Black smokey eyes are the classic. Dramatic, bold, confident. At some point every woman imagines herself wearing this look. Yet it seems such a challenge: so we often shy away from it. I know I did, before I mastered it.

Yes, black smokey eyes are demanding and need to be applied well. But they also suit and enhance any eye colour and complexion. And they are incredibly sexy.

There are two secrets to amazing black smokey eyes. Secret One is blending. Secret Two is getting the shape right.

Blending means making the edge of the smokey eye soft and gradual. Learn all about it with my detailed ebook on smokey eyes which has a special chapter about blending. And practice! Some early attempts at blending may end up in smudging the whole shape. Blending is not smudging. Blending requires precision.

Getting the shape right depends on the type of your eye and the style you want. There are smokey eyes that are close to the lashline, there are extended ones that reach out almost to the temple, there are cat-eyed winged ones. And so many more! The universal advice is to keep the shape more intense at the outer lid area and softer in the inner lid area.  

Whatever you do, however, keep two things in mind. Firstly, get the area closest to the lashline as dark as possible. Secondly, make sure that the shape is going up at the outer eye corner (as if heading towards your temple): a droopy smokey eye does not suit anyone.

Essential tools for black smokey eyes are: a soft black eye pencil, a high quality black eyeshadow, a natural eyeshadow with a bit of shimmer and a highlighter. What you do with these tools is you keep the area closest to the eye as dark as possible and the further out you go the less intense the black is.  

How to soften it while still retaining the drama? Many fair-skinned women ask me that question. Try these two approaches. One way to do it is to substitute your black eye pencil with a softer hue - chocolate brown is a good pick. Another way is to entirely skip black eyeshadow. Yes, it is possible to achieve “black-looking” smokey eyes without any black at all! Celebrity makeup artist Molly R. Stern recommends very dark (but not black) eye shadows for your smokey eyes: "These shades give you sexy shadow without being too overbearing or dark." (source: Emily Hebert, "Makeup Tip: Black Eye Shadow", elle.com). Such colours might be more flattering and lower maintenance.

And last but not least: touchups. Carry cotton buds in your cosmetics purse and tidy up specks of eyeshadow and eye pencil throughout the day or night. Yes, black smokey eyes are high maintenance but they are so worth it!