Sultry Smokey Eyes | Hollie Sparrow

 Hello Hello Hello!

Today’s post features the lovely Hollie Sparrow again, these pictures are from the second day of our shoot, we went for a heavy smokey eye and natural contouring, finishing with a classic nude lip. So many of you loved this via my Instagram so I thought I would write a post on it.

How amazing are her eyes by the way? 

 So all I used was my favourite paint pot from MAC Cosmetics called Constructivist, I would describe the shade as a golden brown with a hint of red shimmer. It truly is a great colour and I always go to this when I want to create a quick but dramatic smokey eye. 

With a flat dense eyeshadow brush I applied a small amount of this cream eyeshadow to the centre of the eye lids. I kept packing on as much colour as I could get away with. With a MAC 217 blending brush I then blended this shadow backwards and forwards along the crease. I kept on blending until the finish above the crease was really soft. The key to a good smokey eye is the blending. You do not want to end up with harsh brown lines, it just isn’t a great look. 

The great thing about Constructivist when you blend it, the reddy earthy tone really comes through so you end up looking like you have used two eyeshadows, when really you have just blended it out. After blending I went back in with the flat eyeshadow brush and applied a little more of the paint pot to add more depth.

I must note, I never used an eye primer. The paint pots pretty much act as a primer as well as a cream eyeshadow so you can safely apply these to a naked base without worrying about creasing.

I then added one of my M.A.C loose pigments to the inner eye in a silvery shade – it didn’t have a name on it, but you can see the kind of colour I used. Any old shimmery highlighter would do the trick. I lined the inside of the eyes with my MUA Cosmetics Jet Black Liner and then applied some Cheryl Eylure lashes. Over the top of the lashes I applied my trusty Maybelline Eye Drama gel liner with an angled liner brush from Illamasqua. Hollie’s eyes are quite cat like so I added a feline flick too. 

When trying this look yourself do not be shy with the eyeliner. Start close to the lash line and make sure you really get into the lashes. Create a thin version of the shape you want to create and slowly build it up. If you make a mess don’t panic, just use a cotton bud/ q tip with some moisturiser on to erase any mistakes and go back and fill in your eyeshadow if need be. Practice makes perfect.

For heavy eye looks I always recommend doing your eye make-up first and then doing your base. This way you do not make a mess of your foundation. 

Just in case you are wondering what I used for her base, lips and eyebrows here is a run down:

Eyebrows:

M.A.C Brow Pencil in Lingering

Crownbrush UK Brow Palette

Illamasqua Brow brush

Lips:

M.A.C Lip liner in Subculture

Kiko Cosmetics Nude Lipstick

M.A.C Clear Gloss

Base:

Arbonne Make-up Primer (review coming soon!) 

Illasmaqua Skin Base in 06 (used for concealing as well)

Illamasqua Translucent Setting Powder

Illamasqua Zygomatic Cream Blusher

Sunkissed Large Bronzer

M.A.C Cream Colour Base in Shell

Brushes 

Crownbrush UK Infinity Collection

Ilamasqua

M.A.C

Shu Uemura

I hope you enjoyed this post!!! 

See you soon,