I had completely given up on makeup. It was the third trimester of my pregnancy, and I was over it. But that wasn't always who I was. Up until that point, I'd been obsessed with adding a glow to my cheeks, adding rich colors to my lips and complex color combinations to my eyes. Doing a sultry, smoky eye has always been a favorite of mine. But all of that went goodbye with the fatigue that pregnancy brought along. Postpartum, things didnāt get much better, as my attention was completely on my baby and time just seemed to escape me. My personal grooming routine took a major backseat to my baby's needs. Iām sure most mothers can relate.
But does that mean we donāt want to ever wear makeup again? Of course not. We still have places to go, and events to attend. Even if we don't have somewhere to go, some of us still want to express our creativity all over our face. Thereās no need for us to throw out all our makeup until the children are grown! We just need a way to shave down what could be 45 minute to an hour long routine to at least half of that.Ā
How do we do that though? Who has time to look through hundreds of eye shadow looks online, find one they like, and then practice enough to master one? Most moms don't. I shouldn't, but I've taken one for the team and found some looks that we can all quickly master. Here are 20 smoky eyes that can be learned in minutes, and with practice, finished in the time it takes for your child to finish his or her snack.
The Classic, Smoky Eye
This is the classic, matte black smoky eye. A work of art. Although this look might seem daunting at first, all the colors used to create it can be found in any average neutral shadow palette. The key to mastering this look is blending the colors into each other meticulously. With a little bit of practice, any mom can nail this. The result is an intense smoky eye that will make eyes of all colors look mesmerizing.
Get the tutorial here.
Smoky Eye in Five Steps
This smoky eye was really a favorite of mine because not only is it deep, dark, and intense, but because its so easy to do! After watching the tutorial, I noticed that the smoky eye portion was one of the shortest portions of the video. If you donāt include the lashes, this look only takes five products! This black and grey smoky eye is perfect for a glam mom on the go.
Get the tutorial here.
Vampy, Purple Smoky Eye
This smoky eye look is perfect for a mom on the go who doesnāt want to dip her foot too deep into the smoky pool. The all over black look can be quite beautiful, but intense. This look involves soft strokes and layering of progressively darker purples, and not all over the eye but just on the edges. The middle of the lid has a little sparkle. Beautiful!
Get the tutorial here.
Iridescent Smoky Eye
This enchanting, iridescent smoky eye, gives the appearance of being wet with one simple step apart from the classic smoky eye. Just add a bit of iridescent shadow on top of the black base and Voila!Ā This look is for the mom who likes a little edginess and a lot of pizzazz.Ā
Get the tutorial here.
Intense (but Easy) Smoky Eye
As intense as this eye is, I was shocked to see that this look took only five minutes! For a day when weāre feeling a little more intense than normal, a red border around our classic smoky eye can help us say, āPlease, leave me be, āor, it can just coordinate well with our favorite red blouse.Ā
Get the tutorial here.
Black and Blue, Icy (yet Smoky) Eye Look
Not to be confused with the throbbing eye of someone who just finished fighting, this black and blue smoky eye is ever so cool. The blue border around this look gives it an icy, yet alluring vibe. Blue eyes will be especially piercing with this look, but really anyone could do it justice. Add a little extra oomph, to a little black dress and heels.Ā
Get the tutorial here.
Soft, Glam, Navy Blue Smoky Eye
Although navy blue is quite a dark and intense shade, in this iteration of the smoky eye, itās actually serving very soft, subtle vibes. Where the classic smoky is super haunting and attention-grabbing, this look is light and glam. Ā To top it off, thereās a little bit of silver glitter on the lower lash line!
Get the tutorial here.
Violet and Turquoise Smoky Eye
This ultra violet smoky eye is an unexpectedly delightful combination. Instantly, I think of jewel tones- emeralds and sapphires and rubies- when I see this look. With these sparkling greens and blues, this eye will outshine any necklace, bracelet or ring.
Get the tutorial here.
Ethereal, Enchanting, Light Blue Glitter Smoky Eye
Another alternative to the classic smoky eye, is this very soft blue glitter smoky eye. The tutorial itself is a little long but the smoky eye itself took about three minutes! This look would look great on moms with pale or deep cool toned skin, or on someone who just likes blue. I love this eye, because even though no darker colors were used, it still gives the appearance of actual smoke — light, airy, and ethereal.
Get the tutorial here.
