Want to pull off a sexy, date night look for Valentine’s Day? I’ll show you how to get smoky, bedroom appropriate eyes that’ll make your boy putty in your hands.
This look is a twist on an old classic—we’re going to do a smoky eye with browns and golds instead of the normal blacks and grays.
Start by curling your lashes. Lash curlers really are a girl’s best friends when you’re in a pinch for time and want to pump up the drama. They look big and scary, but are super easy to use and lightly pinching the lashes in the curler at the lash line, in the middle of your lashes and right at the ends will open your eyes and intensify the length of the lashes.
Tip: Heat up your curler a little with your blow dryer (NOT too much!!) before you curl your lashes for a little extra curling help.
Next, apply an eyeshadow primer. I like Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion – $18. Swipe on just a bit of the sheer, matte formula and blend over your entire eyelid, up to your brow bone.
Lightly sweep on a light pink/white shadow over the entire lid area to create a base for the rest of the look. I like Smashbox’s Vanilla – $16, but you can use any light, matte neutral you’d like.
Next, find a slightly shimmery gold color to apply on your lower lid, area between your lash line and the crease of your eye. I’m in love with Urban Decay’s X – $17. It’s a mix between pale gold and rose and adds just the right amount of shimmer and shine.
Now you’ll want to outline the crease of your eye with a deeper brown shade. Make sure the color and brand you choose isn’t too heavy and has only a hint of shimmer to it, if any. I’ve been using Urban Decay’s Twice Baked – $17 a lot lately for both smoky looks and as a liner. Use a slightly pointed soft brush for this and lightly draw the brush right over the crease and into the lash line, being careful not to press too hard. You’re looking to create a sort of sideways V of color. When you’re done, blend the gold and the brown together slightly with a large, soft eyeshadow brush, creating a cohesive look and taking away and rigid lines.
For liner, you can either use black or a deep brown or purple. While ever so lightly tugging on the outer corner of your eyelid, draw small dashed lines of liner across your lash line. Drawing dashes will make it easier to get a straight line and will make it easier when it comes time to smudge the line. I use bareMinerals Big & Bright Eyeliner – $14 everyday. I love their liner because on the opposite end of the color, you also get a small sponge tip that allows you to go over your dashes liner lines, smudging the color together and creating a perfect smoky line.
Once your liner is in place, go back over it with the same brown color you used for your crease. Use an angled liner brush, like bareMinerals Soft Focus Liner Brush -$22, for this. Draw right over the liner, extending slightly beyond your eyelid to create a little winged effect. Think cat eyes.
Next, you’ll apply a pearlescent shadow to create a soft highlight effect. I’m obsessed with Bare Escentuals Garland, available in their All-Wrapped-Up Collection – $34. Tap on a bit of this almost-sheer color right below your brow line and in the inside corner of your eye. I like to used my ring finger for this, just so it doesn’t look too drawn on, and then I blend into the rest of the look with a fluffy shadow brush like Sephora’s Blending Eye Brush – $15.
For mascara, go with something dark and dramatic. For a cheap lash-look, choose Mabelline’s Falsies in Blackest Black – $6.99. Lightly wiggle the brush from the lash line all the way to the ends of your eyelashes. Do the same to the tops of your lashes as well. For a little extra drama, add and extra coat to the last centimeter or so of your lashes to help fake that winged effect you went for with the liner.
Give yourself a little glow with a rosy bronzer like Benefit’s Dallas – $28. Sweep a hint of color right below your cheekbones, over your forehead, down your nose and under your chin. This will not only give you a soft glow, but it will contour your face a bit, giving the illusion you’ve dropped a couple pounds.
Try Nar’s Blush in Orgasm- $27 for a slightly shimmer, just kissed radiance right on the apple of your cheeks. Blend both the bronzer and blush with a big fluffy face brush.
Top off the whole thing with a neutral lip color. I’m not a big lipstick person, but Benefit’s Silky Finish Lipstick in Skinny Dip – $18 is amazing. Not too much color and just enough gloss that it won’t dry your lips out. Love it.
There you go! I know it seems like a lot, but give yourself about 15 minutes to perfect the look and you’ll have him looking into your eyes all night.
Happy Valentine’s Day!