BEAUTY: Matte Black Eyes

Last Saturday night, John and I went out dancing with some friends. When I go out at night, I like to do dramatic makeup. I was feeling a bit lazy and wanted to hurry, so we could have a quick dinner before dancing. I chose to do a very simple matte black smokey eye. I normally do a gradient of silver (inner) to black (outer) for a smokey eye. This time, I wanted something simpler, which is also more dramatic. I decided to make my whole lid matte black using Urban Decay's Primer Potion in Original, a NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean (great sticky base for black eyeshadow) and Sugarpill's Bulletproof (black) eyeshadow, blended up above the crease and making sure I got it into my upper lash line. I also used this combo, applied with a small brush, under my eyes along my lash line. I used dark grey to soften that black edge into my skin color. I used a matte skin color eyeshadow under my brow bone into the grey. To make the makeup more dramatic, I used the dark grey to contour my cheek hollows, temples, and nose. I'll write a different post about playing with contouring in an artistic way. I kept the rest of my makeup normal (well for me). I used black liquid eyeliner along my top lash line, and mascara on my lashes. Before I did the contouring, I applied my foundation, concealer and powder. I used a shimmery champagne eyeshadow for my cheek bone highlight. My husband took this photo of me while at dinner. It's not a very clear one, so I decided to find better examples of this eye makeup, and share some great tutorials on how to accomplish it.

INSPIRATION

While looking for examples of black matte eyeshadow looks, I stumbled across backstage beauty photos from the Chanel Pre-Fall 2012 show. The show was held in Paris with a Bombay, India theme. The best photos of the models with this black matte eyeshadow are from The Coveteur.

The best video I could find showing how to do this makeup look was done is this one. If you pay close attention, you see the makeup artists using a black creme eyeliner or eyeshadow base (likely an eyeliner) and black eyeshadow. However, if you need something step by step, check out the makeup tutorials below. This style makeup is a take on the classic smokey eye.

TUTORIALS

Christine of Temptalia shows how do create a Black Smokey Eye.

Cynthia Z of Indian Vanity Case did this soft Black Smokey Eye.

Cora of Vintage or Tacky shows how to create a Black Glitter Almond Eye. This is a great sharp black eye. For a matte black, skip the glitter part.

Nicole MUA shows how to make a Black Smokey Eye, suitable for a Playboy model. Her eye makeup is very similar to how mine looked.

Julia of MissChievous created an Androgynous Dark Eyes Makeup. This is the most dramatic version. It's something I'll likely do in the future. You can use a black base instead of the blue for a darker black.

Black eye makeup is fairly standard for gothic makeup. However, since it's a very basic look (for this subculture), I tend to play around with blending in metallics and adding glitters. For any eye makeup look, I want it to last for many hours. I use a primer, sticky base that matches my eyeshadow, and various eyeshadows. The best black eyeshadow I've found is Sugarpill's Bulletproof. There are various black sticky bases available. I typically use a NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean. ELF's Eyeliner Crayon in Pitch Black, L.A.Colors Jumbo Pencil in Sunglasses, MAC's Paint Pot in Blackground, MAC's Fluidline in Blacktrack, and Maybelline's Color Tattoo in Audacious Asphalt are all great bases for black eyeshadow. There are some other ones too, but I can't think of them currently. I saw a few other brands with similar products on my last trip to ULTA. Since I use a primer before any other eye product, and use a small makeup brush to help smooth out my eyeshadow bases, I haven't had problems with creasing. A little goes a long way. Which ever products you use, makeup should be fun. Enjoy it!