ensemble. Just remember like I said, there are no rules, so play until it looks good and then play some more!

Coming next: Talking cankles with Unholy Roller.



Photo courtesy: Jay Perry



Photo courtesy: Jason Santti