How to Do a Colorful Smokey Eye Look

Last Updated: June 5, 2021 References

A smoky eye is the perfect sultry, sexy look for an evening out. But if you're tired of the usual black, gray, and even brown smoky looks, it may be time to add a little color. Creating a colorful smoky eye is just as simple as creating a neutral one; you just have to choose a bold, fun color to substitute for the black. You can create a traditional smoky eye with your colorful shades or go for a striking halo smoky eye where dark colors sandwich a light shade on the center of your lid. If you're ready to try a bolder eye look, a colorful smoky eye may be for you.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Choosing a Color for Your Smoky Eye

1
Use warm metallic and browns for blue eyes. When it comes to choosing colored shadows for a smoky look on blue eyes, warm metallic and brown shades are usually the most flattering option. These shades are opposite blue on the color wheel, so they create a bold contrast with blue eyes that really make them pop.
- Some shades to consider include copper, amber, and brown.
- Warm green tones also work well for blue eyes.
2
Select dark purple shades for green and hazel eyes. For green and hazel eyes, you’ll get the most flattering colorful smoky eye if you use a dark purple shadow, such as plum. This will create a striking contrast for eyes that are green or have green flecks.

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3
Grab blue or green shades for brown eyes. Brown eyes typically feature orange and red undertones, so blue and green shades typically offer the best smoky eye look. That’s because orange is opposite blue and red is opposite green on the color wheel.^{[1]
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- Some blue tones to consider include cobalt, navy, teal, violet, and midnight blue.
- Some green tones to consider include olive, forest green, emerald, and moss.
4
Opt for purple shades no matter what your eye color. Purple is the most universally flattering shade of eyeshadow, so it typically works well for everyone. It is especially beautiful with brown and green eyes, but blue-eyed people can wear it too.^{[2]
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- Some purple tones to consider include eggplant, plum, and royal purple.
5
Get 3 to 4 shades in whatever color you choose. To achieve your smoky eye look, you will need to have different shades in the color you choose. You will need 1 light shade, 1 or 2 medium shades, and 1 dark shade. Use an eyeliner for the dark shade.
- For example, if you decide to use brown, then get a light brown or beige, a medium brown, and a dark brown eyeliner.
- If you want to do a smoky eye look with a color like pink, then use a light pink, a medium pink, and a dark brown eyeliner as your dark shade to help anchor the look.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Applying a Traditional Colorful Smoky Eye

1
Apply an eyeshadow primer or base. An eyeshadow primer provides a base for your shadow to stick to so it lasts all day. Use a clean finger to spread the primer from your lash line to your brow.^{[3]
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- If you don’t have an eyeshadow primer, you can substitute concealer. Smooth it over your eyelid just as you would with primer.
- If you have dark skin or just want to make sure that your colorful smoky eye is as vibrant as possible, it helps to use a white base as your primer. Blend a white cream eyeshadow over your eyelid so the colors that you place on top of it really pop.
- You can also smudge a non-waterproof, colorful eyeliner onto your eyelids to create a fun, long-lasting smokey eye. Just blend the eyeliner with your fingers or a brush, then lightly go over it with eyeshadow to set the pencil and create depth.^{[4]
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  Expert Source
  
  Stephanie Navarro
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  Expert Interview. 10 June 2020.}
2
Smudge dark eyeliner along your upper and lower lash lines. To get the classic smoky look, you need to li your upper and lower lash lines with a creamy eyeliner pencil. After you’ve applied the liner, use a pencil brush or cotton swab to softly smudge it. Black liner is traditionally used for a smoky eye, but you can also use a dark liner that coordinates with your shadows.^{[5]
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- If you’re doing a blue smoky eye, you can substitute a navy eyeliner.
- If you’re doing a green smoky eye, you can substitute a forest green eyeliner.
- If you’re doing an orange smoky eye, you can substitute a bronze or warm brown eyeliner.
- If you’re doing a purple smoky eye, you can substitute a plum eyeliner.
- If you’re doing a red or pink smoky eye, you can substitute a reddish brown eyeliner.
- Like black, a charcoal gray eyeliner can also work with any colorful smoky eye.
3
Sweep a neutral shadow through the crease. To help the colorful shadows you use in your smoky blend more easily, you want to use a subtle transition color in the crease. Use a fluffy crease brush to softly blend a neutral eyeshadow that’s two or three shades deeper than your skin tone through your crease.^{[6]
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- The crease of your eye is the area above the lid where your eye naturally folds.
- A brown or tan shade is usually the best option for a transition shade.
- If you’re worried about your smoky eye looking too stark, you may want to use a transition shade with some warmth. Your bronzer can do double-duty as your transition shade as long as it’s in the same color palette as the other colors. For example, a cool taupe will work well with a blue, or a warm tan might work well with a mulberry or olive shade.
4
Press a mid-tone colorful shadow onto the lid. After you’ve added the transition shade to your crease, use a flat eyeshadow brush to apply a mid-tone shadow in your choice of color to your lid. Use a pressing motion to apply the shadow to avoid fallout, and be sure to smooth the shadow over the eyeliner that you’ve applied.^{[7]
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- A mid-tone shade basically means a shadow that falls between light and dark shades on the color spectrum. You don’t want to use the darkest colorful shade that you have on the lid, but the shadow should be darker than your usual lid colors.
- Use a clean fluffy brush to blend the edge of your lid color into the transition shade for a seamless look.
- To get a more intense color payoff, dampen your brush with just a little water before you apply your eyeshadow.^{[8]
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  Expert Source
  
