Smoke, Smoke, Smoke: Three Smoky-Eye Looks from Marcelle + Enter to Win!

‘Tis the season of the smoky eye, almost everyone’s choice for dramatic makeup. Many think it’s hard to do, but in fact it can be a really easy application. As well, there are many versions of a smoky eye, so you can choose one that works for you.

One of the current on-counter offerings from Marcelle is a great example of smoky-eye variations. They’ve given each look a name: Urban Chic, Classic Elegant and Ultra Glam. Details are on the Canadian company’s website, including product specifics, but here’s a simplified breakdown of smoky-eye moves for each. Plus you can enter to win the Marcelle cosmetics for your favourite of these three looks.

Urban Chic: calls for an eye shadow duo, a shimmery highlight single shadow, a black khol pencil, an optional amythest pencil, and black mascara. Note: these colours will look great with green, hazel, grey or brown eyes, too.

• Using Marcelle’s Wet/Dry Eye Shadow Duo in Chic Plum, apply the lighter colour all over the lid, stopping just short of the brow bones. Sweep the same shade along the lower lashlines as well.
• Starting from the outer corner of your upper lid, blend the darker colour along the upper lashlines, as well as along the lower lashes.
• Dab a bit of light, shimmery champagne eye shadow in the inner corners of eyes; use the same shade to highlight just under brows.
• Use a black khol liner to rim the upper and lower inner rims generously; squeeze eyes shut for a few seconds, then gently smudge along your lashlines just a little. Stop there if you like, or to add more depth, line upper and lower lids with the amythest liner and smudge.
• Curl lashes and finish with black mascara.

Classic Elegant: a little more involved because it calls for four eye shadow shades — a cream, golden-bronze, soft green and olive quad combo. (You can make things easier by using just two: the golden bronze all over the lid and long lower lashes, and the olive shade along lashlines.) Note: this palette would look groovy on amber eyes, as well as blue, hazel or green.

• Start by lining your inner upper and lower rims with black khol liner.
• Apply the golden bronze all over the lid, stopping just short of the brow bones, and along lower lashlines.
• Optional: press the pale green shadow over the middle of the lids.
• On the outer vees of the upper lids, apply the darkest quad shade, the olive colour, and blend along the lashes three-quarters in toward the inner corners of eyes. Stroke the same olive shade along the lower lashlines, three quarters of the way in.
• Curl lashes and finish with mascara on top and bottom lashes.

Ultra Glam: the most involved look of the three, this one also calls for four shadow shades, specifically the Marcelle quad in Blue Moon (white, sliver, medium blue, dark blue), and using the darkest shade with a little water. As well it calls for a liquid liner, which of course you can skip if you want to simplify. Note: yes, you can wear this lotta-blue look if you have blue eyes — the black liner will make your eyes stand out. Clearly it’s a good choice for grey eyes; also for brown.

• Sweep entire lid with white shadow; dab a bit into inner corners of the eyes too.
• Press the silver shade over the centre of the lids and up into the crease; run the same colour along the lower lashlines.
• Blend the medium blue on outer corners of the lids, up into the crease and out to extend the shape of the eyes.
• Dampen your shadow brush with a little water before dipping into the dark blue shadow; line upper and lower lashlines. Intensify the outer corners of the lids with the same shade.
• Line upper and lower inner rims with black khol liner. Optional: to up the glam factor, trace along upper lashlines with a black liquid-liner pen.
• Curl lashes and finish with black mascara.

So which look do you wanna try? Send an e.mail to imabeautygeek@gmail.com with MARCELLE in the subject line and your name, age, address and phone number in the body. Please include the name of the look you prefer as well. A winner will be randomly selected after Saturday November 21st.

For the rest of the makeup instructions, and how-to photos, visit Marcelle.com.

Marcelle cosmetics are available at drugstores. Images of Christine Doyon, Lorca Moore and Marie-Ève Nadeau courtesy of Marcelle.

Tagged as: beauty how-to, Enter to win, makeup how-to, Marcelle, smoky eye