CREDIT: SLAVA_VLADZIMIRSKAYA/THINKSTOCK
The smokey eye is one of the most sought after, yet daunting looks. Here's how to recreate it on your own.

One of the most sought-after, yet daunting eye makeup look is the classic smokey eye. It is dark, sultry and adds that elegance to almost anyone who wears it. It can be done with pretty much any colour combination, but to achieve that classic look, all you need is black, brown and white.

When doing a smokey eye, I recommend doing your complexion at the very end since you are using such dark shades of eye shadow that fallout is definitely a possibility. If you insist on doing your complexion first, apply a lot of loose powder under the eye so it will catch any fallout and then you can just brush it all off once you are finished.

The first step is to make sure the eye area is fully prepped. Use a non-greasy eye cream and then apply an eye shadow primer – the NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base is incredible for this look. The primer will lessen the amount of fallout during the application, will intensify the colour and will make it last longer.

If you want the smokey eye to be intense, I recommend applying a black cream eye shadow to the eyelids, keeping the darkest part at the lash line and then fading it upwards to the crease of the eye. Next apply a matte black powder shadow – NARS Pandora – on top of the cream shadow, again keeping the darkest part at the lash line. Another tip when applying powder shadow is to press it on rather than using a swiping motion. This will build up the pigment more effectively and will reduce fallout.

Now to create the smokey effect, use a matte dark brown eye shadow with a ponytail brush and begin to blend it through the crease of the eyelid, almost in a windshield wiper motion. Make sure you are blending a little bit on top of the black shadow so you get a seamless look. Once you are happy with the blending, apply a bone white shadow on the brow bone.

A lot of people will stop here and not do the lower lash line, but it needs to be balanced in order for the smokey eye to be properly achieved. Line the entire bottom lash line with the cream black shadow and press on the black powder shadow on top of that. Now, taking a smaller blending brush, create the smokey effect with the dark brown shadow just like you did on the eyelid. Lastly, apply the white shadow directly underneath.

To complete the look, tightline the upper lash line with a black eyeliner and then line the lower waterline. To add more glamour, apply some false lashes and mascara and then you are done.

The smokey eye can look elegant for special occasions and can be easy to achieve with a little bit of practice. The key is to make sure everything is blended so no hard edges can be seen. Once you have this basic method down pat, you can start experimenting with other colours, glitters and shapes.