Easy Cranberry Smokey Eye Tutorial
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It’s November 3rd. Halloween is officially over. And you can bet your bottom that the Christmas music has started playing in my home and I’m NOT EVEN SORRY! This is my absolute favorite time of the year and I wouldn’t mind if time slowed down just a little bit so I can enjoy every second of it.
One of my favorite parts about the holiday season? Holiday makeup! There’s just something so exciting to me about taking the time to put my makeup on for a fancy holiday party or dinner. Maybe it’s because it’s an extra excuse to spend some time loving on myself. Maybe it’s because it’s an excuse to get creative and go all out without fearing what other people will think. Maybe it’s both. After all, this is my life and I’m going to live it as vibrantly as possible, with as much (or as little) makeup on as possible.
Anyway, I wanted to get ahead of the game and share a really simple but fun Holiday makeup look to start the month off right. I know that I used to get really intimidated by any kind of “smokey eye” makeup look, so I wanted this one to be as simple as possible to achieve. So, this look only uses 3 eyeshadows and doesn’t even include winged liner (although you certainly could put a wing on it if you want. You do you, boo!)
Before we jump into the tutorial, I first wanted to chat about a new product that I recently added to my beauty arsenal and that has been a game changer for me. Since moving to Utah, I’ve been really struggling with sensitive and irritated eyes. I’m not sure if it’s because there are different plants or pollens in the air or if it’s because I recently got eyelash extensions, but my eyes have been really itchy, red and all around sore. And, as someone who loves to express her creativity through her makeup, having sore eyes was not working for me!
Dustin kept telling me to go get some eyedrops and I first thought that was silly because eyedrops are for people with contacts! However, I recently learned that Clear Eyes® (already the number one selling brand of eye drops) just released a new product meant to help with irritated eyes. I picked up the Clear Eyes® Pure Relief™ Multi-Symptom, hoping that it would help out because it’s formulated for people with red, burning, itchy, dry, irritated, gritty or watery eyes. I’ve been using them for about a week now and I can say that they have brought considerable relief to my eyes when they get really itchy and irritated. So, if you’re struggling with some irritated eyes this holiday season but still want to rock out some serious holiday glam, be sure to give the Clear Eyes® Pure Relief™ Multi-Symptom drops a try. Right now, there is a 25% off offer on Cartwheel at Target, so make sure you jump on that asap!
Okay, let’s jump into the tutorial!
For the Cranberry Smokey Eyes:
I first start by laying down a cream base all over my eye lid. Using a cream base is ideal for holiday looks because it smooths out your skin, it evens out the skin base and it provides a little bit of tackiness for the shadows to stick to on top. It’s okay to be a bit sloppy because we’re going for a more smokey, smudged look and will blend out the edges in a few steps. For this eye look, I opted for a wine colored cream base, so that it would add dimension to the color I am going to add to the top of it.
Next, I took a fluffy blending brush and blend out the edged of the cream base with a warm dark brown.
Tip: Start by putting most of the product in your crease and moving your brush back and forth in windshield wiper motions. As the product starts to leave your brush, you can drag your brush up towards your brow bone to prevent any harsh lines.
Taking a flat shader brush, I packed a very shimmery cranberry shade all over my lid, on top of the cream base.
Tip: Make sure you use patting motions and not swiping motions to get the most color pay-off and to prevent fall out.
Lastly, I dip my fluffy brush back into the brown shade and lightly blend out the edges once more to smoke the look out.
Optional: If you want to add more dimension to your look, you can dip your flat shader brush into a shimmery gold or purple and lightly pack it on to the very center of your lid to create a duo-chrome effect.
Because this look is already bold and smokey and because I wanted to keep this simple, I decided not to do a full wing liner. Instead, I dipped a small smudge brush into a black eyeshadow and pressed it down along my lash line.
I took a small fluffy brush and blended the same brown shade along my lower lash line. I then picked up a pencil brush and pressed the cranberry shade into my lower lash line, on top of the brown shadow. To smoke it out a bit, I lined my water line with my favorite black kohl liner.
I’m recently got lash extensions so that’s what I have on in these photos, but you can either finish this look with a couple coats of mascara or pop on a pair of falsies!
For the Face
Since the eyes are the focus of this look and because I wanted to keep this more on the simple side, I decided to keep the face makeup a bit more simple. I skipped over the crazy contour and kept my concealer to just under my eyes (but did opt for a fun highlight, because duh…this is a holiday look and I want to GLOW!)
After applying a primer to smooth out my skin, I put applied my favorite medium-full coverage foundation with a flat kabuki brush.
Tip: Spritz your brush with a little bit of makeup setting spray to help spread the product around easier!
I applied my concealer under my eyes in triangles and blended it out with a damp brush. I then set my whole face with a light-reflecting powder to blur the lines and pores.
I took a big fat brush and bronzed my skin to add some warmth and dimension, but I skipped over the contour. I simply applied the bronzer to my cheeks, temples and along my jawline.
I added a warm blush with brown undertones to the apples of my cheeks to add a bit more color and depth to my face
Tip: To find out where to apply your blush, simply put to fingers next to your nose! That is where you should start applying the blush by sweeping it from that spot back towards your ear.
Last, I added my favorite golden highlight on the tops of my cheekbones and the bridge of my nose (because I’m all about that glow during the holidays!)
For the Lips
Like I mentioned above, the eyes are the hero of this look, so I didn’t want to do anything else to distract from the eye look. Also, by putting a bold or dark lip on, I was afraid it would weigh down my face. So, I opted for a light pink nude lipstick and topped with a very nude gloss with pink undertones!
Finish the look by spritzing your face with setting spray! Tada! A very simple and easy smokey eye (only using three actual eyeshadows and a base color!)
Do you struggle with irritated eyes during the winter/holiday months? Give me your honest opinion, do you think this tutorial seems relatively easy and simple? Look forward to chatting Holiday glam in the comments below!
(P.S. If you would do me a HUGE favor and pin the image below to your Pinterest board, I would be SO grateful! Thanks!)
