Sarah’s top tips for creating stunning smokey party eyes
Sexy, smokey party eyes are the statement make-up of the season. Here, Sarah Rumsey, the founder and owner of The Peacock Rooms in London Road, Sevenoaks, outlines her top six tips for creating a stunning look that will last all night long
1. Prime your eye: No one loves a smokey eye that is smeared and travelling down your face, so making sure that your eye is well primed is key. There are many primers on the market and choosing one can be overwhelming. So do as I do and prime your eye with your foundation, set with a little finely milled powder and follow this with a skin coloured eyeshadow, from eyelash root to brow, so that your mobile eyelid is matt.
2. Conceal under the eye: Nothing ruins the sexiness of the smokey eye more than dark circles (you can end up looking bruised). When creating a smokey eye, try to do the eye look before applying your foundation/base. This way, following the completion of your eye make up you can clean under your eyes with a cleanser or moisturiser, in case of ‘the dreaded eyeshadow fall out’. Your concealer needs to be creamy not liquid, so it doesn’t crease too easily. I prefer to mix it with a little of the foundation I’ve chosen, so it blends beautifully. Pro tip: apply a tiny amount of fine powder to the under eye after your concealer
3. The smoke: Apply the dark eyeshadow shade from your eyelash roots to your crease and using a smaller angled brush, along the lower lid near to your lashes. Using a new clean soft brush, blend along the eye crease using a windscreen wiper movement, to remove any harsh lines. Pro tip: your dark shade does not need to be black. In fact, dark plum, navy, green and red can be striking. I would definitely recommend buying an eyeshadow palette that has three or four colours that work well together. As most of you may realise already, I am a Charlotte Tilbury pro artist and I love her four colour palettes, as you can work through the colours, lightest to darkest and it helps to take away the pressure of deciding on the next shade.
4. Bring on the liner: When you are happy with your colour, use a soft, creamy eyeliner pencil or a darker eyeshadow shade to line your eye, as close to the eyelash roots as possible, making sure, no skin is visible between the lashes and the liner. For an extra smoulder, you can gently pull down your lower lid with your finger and line your lower waterlines.
5. Highlight: To lighten your eye slightly amidst all the dark, smokey shade, use a creamy shimmery highlighter under your brow bone and on the ‘V’of the inside of your eye. Remember to blend, blend, blend. Pro tip: Add a tiny amount of eco glitter to the centre of your mobile eyelid, to really make your eyes pop!
6. Big lashes!: No smokey eye is complete without long sexy lashes. Use a eyelash curler to curl your lashes from the root and follow up with a black, good quality mascara. I prefer to apply mascara in fine layers, using a zig zag movement across the lashes, allowing it to dry in between, so as to not cause a ‘cloggy’ lash effect. My favourite mascara at the moment is Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes
Sarah Rumsey, the founder and director of The Peacock Rooms in Sevenoaks, is an experienced make up artist and hair designer for bridal. She is a ‘Charlotte Tilbury Pro Artist’ and also a fully trained barber. Her work can be found in publications such as Vogue Italia, Kent Bride, Rock My Wedding, Whimsical Wonderland weddings and Brides.
