5 December 2008 - How to achieve a 'smokin hot' look this Christmas

Smokey eyes are glamorous, dramatic and seductive.

If you want to get those attractive smokey eyes and turn some heads at your Christmas party, just follow these 5 Easy Steps.

What you need: light shade concealer/ light mineral foundation; eye pencil; small and large eye shadow brush; sponge tip applicator/ cotton bud; dark, light and medium shade eye shadow; metal lash comb, eyelash curler; and mascara.

5 Easy Steps:

1. Apply concealer to the area below the eye and on the top lid. Using eye pencil, draw a line along top and bottom rims of your eye. Stay close to the eyelashes as much as possible. Smudge the line a bit using small eye shadow brush.

With a little sponge tip applicator or cotton bud, apply dark eye shadow over the lined area and smudge it using your finger tip to soften the edges.

2. Now with your lightest color of brown eye shadow, shade the contour area (rainbow area) of your eye lightly, moving upwards a bit. Be sure not to shade too high underneath the eyebrow area though. It is the light brown that will create the really nice "smokey" effect.

3. Apply darkest with your black shadow at the base of your lashes, and go lighter as you move upwards. What you want to do (which might be the trickiest part) is connect the two colors (the black & light brown) and gently blend them together without mixing them too much, otherwise your colors will look muddy.

4. Next, apply light shimmery eye shadow under your eyebrow.

5. Curl your eyelashes and highlight your smokey eyes by applying lots of mascara. Comb lashes through after each application.

Pro Tips:

• For best results, it's always a great idea to use professional brushes in order for your eye makeup to look perfectly blended when you’re using two or more colors.

• It’s a good idea to apply a whole lot of translucent powder right underneath your eyes for just in case some shadow does fall... because at the end, you can then dust everything right off with a big soft powder brush.

• To prevent color from falling underneath your eyes, after you dip your brushes in your eye shadows, always remember to tap the excess off before application.

Catch you next time!

© Hollywood Brides 2009