Smokey Eye Techniques

Create Beautiful Smokey Eyes with Confidence

The smokey eye is one of the most universally flattering makeup looks you can learn — yet so many people tell me they find it intimidating. With elaborate tutorials and endless palettes filling your social media feed, it is easy to feel overwhelmed before you even pick up a brush. But here is a secret from my years behind the makeup chair: a gorgeous smokey eye does not require a dozen products or an hour of blending. Some of my favourite looks use just one colour.

In this chapter I break down four distinct smokey eye techniques, each one building on the last. You will start with the simplest approach — a one-colour smokey created with nothing more than a trusty pencil eyeliner — and work your way up through the true smokey, the two-colour smokey, and finally the gradient technique I use with roughly ninety per cent of my bridal and editorial clients. Every method comes with clear, step-by-step instructions so you know exactly where to place product, which brushes to reach for, and how to blend without ending up looking like a raccoon.

Whether you are after an understated daytime smoke or full evening glamour, the techniques in this guide will give you the skills and the confidence to create the look yourself. I have also packed in my professional tips on preventing fallout, choosing colours beyond the classic black, and adapting each style to suit your unique eye shape. If the smokey eye has always felt just out of reach, this is the chapter that will change your mind.

Download the full guide to get my printable checklist, detailed tutorials for all four techniques, and the blending tips I share with my brides on their wedding morning.