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A Glamorously Grungy Makeup Tutorial: Smoky Reddish Brown Eyes and Vampy Matte Lips [MODERATE SKILL LEVEL]

February 7th, 2018 by Karen 22 Comments

reddish brown smoky eye tutorial top pic 1

I’m warning you now — ONLY wear this makeup when you want to feel like a total bad-@ss capable of capturing, and then breaking, all of the hearts šŸ’” in a room within the span of 5 minutes.

This beauty buddy movie pairs two bold focal points together — a messy reddish brown smoky eye and a crisp blackened red matte lip — to create a jammin’ juxtaposition of grungy and glam, and you know I’m all about the contrasts in makeup. šŸ™‚

To keep the overall look approachable and well out of Insta-glam territory, I paired the eyes and lips with moderately matte skin (there’s a semblance of a sheen), casual, messy brows and a warm bronzed mauve cheek.

red brown smoky eye tutorial top pic 2

red brown smoky eye tutorial top pic 3

Are you ready to rock? šŸŽøšŸ¤˜šŸ˜„

What you’ll need

Le breakdown…

FACE PRODUCTS

  • Face Primer with pearly sheen (BECCCA Backlight)
  • Medium coverage liquid matte foundation (NARS Natural Longwear Radient Foundation in Stromboli and Valencia)
  • Concealer for your under eye area, if you want (MAC Matchmaster Concealer in 4)
  • Face Powder (MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Golden Tan)
  • Warm pinkish mauve powder blush (MAC Extra Dimension in Faux Sure!)
  • Peachy tan bronzer (MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Give Me Sun)
  • Matte blackened red lipstick (MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipstick in Carnivorous)
  • Reddish brown lip liner (MAC Mahogany)

EYE MAKEUP

  • Brow gel, either clear or a color that matches your brows (Hourglass Arch Brow Volumizing Gel in Warm Brown)
  • Two powder eyeshadows: a warm reddish brown powder eyeshadow (MAC Swiss Chocolate) and a glittery bronzy peach (MAC Honey Lust)
  • A warm reddish brown eyeliner, ideally something creamy which you can buff out and blend (MAC Costa Riche)
  • Mascara (Benefit BAD Gal Bang!)

TOOLS

  • Smudge brush (MAC 219S)
  • Fluffy angled eyeshadow brush (MAC 275S)
  • Blush brush (MAC 127S)
  • Flat eyeshadow brush (or, you can just use a finger)
  • Something to blend your foundation (BeautyBlender)

red brown smoky eye tutorial products

1. Face (primer) first

Because the smoky eye is a focus of this look, and we want to do it well, if we start with the eyes before we finish the skin, it’ll be easier to clean up any fallout without ruining our foundation…but because the face primer needs time to dry, we’ll start with that first.

Choose a face primer with a pearly sheen (for peekaboo shimmer that’s just barely visible beneath the liquid matte foundation you’ll be layering on top), and apply it all over your face.

2. Build that (casual) brow!

OK, now, fill in your brows with gel.

So we’re making two big statements with this look. One is the blackened red matte lip, and the smoky reddish brown eyes are the other, so bushy, casual-ish brows balance nicely with that IMO.

3. Line your upper and lower lash and water lines

Use your reddish brown eyeliner for this, and it’s 100% absolutely OK if it’s messy because you’re just going to smudge the heck out of it in a minute anyway.

4. Take a smudge brush to it

Smudge your lower lash line with a smudge brush, and I like to do this early when I’m doing a smoky eye because the corner of where that lower lash liner ends up dictates how far I’ll be taking out the eye makeup (see step 5).

red brown smokey eyes tutorial 1

5. So sketchy

Sketch the shape of the smoky eye on your upper lid using your warm reddish brown eyeliner, and the exact shape you choose is up to you. Whatever feels right.

I have a semi-hooded lid situation, so I usually (but not always) draw a half moon shape on my lids, and when I get to the outer corner, I use the liner I applied on my lower lash line in the previous step as my guide.

Basically, when I’m sketching the shape of the smoky eye on my upper lid, I look at the end of that lower lash line, and I connect it to the corner of the half moon on my upper lid, thereby wrapping the smokey effect around the entire eye for a halo of cohesive color.

LOL. I don’t know why, but I just made myself laugh there. šŸ™‚

red brown smokey eyes tutorial 2

6. Blend the edges of the liner on your upper lid

Blur them with a blending brush, but still try to maintain the shape that you carefully sketched in step 5. You want a gradient that goes from dark at the lash line and lightens as it moves up toward your brow bone.

Any blending brush should do, but I prefer to use small, semi-fluffy angled eyeshadow brushes for this.

I place the short bristles along the edge of the half moon, then gently blend the liner using careful, controlled back-and-forth strokes to keep the liner from going all the way up to my brows.

When you’re done blending, clean the brush’s bristles a bit by gently rubbing the head on a paper towel.

