Black Gold

I’ve had my eye on this eyeshadow for awhile, but I haven’t had this eyeshadow on my eye because I was trying not to buy more eyeshadow. But then I saw THIS.



This tutorial was on Refinery29 a couple weeks ago, and I almost re-posted it right away, but I really wanted to give it a try first. This isn’t the way I typically do a smoky eye, but it IS a really simple way to do it, and you only need two products.

The eyeshadow used in this particular tutorial is Laura Mercier Baked Eye Colour in Black Karat.You can use it wet or dry, but for this look you’re going to want to go with dry. The only other product you really need is a black eyeliner. The first time I tried following these directions, I tried two different “liquid pencils” from the drugstore that are maddeningly soft. I thought this might be the perfect use for them, but I was wrong, because they dry fast and then won’t smudge. I fared better with a regular pencil. I used Smolder, by MAC, but you can use whatever basic black eyeliner you have. Or maybe use this as an excuse to buy one of those big pointy Cleopatra-style kohl pencils.

The brush in the video is Stila's #30,but I just used whatever I had that seemed like it would work best for each part. I used a really small short brush for under the bottom lashes because I didn’t want it too heavy down there, then used a Q-tip to clean it up a bit too. And I used my finger for blending the liner on the upper lid when the brush felt too scratchy.

If you end up looking like a raccoon every time you try doing a smokey eye, try using a small brush (or Q-tip!) to smudge the black eyeliner under/into your lower lashes, instead of using it directly from the pencil. OR, skip using eyeliner under the lower lashes altogether, and just do the shadow. Just don’t forget to line the inner rims (top and bottom) because that’s what makes pretty much anything look like a “smoky eye.”

When I line the inner rims of my eyes, I always pat on a little matte black shadow (MAC Carbon) over the liner with a small flat angle brush to give it staying power. I also used a different (lighter) gold shadow near the tear ducts to open it up a bit because my eyes are on the close/deep set side. I put my mascara on last, so I don't have to worry about my eyelashes getting tangled up when I'm smudging, or getting any powder shadow stuck in there.

When trying a new eye look, especially a dark one, it’s a good idea not to put the rest of your face makeup on until you’re finished with the eyes. That way you can easily wipe away anything that falls on your face, or just take off the eye makeup and start over if something goes wrong. Also, always give yourself enough time!

You can try using this technique with whatever kind of darkish shimmery eyeshadow you already have, or even a matte color. Or different colored eyeliner! (I would stick to black for inner rims though.) What if you had a dark plum liner and a shimmery brown shadow? Navy and gray? Turquoise and turquoise? The possibilities are endless, really. Hope you all have fun with this one!