The Easiest Way to Create a Smoky Eye

Photo: Luca Cannonieri/GoRunway.com

In our Q&A series, beauty experts address your most bewildering issues. Have a beauty-related quandary of your own? Submit your question in the comments below or via Twitter.

Q: What’s the easiest way to create a smoky eye?

A: Ever try to create a subtle smoky eye, but end up with raccoon eyes? Sephora Pro David Thibodeau gave us a super simple four-step routine to try. Follow his instructions below:

Step 1: “First apply a small amount of eye primer to your eyelid with a clean finger or a brush.” Thibodeau recommends Kat Von D High Voltage Eye Primer ($15, sephora.com) because “it works like a magnet, holding eye shadow or liner in place.”

Step 2: Use a thick kohl pencil and line your lid liberally along the lash line. Thibodeau recommends Givenchy Magic Kajal Eye Pencil in 1 Magic Black ($24, sephora.com). Not only does the pencil come with a sharpener, but it contains both waxes and oils — making the texture so creamy it glides right on.

Step 3: “Now, with a cream shadow brush, blend the liner up the lid until the crease to create a soft smoky look.” Chanel’s Ombres Constraste Duo in Taupe ($42, chanel.com) has the perfect eye shadow shades for this.

Step 4: Finish off the look with a few coats of mascara. “My personal favorite is the new Marc Jacobs Beauty Lash Lifter Gel Volume Mascara ($26, sephora.com) which works like spandex to make lashes lifted, curvaceous and voluminous — without the need for falsies or a curler, thanks to its E-Lash-Tic Lash Technology.”