7. Using the same blending brush…

Now load the brush with your matte reddish brown powder eyeshadow, and pat it directly on top of the smudged liner on your lids. Then blend, keeping the light-to-dark gradient.

(This intensifies the smokiness.)

8. The eye is shaping up

Next, load your smudge brush with the matte reddish brown powder eyeshadow, and blend it on top of the liner on your lower lash line.

Note: Don’t forget to connect the outer corner of the lower lash line to the outer corner of the shadow on your upper lash line to envelop the entire eye in smoky goodness.

9. More sophisticated smoke

Now load a flat eyeshadow brush (or a fingertip) with the glittery bronzed peach eyeshadow, and pat it gently on the inner half of your lids. You can then either blend the edges with your blending brush, or leave the shadow to settle on its own.

I do it both ways sometimes, and either way works!

(If you use the blending brush, when you’re finished with it, clean the bristles on a paper towel one last time, because you’ll need it for the next step.)

red brown smokey eyes tutorial 3

10. Finishing the eye

Finally, load your blending brush with face powder (yup, face powder!), and run it along the edge of the eyeshadow on both your upper and lower lash lines. This step helps your smoky gradient look smoother. It also gives you a chance to correct any areas where you may have taken your shadow too high or too far out.

11. Coat your upper and lower lashes with mascara

Of course. šŸ™‚

12. Cleanup time!

OK, we’re almost there. Next, remove any fallout under your eyes and on your cheeks, and for this eye makeup, by the way, I would budget 10-15 minutes, although I have done this exact look in 5 minutes, and it’s totally doable if you work quickly and diligently, and you accept that it’s going to be a little messy.

Lots of ā€œandsā€ there, LOL.

Expect the other half of your time to be spent on the blackened red lips and your face makeup. If you work briskly, anticipate 15 minutes — 5 for the lips and 5-10 for the rest of your face.

On that note, let’s get crackin’.

13. Apply and blend your medium-coverage liquid foundation

I dot it wherever I want some extra coverage (normally my cheeks, forehead, nose and around my mouth). Then, blend with a damp beautyblender.

14. Under-eye concealer

You know how it goes…

15. Face powder on your cheeks

I load one side of a blush brush with face powder for this.

When I’m wearing a medium-coverage foundation, I usually skip face powder and rely on the foundation to do the heavy lifting; however, with this look, I like to dust a smidgen of powder on my cheeks to help the blush/bronzer look smoother.

red brown smokey eyes tutorial 4

16. Lovely lips

Leave your face makeup ā€œas isā€ for a second, and let’s momentarily move onto your lips.

Apply a thin layer of blackened red lipstick to the center of your lips, then use a finger to feather it out as close as you can get to the edge of your lips.

A little back story on why I do lips before blush…

I just feel like, once I have my lipstick on, it’s easier to gauge how much blush or bronzer to apply to my cheeks…because when I do my bronzer or blush first, I always end up with too much color on my face, and then have to spend extra time buffing it down.

And it’s always, ALWAYS easier to add color than take it away.

17. Line your lips

Line around the edge of your lips with the matte brown pencil liner.

18. Perfecting the pout

Now apply another layer of liquid lipstick, and if your edges end up a little wonky after you’re done with this step, correct them with the lip liner.

red brown smokey eyes tutorial 5

19. Gettin’ cheeky

It’s time to return to the cheeks, so load the same side of the blush brush you used to apply face powder earlier with warm pinkish mauve powder blush, then pat that on the apples of your cheeks.

(Using the side of the brush that was already ā€œpre-loadedā€ with face powder slightly dilutes the blush, which will make it easier to feather the edges.)

red brown smokey eyes tutorial 6

20. Bronze meh

Flip that same blush brush, and load the other side of the brush head with bronzer.

Blend out the blush with the bronzer, and, if you want, take the bronzer along the edge of your hairline, your jaw and down to your neck.

(I also like to lightly dust across my nose.)

21. FINISHED!

Smize for the camera! šŸ™‚ You’re done.

red brown smokey eyes tutorial final 2

red brown smokey eyes tutorial final 1

red brown smokey eyes tutorial final 3

Note: Slick high pony and leather jacket are optional (but highly encouraged).

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Glamorously Grungy Makeup Tutorial: Smoky Reddish Brown Eyes and Vampy Matte Lips [MODERATE SKILL LEVEL] / Originally published February 7th, 2018

Categories: Becca, Benefit, Eyes, Hourglass, Lips, MAC Makeup, Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To, NARS, Top Posts

The products in this entry were provided by the manufacturer for consideration. For information about my posting policy, please see my Disclaimer.

Previous Post: 14 Days of Ravishing Red! — Day 6: Bright Reddish Coral Lips With MAC Relentlessly Red Lipstick
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Genesis Cal says

    February 7th, 2018 at 9:41 am

    Beautiful step by step tutorial. I forget that eyeliners can be used as a base. The blush is very lovely as well.