  Stephanie Navarro
  Professional Makeup Artist
  Expert Interview. 10 June 2020.}
5
Deepen the outer corner of the eye with a dark colorful shadow. To add depth to your smoky eye, use a pencil brush to apply a dark colored eyeshadow that coordinates with your lid color to the outer corner of your eye. Make a sideways “V” shape so one line is angled down toward the lash line and one line is angled up toward the outside of the crease.^{[9]
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- Make sure to blend out the shadow that you add to the outer corner with a clean, fluffy brush so there aren’t any harsh lines.
- When it comes to choosing a dark shade to use in the outer corner, opt for the same color family as your lid shade. For example, if you’ve used an emerald green on the lid, you might use a forest green in the outer corner.
- If you don’t have a dark shadow that coordinates with the color that you’ve chosen for your smoky eye, you can substitute black.
6
Highlight your brow bone and inner corner. To keep your smoky eye from looking too dark, it’s important to use a light shadow to highlight your brown bone and inner corner. Sweep a light shade, such as ivory, cream, beige, or tan, beneath your brow with a small, fluffy brush, blending it into the transition. Use a small detail brush to dab a small amount of the same shadow to the inner corner around the tear duct.^{[10]
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- You can use a matte or shimmery shadow to highlight your brow bone and inner corner. However, with a smoky eye, it’s especially flattering to use a shimmery shade for the inner corner because it will reflect the light so your eyes appear brighter.
7
Coat your lashes with mascara. With dark shadow on your eyes, it’s easy for your lashes to get lost. Finish off your look with one to three coats of your favorite mascara to help them stand out against the colorful smoky shadow.^{[11]
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- To really open up your eyes with smoky shadow, it’s a good idea to use an eyelash curler to curl your lashes before you apply the mascara. You can even heat your lash curler with your blow dryer to get a more dramatic, longer-lasting curl. Just be sure to test the temperature on your wrist first so you don't burn yourself.^{[12]
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  Expert Source
  
  Stephanie Navarro
  Professional Makeup Artist
  Expert Interview. 10 June 2020.}
- Make sure to apply some mascara to your lower lashes too. They’ll have trouble standing out against the dark liner that you’ve smudged there.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Creating a Colorful Halo Smoky Eye

