Smokey Eye Makeup: An Easy, Step-by-Step Guide

Smokey eye makeup is sexy, sultry, and dramatic. But it can also be light and neutral depending on your color selection and application technique. Either way, it’s a popular and wearable makeup look for every woman. Here’s my simple step-by-step instruction on achieving that perfect smoky eye.

1. Prime your eye lid. Apply a small amount of Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion all over your upper and lower eye lid. Or try M.A.C.’s Prep and Prime Eye or Too Faced Shadow Insurance. This is an important step to prevent your eye shadows from fading into your crease and help their colors show up more vibrantly. Read Cruelty-free beauty 101: eye shadow primer.

2. Apply your base color. Contrary to what many believe, smoky eye makeup can be done with many eye shadow colors, not just black. Choose the overall tone you want, then select your group of colors.

For example, for a deep purple smoky eye, you can use a soft violet or light brown shade as your base color, a medium to dark purple shade in your crease and a deep purple or black color on your outer corner. The base color should be the lightest color and can be shimmery or matte in finish. Apply this color all over your eye lid. Try NYX Smokey Look Kit (Giveaway details below).

3. Apply your crease color. Now apply a darker color to your crease as well as the outer part of your lower eye lid. Blend well. Good blending is key to the perfect smoky eye makeup, so use a good blending brush and blend the two colors until there’s sharp contrast between them or blunt color edges on your lid.

4. Smoke out your outer corner. Apply the darkest color to your outer corner to add more depth and definition. This can be black or any dark shade but should be a color with matte finish. Blend well. You can skip this step if you want a light, more natural smoky eye look.

5. Line your eyes. Apply eye liner (black, brown, color of your choice) to your upper and lower lash lines. Set it with a matching eye shadow by tracing and smudging your lines with a eye liner brush. Try Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil or Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner.

6. Apply mascara. Add more volume and intensity by applying several coats mascara to both your upper and lower lashes. Try Almay One Coat Nourishing Mascara or M.A.C. Plush Lash.

Tip: Never pair a dark smoky eye with bold lip color. Keep your lips light to further emphasize your eyes. Try NYX Smokey Look Kit lip colors.

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Cruelty-free Beauty 101: How To Contour Your Face

Model Naomi Campbell's cheekbones are defined with contour makeup. AP Photo/Alastair Grant

Contouring is a makeup technique that will help minimize your imperfections and highlight your good features, basically a way to sculpt and enhance your face.

This makeup trick may sound complicated, but it’s really easy to do with the right tools and some practice.

Begin by applying a matte bronzer (or any cream or powder makeup that’s a few shades darker than your skin) to the hollow of your cheeks. Try e.l.f. Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder, $3.

This will mimic the natural shadow on our face and thus creating more defined, higher cheekbones.

Next apply some shadow to the sides of your nose to make it appear taller, smaller and thinner.

Finally apply your contouring product along the outer edge of your face, like along your jawline and around your temples to slim down your face.

To complement your contours, highlight your face by applying a light, shimmery powder to the top of your cheekbones, below your brow bones, and down the center of your nose.

Be sure to blend well to avoid leaving unnatural dark spots or harsh lines on your face.

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Spring Colors: Nail Polishes

Spring comes with a blossoming of life, energy and this cannot be seen more clearly than the colorful transformation of our surroundings.

I’m inspired to publish a collection of articles titled Spring Colors.

In these pieces, I will explore and share selected cruelty-free beauty products that are Spring-perfect for their bright, colorful, fun qualities.

Like these vibrant nail polishes by Essence.

Available in 22 dazzling shades, these nail polishes are fun, colorful, and very affordable at $0.99 each!

And since they dry extremely fast and come with a helpful flat brush, they’re super easy to wear and change.

On my nails in the photo above from thumb to pinkie are Sundancer, No More Drama, VIP Appeal, Get the Fever, and Just in Case.

I do want to point out that while some colors such as No More Drama go on evenly and smoothly, others such as Sundancer are a bit streaky and require several coats.

These lovely Spring hues come in a convenient, small 0.1 fl. oz. bottles, which I love as I’ve yet to finish a larger, traditional-sized nail polish and not waste the product.

Essence is a German cosmetics company. A well-known brand in other parts of the world, Essence recently became available exclusively at ULTA stores in the U.S.

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Cruelty-Free Makeup Brushes 101: Synthetic vs. Natural Hair

Essential tools for many makeup users, cosmetic brushes come in many brands, types, and two major categories: man-made (synthetic) and natural animal hair brushes.

Which is better and truly cruelty-free?

First of all, what is a cruelty-free makeup brush? Some companies may tell you that their natural-hair brushes are 100 percent cruelty-free, promising that no squirrels, camels, badgers, or any other animals used to make natural-hair brushes were harmed in the manufacturing process.

I’m skeptical with such promise or statement. While I’m not suggesting that these companies are dishonest, but in reality, many of these companies don’t make their brushes in house but buy from manufacturers in other countries and therefore, they do NOT know firsthand how the animals were treated.

In my opinion, even if the animals were well-cared for during the manufacturing process, it’s still not totally cruelty-free simply because the animals are kept and maintained for the purpose of using their hair to make brushes.

I just don’t like the idea of using animals for any purposes except to love and respect them.

This brings us to synthetic brushes, the truly, 100 percent cruelty-free and my favorite type of makeup brushes.

Synthetic brushes have man-made, synthetic fibers. They don’t contain any animal hair and are vegan and in most cases eco-friendly.

Better than natural-hair brushes, synthetic bristles are hypoallergenic and safe for sensitive skin. They’re soft, clean, and overall superior products.

Depending on the brand, the costs of synthetic brushes differ but overall they’re comparable to natural-hair brushes and in many cases, more affordable.

Some of my favorite synthetic brushes are by Urban Decay, Sirius Beauty, and e.l.f.

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