    Reply
  2. Bebe says

    February 7th, 2018 at 10:07 am

    Gorgeous makeup šŸ’„Karen , you look amazing and thank you for a to the point tutorial
    Xoxoxo

    Reply
  3. Icequeen81 says

    February 7th, 2018 at 10:40 am

    Looks amazing, lover the hair and make up and clothes perfect combo

    Reply
  4. Vanessa says

    February 7th, 2018 at 11:06 am

    I love this look – thanks so much for the tutorial. I never thought to use Swiss Chocolate and Honey Lust together. This look is simple but looks so complex.

    Reply
  5. Ruchita says

    February 7th, 2018 at 11:16 am

    I love this look. Especially the lip color! Thanks for the detailed tutorial. That’s very helpful.

    Reply
  6. Lily says

    February 7th, 2018 at 11:29 am

    Gorgeous!

    Reply
  7. Sissi says

    February 7th, 2018 at 12:56 pm

    Really love this look on you Karen! And the ponytail suits you also so well! šŸ’‹
    Sissi recently posted … Eliminating wrinkles with skincare based on your DNA! #lifeDNA

    Reply
  8. Diana says

    February 7th, 2018 at 1:44 pm

    I have a “semi-hooded lid situation” too& just ordered Benefit bad gal mascara yesterday on a whim. I rarely use mascara, just primer, so I’m going to try this tutorial thanks for doing this! You look so stunning in this Karen…

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 8th, 2018 at 7:18 am

      Hi Diana,

      Hooded lids/semi-hooded lids can be kinda challenging when it comes to eye makeup, right? It took me a long time to figure out what works for me. The half-moon placement was a revelation! It certainly makes everything easier, especially when you can readily control it like you can with a pencil.

      Please let me know how the look goes, and if there’s anything about it at all I can help you with, let me know!

      Reply
  9. Crystie says

    February 7th, 2018 at 1:45 pm

    What a gorgeous look! Thank you for the tutorial, I definitely want to attempt this look soon. My favorite is the lip color, stunning!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 8th, 2018 at 7:16 am

      Hi Crystie,

      It’s very nice to meet you! I’m glad you enjoyed this tutorial. Please give it a go and send me a pic or tag me on social media. I want to see how it looks on you.

      Have a wonderful Thursday. šŸ™‚

      Reply
  10. Michelle says

    February 7th, 2018 at 2:30 pm

    Seriously love this!! Thanks so much for sharing with us all!! šŸ’“

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 8th, 2018 at 7:14 am

      Hi Michelle,

      You’re welcome! Please give the look a try and send me a pic or tag me on social media. I would love to see it on you.

      Reply
  11. LindaLibraLoca says

    February 8th, 2018 at 4:57 am

    Really a heartbreaking rock“n“roll look, Karen! The way you do the eyes is interesting, I“ll see if I can recreate it.
    LindaLibraLoca recently posted … Taking out the trash 16 – Empties February 2018

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 8th, 2018 at 7:07 am

      I hope you give it a try! Let me know how it goes. šŸ™‚

      Reply
  12. Chelsea says

    February 8th, 2018 at 2:50 pm

    Costa riche is so pretty! Love the eyes and lips of this look.

    Reply
  13. Karen says

    February 9th, 2018 at 12:12 pm

    Ooooh Mama this look is on šŸ”„!!! I’m gonna have to pick up that liquid lipstick. šŸ˜šŸ˜šŸ˜

    Reply
  14. Rachel Runyan says

    February 9th, 2018 at 7:52 pm

    I absolutely love this on you! Great badass look.
    Rachel Runyan recently posted … Valentine’s Bath and Beauty Gifts for Your Beloved

    Reply
  15. Lorraine says

    February 12th, 2018 at 10:00 am

    breathtaking look on you!!! I am loving this tutorial format. More of these, pls. I can follow this much better than you tube videos. can’t wait to try my hand

    Reply
  16. Melissa says

    February 28th, 2018 at 2:34 am

    As always, another great post! What a beautiful look on you!

    Reply
  17. Ashley says

    February 28th, 2018 at 10:14 am

    This is so great! The glowy skin, the matte lip, the sparkly eye… all so wonderful.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 28th, 2018 at 1:18 pm

      Thanks, Ashley! I’m so glad you enjoyed the tutorial.

      Reply

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About Makeup and Beauty Blog

Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog
Hi there! I’m Karen, your friendly neighborhood beauty addict, and I’m a Bay Area girl who hoards brown eyeshadow and covets coral lipstick. Every morning, I wake up and say, “I’m going to do something other than a smoky eye today.” Then…I end up doing a smoky eye anyway (most days). When I’m not putting on makeup, taking pictures of makeup or writing about makeup, you’ll find me hanging out with my hubby (“El Hub”), my two-year-old daughter (Connor Claire) and my cat (Tabs).

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