I love all those looks Marlena and some of the members have posted here of gorgeous smoky eyes in different colors, but when I try them on me, it never seems to look soft and appealing.
I think my eyeshadow application techniques are pretty good, but on my fair skin/ashen complexion (that easily seems ‘washed out’) anything other than a soft neutral shade just appears so harsh on me! :s
Any tips? FYI, my eyes are a soft green and my hair is ash light brown.
Thanks!
I think it takes more effort on pale skin to get the softness of blended or smoky looks. As in, you really need to use other shadows (often two or even three) to blend out the colours and get that really soft smoky gradient look to the edges, if that’s in fact what you’re referring to.
what type of brush(s) do you use for blending?
i’m sorry, as is a 224 crease brush, or a 217? those work great for blending.
I use the MUG large crease brush, not sure about the number. I think the problem is more that the colors look harsh on me, even when using lighter, softer colors. It’s like my eyeshadow walks in the room first, then the rest of my face 
I think I’ll just have to keep practicing with lighter colors and accept that a dark smokey eye is not for me. Thanks for the advice guys!
find a color very close to your skin type, apply that with your crease brush take the color to the dark colors you want blended and blend it with the shade that’s as your skin tone. that usually helps me out when i have a smokey issue. lol. i really hope that works. because i believe anyone can do a smokey eye! =D have hope! and practice those brush skills!
To elaborate on what I said above, instead of just using the skin colour to blend edges I’ll get a secondary colour to blend with first, then use the skin colour. I find this helps to get a much softer looking edge.
But if the issue is simply hat you don’t like the look of dark colours on your skin, then that’s different. You could simply build up intensity of colours over time, to ease yourself into wearing something more bold.
Anonymous
I have this same problem, as I am also very fair skinned. Like Aro mentioned, it helps to have one or two transition colors…I usually reach for MAC “Wedge” to blend all over the crease and Stila “Chinois” from the crease to the brow bone.
Also, I don’t know what particular looks you are trying out, but if you like lining your lower lash line with the same dark shadows you use on your lid, I think I know what the problem is here. I know EXACTLY what you mean when you say you feel like your eye make up is too noticeable (when you don’t intend it that way). Marlena in particular likes to bring down darker shadows on her lid down to her lower lash line, and while it looks so natural on her, it makes us fair gals look somewhat gaudy. To emulate the effect it has on her, I recommend you line with MAC “Coquette”. On darker girls, it would probably blend right into their skin, but for us it adds some nice definition without making your make up scream at everyone.
Hope this helps!
I mean using an additional colour to just a skin tone shade and highlight. Something that gives a bit more of a transition between the colour and skin tone shade. As an example, one of my fav looks is to do a smoky plum along the lash line with a nude lid. I’ll apply a nude shade over the lid, smudge the plum shade into the lash line and wing it out, then take a plum tone brown a couple of shades lighter than the plum and use that to blend out the edge, then use the skin tone shade to blend over that and out. It provides a much softer edge than using a skin tone shade alone.
Aro 1 year, 2 months ago.
