An often annoying thing about working on cam is how it drains your carefully applied makeup. To get the pop you are used to, you need to apply a much more overstated look than you might normally opt for.
One of the easiest and most dramatic ways to add some sexy pizazz to your cam make up is to create a smokey sexy eye.
Makeup, especially dramatic or “more than you’re used to” looks, can seem intimidating. There are a few simple tips to applying a quick and easy smoky eye though, which will look fabulous even on camera.
Start with a Good Base
Apply a primer to the whole of your lid and just under your eyes. This will hold your shadow in place perfectly. A little foundation works just as well in a pinch too.
Shape and fill in your brows. This is so easy to forget but your brows frame your eyes and set the look off. Be careful when filling in to make sure the shade you choose isn’t darker than your actual brows.
Start by brushing your brows up using a spoolie brush. This shows you where they need to be shaped. Then, use a brow pencil in short, light strokes to fill in any patchy areas. Try to mimic hairs in drawing your lines.
Next, using a small angled brush, apply the powder to your brows. Try to avoid over defining the inside corners or end points to avoid the “Nike Tick” look. Gently brush brows again to blend the powder into your brow. Then add a touch of wax over your filled in brows to hold the color and shape.
Apply a little concealer under your eyes – because nothing ruins a smoky eye more than a matching set of luggage underneath. Once your concealer is blended into your under-eye area, brush a little loose translucent powder over it. This will collect any spill from applying your shadow and can be removed afterwards easily.
Select a pale colour to accompany the look you’re creating. Smoky eyes don’t have to be black, they can be navy blue, deep green or even plum! Any deeper colour will work. For a more neutral look which is less severe than black, try brown or grey. For your base color, try to stick to a pale neutral colour and leave the colour to the lid.
Using a larger eye brush sweep the base colour from lash line to just under your brow. This application should be even and form a nice base to work on.
Time to Smoke!
Select the main color of your eye look, and apply it to the outer half of your eye lid. Gently work the colour into your crease using a smudger brush. Be careful to keep the darker color to the outer V of your eye, blending the color out as it gets further into your lid. Using a small flat brush pull it down and around to blend into your lower lash line.
Pro tip: Don’t be afraid to blend the crease up higher than you’re used to. A smoky look is dramatic and the whole point of this is to stand out on camera.
Select a shimmery paler colour and apply a little to the inner corner of your eye.
Apply a little shimmery highlighter to your brow bone, just under your brow line, to highlight your eyes.
Finishing Touches
Apply your favorite liner. I prefer liquid liner for this look, but not everyone can get on with liquid and pencil does add a more undefined, smoke-like look. Line the top and bottom lashes ensuring there is no skin showing between the line and lashes. Apply liner to your wet line inside your bottom lash line too for smouldering glamour. If so desired, add a flick to the edge of your liner for a sexy cat’s eye finish.
Apply a coat of mascara. Remember to coat bottom lashes as well. For a real dramatic finish apply strip lashes for additional va-va-voom.
Pro tip: Oh, you’re afraid of strip lashes? Trust me: Read my tutorial as to how to stick them on perfectly!
There are no real hard and fast rules with a smoky look and each person will have their own unique take on how to rock this eye. You can add additional sparkly neutral colour to the inner half of your lid to complete this look once you’ve mastered the basics.
Once practice has made perfect (and half the fun is in the practising) you can experiment with glitters and pigments to create some truly eye-popping looks. This isn’t a look for the office, but on cam you will smolder like the siren you are.
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Katy Seymour is a super-sex-positive writer in the U.K. who believes kink is life. Email her at katy@ynotcam.com.