1
Smooth on an eyeshadow primer. To keep your colorful smoky shadows in place all day, you must start with an eyeshadow primer. Dab a small amount of primer onto each eyelid, and blend it up through the crease.^{[13]
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- Make sure to apply an equal amount of primer along your lower lash line as well, so the colors that you apply there will stay in place.
2
Blend a neutral transition shadow through the crease. Just as with a classic smoky eye, you want to apply a transition shade to the crease to make it easier to blend the colors out. However, because you want all the attention on the colors on your lid, choose a light neutral shadow that’s only a shade or two darker than your skin tone. Sweep it through the crease with a fluffy crease brush.^{[14]
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- Make sure to blend the transition shade well after you apply it so it has a soft look.
3
Apply a mid-tone colorful shadow to the inner and outer corners. With your transition shade in place, use a small fluffy shadow brush to apply a mid-tone shadow in the color family that you’ve chosen to the inner third and the outer third of your lid. Blend the shadow slightly into the crease above the respective areas.^{[15]
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- Be sure to leave the center of your lid and crease free of eyeshadow.
4
Darken the inner and outer corners with black shadow. With a small, tapered blending brush, apply a small amount of black shadow over the colored shadow in the inner and outer corners of your lid and crease. You shouldn’t cover the colorful shadow completely; concentrate the black in outer edges of both areas.^{[16]
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- You don’t necessarily have to use black shadow for darkening up your eyes. Instead, use a dark shadow from the same color family as the colored shadow you’ve used. For example, if you’ve used a royal blue in the inner and outer corners, darken them up with a navy blue shadow.
5
Press a light colored shadow to the center of the lid. After you’ve darkened up the inner and outer corners, use a flat shadow brush to apply light shade from your chosen color family to the center of the lid. A shimmery or metallic shadow is the best option because it will stand out even more.^{[17]
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- If you want to be sure that the lighter shadow really stands out, you can dab a small amount of a white cream shadow over the center of your lid before applying the shadow.
- Use a small fluffy brush to blend the lines between the dark and light colors so the shadow looks soft and smoky.
6
Repeat the steps on your bottom lashline. With the shadow done on your lid, apply shadow to your lower lashline in the same manner. Use a pencil brush to apply the mid tone shade to the inner and outer corners, a darker shadow on just the outermost corners, and the light shade in the middle.^{[18]
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- You can repeat the same process on your waterline, the bit of skin on your lower lid above your lashes, by using a light pencil liner in the center and a dark pencil liner on the outer and inner corners. However, you can also use a dark liner across the entire waterline or skip liner there completely.
7
Highlight the inner corner. To ensure that your eyes look bright even with a dark color on your inner corners, it’s especially important to highlight that area. Use a small detail brush to trace the area around your tear duct with a light, shimmery shadow.^{[19]
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- Depending on how light the shadow you used on the center of your lid is, you may want to use it to highlight the inner corner. Otherwise, use an ivory, cream, beige, or pale gold shadow.
8
Smudge dark liner along your upper lash line. Once your eyeshadow is finished, use a dark eyeliner pencil to line your upper lashline. Smudge the liner with a pencil brush or cotton swab to keep the look smoky.^{[20]
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- You can use a black liner or a dark liner that coordinates with the colorful eyeshadows that you’ve used.
- The liner is an optional step. You can skip it completely if you prefer.
9
Add several coats of mascara to your lashes. To finish off your look, apply two to three coats of your favorite mascara to help your lashes stand out. Brush through your lashes with a lash comb to ensure that they are no clumps.^{[21]
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- If you like, you can also add some false lashes to really make your eyes look fluttery.

Community Q&A

Question

How do you do a smokey eye for beginners?

Stephanie Navarro
Professional Makeup Artist
Stephanie Navarro is a professional makeup artist and hair stylist based in Los Angeles, California. Represented by The Rex Agency, Stephanie's recent work includes grooming for John Legend and makeup and hair for Selma Blair. Her clients include Dermalogica, Virgin Airlines, and Wrangler Jeans. With over 15 years of makeup and styling experience, she holds a cosmetology license from the Marrinello School of Beauty and a makeup certificate from Elegance International.

Stephanie Navarro

Professional Makeup Artist

Expert Answer

To really open up your eyes with smoky shadow, it’s a good idea to use an eyelash curler to curl your lashes before you apply the mascara. You can even heat your lash curler with your blow dryer to get a more dramatic, longer-lasting curl. Just be sure to test the temperature on your wrist first so you don't burn yourself.
Question

How can I make my smokey eye last longer?

Stephanie Navarro
Professional Makeup Artist
Stephanie Navarro is a professional makeup artist and hair stylist based in Los Angeles, California. Represented by The Rex Agency, Stephanie's recent work includes grooming for John Legend and makeup and hair for Selma Blair. Her clients include Dermalogica, Virgin Airlines, and Wrangler Jeans. With over 15 years of makeup and styling experience, she holds a cosmetology license from the Marrinello School of Beauty and a makeup certificate from Elegance International.

Stephanie Navarro

Professional Makeup Artist

Expert Answer

Use a colorful, non-waterproof eyeliner as your eyeshadow base. Start by smudging on the eyeliner where you want it on your lid, then blend it out with an eyeshadow brush or your fingers. Layer on a bit of eyeshadow to set the pencil. This technique is great for a smokey eye because it creates depth and it will last all day.