In the pursuit of beauty, women want many things - the perfect figure, pouty lips, sculpted cheekbones, and smoldering eyes.  While all this can be obtained by various means, the easiest and most cost effective thing on this list is the smoky eyes.  With a few shades of shadow and a steady hand, every woman can have those unforgettable, dark, starlet, forget-me-not, come-hither eyes. 

There are several variations of the smoky eye, so let’s first look at the basics and then how we can add even more drama.

Step one: select your color.  If you have good lids and evenly spaced eyes, this step is easy for you as you can apply one color over your entire lid.  If your skin tone is olive or dark, you can get away with a black shadow.  If you have lighter skin, you may want to try a plum or deep brown.  Play around with different dark shades until you find one that suits you.  If you normally use the base, highlight, and contour method to give your eyes the appearance of being wider set, closer, etc, buy a dark trio in complementing shades (i.e. dusk/tan/brown or black/gray/mist).  Steer clear of peach, coral or pink with a dark shadows to avoid the “bruise” effect. 

Step two: apply the color to the lid.  If using a makeup brush, make sure it is angled properly and of a good quality.  A brush will give you a nice application, but precision is difficult for a makeup novice.  Using your finger is also acceptable and the skin to skin contact blends the makeup in nicely, but it can be difficult to get the corners of eyes properly.  An eye shadow applicator (like the ones that come with most shadows) is easy and effective.  Give it a light blow to remove excess shadow before applying to avoid color “raining” down on your cheeks.

Step three: liner.  Use black eyeliner to softly trace your top lid as close to the lash line as possible.  If you are not using a black shadow on the lids, you can use a black shadow on the very tip of the applicator to make a nice, soft line.  This effect is much less harsh than a liner and more comfortable for those with sensitive skin.

Step four: mascara:  I cannot stress the importance of this step!  Like a good pair of shoes finishes off an outfit, mascara finishes off the smoky eye.  Black works best but if you have very fair skin or light hair, dark brown looks more natural.  Even if you have long lashes, a coat of mascara is necessary for maximum impact.

Voila!  You now have a basic smoky eye! Now, here are some variations. 

Lately, we are seeing the smoky eye done with metallic.  It is a bold but very flattering look.  Use a gold or silver eye shadow and think shimmer, not glitter.  Glitter is for teens, shimmer is for the sophisticated lady!  Line upper lid with black liner or black shadow and complete with mascara. 

Lining your bottom lid is optional.  The look is a bit more punk; like Taylor Momsen or Avril Lavigne.

Cat eyes come and go but when paired with a smoky eye, the effect is 110% drama!  This is a very hot look and more suited to the ballroom than the boardroom.  While a Cleopatra eye is not in vogue right now, there is nothing wrong with a gently upward tick at the outward corner of your eye if you want maximum appeal.  Use liner for this and not shadow.  This requires practice as you need to draw two identical lines – one on each eye.  If your upward ticks do not match your eyes will look asymmetrical.  A quick fix is to “erase” or pare down the ticks with a Q-tip or swab dipped in a bit of makeup remover. 

False eyelashes can be used to replace mascara.  This is not for the faint of heart!  False lashes require patience and it is a good idea to practice applying them a few times before you wear them out of the house.  Like the cat’s eye, the false lashes add a whole other element of sultry, shouldering appeal. 

Finish off your smoky eyes by keeping the rest of your face neutral.  In some cases, you can pair a red lipstick with smoky eyes, but the effect can look overdone and aging.  It is best to skip the blush and use a neutral, matte lipstick and let your eyes do all the talking.  Also, beware of your accessories and how you wear your hair.  Skip the complicated updo and opt for something sleek.  When you do a smoky eye, the eyes are the accessories, so don’t over do it!