Sexy, smouldering, smokey eyes: the make look that suits every age face shape, eye shape and occasion. It transforms your eyes giving you a sassy yet seductive finish which everyone wants, but not everyone knows how to do them.
We’ve tried and tested our favourite smokey eye palettes from the high-street to see how they perform.
No7: Mini eye palette, £10.00
Rating: 8/10
The No7 Mini Palette is affordable and contains a range of eight colours from light to dark shades. The colours include a deep purple shade which enables you to add a splash of colour to the traditional brown or black smokey eye. The darker shades in the palette contain a hit of glitter, perfect for the party season. The eyeshadows blend well when combining the matte and shimmer colours together. Overall, the range of matte and sparkly deeper shades of brown allow you to create an effortless day to night look all from one palette. It is a perfect size to fit in your makeup bag or to take with you while you’re on the go.
Available at: Boots, www.No7.com,
Urban Decay: Naked 2 Basics, £22.00
Rating: 8/10
This palette contains six natural shades of matte colours ranging from a light pale pink shade (Skimp) to a dark brown shade (Undone). The colours are perfect for a natural matte look especially as an everyday makeup look as the colours are subtle. The colours are highly pigmented if you want to create a heavier, dramatic look, ideal for an evening look. The colours stay matte and last all day so there is no need to top up your eye shadow. However, this palette wouldn’t suit those who are not fans of matte shadows. Overall, this palette is suited to a more daytime look, due to the natural finish of the colours.
Available at: Debenhams, www.UrbanDecay.com
Rimmel: Smokey Brun palette, £6.99
Rating: 6/10
If you like shimmering colours this palette is perfect for you! The colours are warm tones with a hint of sparkling shimmer. The four colours glide on smoothly and include gradual shades, ranging from a light cool cream shade to a deep warm shade of brown. The shimmering appearance of the colours make them perfect for a party look. Overall, the colours in the Rimmel Smokey Brun palette are more suitable for party occasions rather than an everyday look. However, the applicator included in the set does not blend the colours together very well, so we recommend that you invest in a high quality eyeshadow / blending brush.
Available at: Boots, Superdrug, Tesco, Asda, www.Rimmel.com
MAC: Golden Hours Mineralize palette, £17.00
Rating: 7/10
This warm toned palette has colours ranging from peach to brown with an added touch of frosted shimmer. The intensity of the colours allows you’re to create a smokey eye without using too much product. The mineral product can even be applied wet for an extremely bold look. The peachy warm tones will suit any skin tone and make blue eyes brighter. They are easy to apply and nice to blend. However, there was some fall out when applying the product, so we recommend applying it before your foundation or using an eyeshadow base.
Available at: Fenwick, Debenhams, House of Frasier, www.Maccosmetics.com
How to create a brown smokey eye:
1. Begin with a light cream shade and apply this all over the eye lid and on the brow bone.
2. Apply a light brown shade over the entire eyelid.
3. Take a deeper brown colour and focus this on the outer v of the eye, blending into the eye socket gradually towards the inner corner of the eye.
4. Blend the light brown shade under the eye along the lash line, and blend the dark brown in the outer corner of the bottom lashes to create a bolder look.
5. Finish by applying a coat of mascara to the top and bottom lashes, fake eyelashes (optional) and a black eye-liner on your waterline (optional).
