A simple trick to get that perfect smokey eye look
26.6.2023
Translation: Elicia Payne
I personally don’t like harsh eyeshadow contours. That’s why I take extra care when blending the colours. To achieve this, I rely on patience, a delicate touch and a simple but effective trick.
If you’ve ever tried to blend dark eyeshadows, you know how quickly your planned smokey eye look can get out of hand. One wrong move and the eye shadow kisses your eyebrow. Striking shades are unforgiving and require a serious amount of patience and a steady hand. There’s a simple trick you can use to create clean transitions – and avoid worry lines on your forehead.
This is how it works
Apply your eye shadow to the eye lid. The best way to do this is with a packing brush, a flat, slightly rounded, tightly bound brush that grabs powdery textures particularly well. This makes the eyeshadow look very pigmented when you apply it. The smaller the brush, the more precisely you can place the eyeshadow (handy for people with little eyelid space).
Here are a few examples:
For a softer look, you can also try a fluffy blender brush.
Now it would be handy to blend the eyeshadow with the brush you applied it with, right? Not quite. This is a common misconception. It doesn’t make a difference whether you started with a packing brush or a blender brush. The former is too stiff. But what’s wrong with the second one? The brush is specifically designed for blending. Why don’t we just use that one then?
Because there’s still a lot of pigment in the hairs, which you’ll spread when brushing. The result: instead of just blending the applied pigments, you bring more colour into play with each movement, which you also have to blend. A vicious circle which can eventually move the eyeshadow up too high and close to your eyebrows. To stop that from happening, there’s a simple trick.
For blending, grab a clean, fluffy brush with flexible bristle hairs that come together to form a point. Put it at the border of the eyeshadow on your skin. Now you can work the pigments into the skin with small, circular movements towards the top. Take enough time and use as little pressure as possible. The bristle tips should tickle over your skin like feathers. The clean brush ensures that the pigments are distributed on your eyelid in such a way that they form a beautiful transition to your skin and only protrude slightly above the crease. If you want more drama or have droopy eyelids, in a controlled and purposeful manner, you can apply the eyeshadow a lot further up.
Side note: The instructions above are based on the use of one colour. If you’re using several colours, you can proceed in the same way for each newly applied colour. Apply and blend with a new brush.
Sometimes the tiniest details can make or break the way our hair looks or our make-up pops. In my Blazing Beauty Tips series, I share useful techniques and products with you that I’ve either discovered myself or stolen from the pros.
Header image: Natalie Hemengül
Natalie Hemengül
Senior Editor
Natalie.Hemenguel@digitecgalaxus.chAs a massive Disney fan, I see the world through rose-tinted glasses. I worship series from the 90s and consider mermaids a religion. When I’m not dancing in glitter rain, I’m either hanging out at pyjama parties or sitting at my make-up table. P.S. I love you, bacon, garlic and onions.
Beauty
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