Olive Green Sunset Smoky Eye
Calling all artsy moms! Moms who love to paint or always wanted to- this look is for them. A masterpiece on the eye, this looks like an actual sunset. In an unexpected twist, the āsunā is a shimmery, olive green color in the center of the eye, adding a beautiful highlight in the center of the eye, amidst all the reddish-brown smoke. Best, of all, this look only takes seven minutes to create.
Get the tutorial here.
Blue and Purple Rainbow Smoky Eye
This beautiful, festival ready, rainbow of blues in purples in a smoky eye is perfect for a night out. It puts me in the mind of a concert I just recently attended, and the first thing I thought to myself was, āI want to wear glitter, I want to wear gems!ā After leaving work, and changing my clothes in the car, I threw together a very minor version of this look. And by minor, I mean my look looked nothing like this. Ā If only Iād had this tutorial to guide me ahead of time. At any rate, this look can be quickly mastered, as the artist is a very detailed and clear teacher — and who doesnāt love making rainbows? Coachella, anyone?
Get the tutorial here.
Soft Grey and Brown Smoky Eye (for beginners)
This look is beautiful. Who would have thought that the colors grey and silver could look so beautiful! Blended into that beautiful warm brown, the softest, yet most beautiful smoky effect is created. This eye look was so simple, I could see myself applying in five minutes, even while my toddler is pulling at my pant leg.
Get the tutorial here.
Ombre Burgundy and Gold Smoky Eye
When I see or hear the word ombre, Iām always intrigued. Any gradient lights my fire, and this look is no different. Metallic with gold and coral shimmer shadows and a matte purple color that brings the āsmokeā factor to an otherwise bright look. A lot of smoky eye looks donāt use a winged liner but on this on lighter looks it really adds a polish to the halo of blurred colors around the eye.Ā
Get the tutorial here.
Ombre Smoky Eye
This ombre, or gradient look is similar to the previous one in technique, but instead of a bunch of shimmer on the lid, all matte shadows are used. This technique allows the bright yellow, orange, pink shadows used to really pop on the eye, while the deep purple adds that smokiness that weāve come to love.
Get the tutorial here.
Soft Burgundy and Brown Smoky Eye
Another very simple, smoky look, this time using warm, natural colors. Burgundy is the base color for this look and is the color of all our favorite autumn looks. With summer coming to a close, this look will be a good one to learn. As the icing on the cake, all the shadows used in this look can be found in one very affordable palette.
Get the tutorial here.
Tropical Coral and Purple Smoky Eye, featuring Colourpop
This smoky eye look was one of the most unexpected color combinations Iāve seen in a smoky eye. Of course, with skill, we can use pretty much any colors we want to create a smoky eye. But this coral and deep purple really caught my eye and gave me a beautifully tropical, yet sultry vibe. This look is perfect for a Momās Night Out, paired with a cream-colored dress and some super cute heels. āā
Get the tutorial here.
Smoky Eye Paired With Half Cut Crease
This smoky eye paired with a cut crease is pretty simple and also requires a little less āsmokeā than a lot of the other looks. One of my favorite aspects of this look is that it gives the impression of larger, wider eyes and thicker lashes, because of its framing of the outer corner of the eyes. Accentuating just that section, while only slightly highlighting the rest of the eye, makes for the perfectly sexy eye that only our dreams are made of. Ā
Get the tutorial here.
Simple, Quick and Easy Smoky Eye
This smoky eye is very, very simple to do. The actual eye lid coverage only took about four steps. Which is almost too good to be true. With a little bit of eyeliner, black shadow and brown shadow, a smoky eye is attainable for even the most inexperienced makeup wearer!
Get the tutorial here.
Pink and Black Smoky Eye With a Wing
Picture the scene: Avril Lavigne is jumping on top of a stage in her SK8R Boi video, while tons of teen girls (myself included) are buying all arm bands and ties out of Hot Topic. The year 2002āwhat a time to be alive! This pink and black smoky eye takes me back to that time, but still is simple and sleek enough to be taken seriously 16 years later. Bring out your inner punk rocker with this look, which only took the artist less than three minutes! Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā
Get the tutorial here.
Frosty Silver and Black Smoky Eye
A look for every season is important, is it not? Well here's our look for this Winter 2018.This frosty, metallic and silvery smoky eye, still delivers on the sultriness, but also brings the sparkle and the fun. Perfect for trips to the ski lodge, gatherings around the crackling open fire, or evening galas while wrapped in faux fur, this smoky eye says, ācome talk to me, I donāt bite!ā
Get the tutorial here.
