As #CanCantDont is now officially in full swing, our choices are becoming braver! This week was the chance to trial eye makeup, so we decided on something eye catching! After searching through many different eye makeup trends we decided on the upside down smoky eye, a modern twist on the usual smoky eye look. Ready with eyeshadow and eyeliner, we got to work. Here’s how it turned out…
Amanda: As someone who rarely ever uses a dark eyeshadow this look was initially a bit daunting, but I was also excited to see the outcome. I used the Urban Decay Naked palette to create this look with a soft brush. I first created an outline with the eyeshadow in the colour Creep, using the same brush I then smudged the eyeshadow downwards. The eyeshadow has a bit of a glittery effect so this would work great for a night out! All in all, I do really like this look for a night out, but wearing it in the day does seem like I’ve left my makeup on from the night before.
Verdict: CAN
Christina: I love this look but it has to be fairly subtle. When I tried to extend the smokey eye further down it just made me look really tired. It is more of an exaggerated eyeliner rather than a bottom smokey eye I think but I do really like it. I used my Urban Decay Naked 2 palette in Blackout which is definitely an evening look but if you used a softer brown shade it could work for daytime too.
Verdict: CAN
Jo: When we decided on the Upside Down Smoky Eye as our trend this week, I was pretty relaxed about it. I thought it would just be an extension of my usual makeup which is an all round smokey eye using the golds and dark brown shades from the Urban Decay Naked Palette. I was wrong. Faced with my own attempts I looked like a tired, anaemic, piggy eyed panda. I was advised by Elaine and Amrita (the makeup maestros of the team, I think it’s fair to say) that I had not created a strong enough dark line to ‘pull down’. I tried that and it looked even worse – I tend to stay away from actual black shadows and liners as I find them too harsh for my colouring; very dark brown is much more flattering for olive skin/green eye combos. So, Amrita kindly rescued me by “blurring out harsh lines and adding dark brown to make it softer” and it looked much better. I like it; I’m keeping it on to go out tonight.
Verdict: CAN – as long as I don’t have to execute it myself
Amrita: Now the upside down smoky eye is something I love and have admired for ages. All of those models and actresses with flawless skin and just the right amount of smudge under their eyes has always been a look I’ve tried to channel but failed at. That was until now when I realised I was putting too much effort in to it trying to make it perfect. It’s a look that isn’t designed to be perfect at all but instead it’s meant to look dishevelled and effortless which is what I kept reminding myself of as I applied my products. My tools to achieve the look were: Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil in Zero (waterline), No.7 Smoky Eyeliner (applied on the lower lash line) and Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Bittersweet (smudged in to the black to soften). I then used my trust MAC 219 and Urban Decay fluffy brush to add to the ‘smoky’ effect which I think definitely helped pull it all together.
Verdict: Big fat CAN!
Flic: The smoky eye is, for me, not a massive departure from my usual eye makeup look. I do have tendency to wear lots of smudgy kohl along my lower lash line, and so it was fairly easy to extend this a little bit and create more of a ‘smoky’ effect. I used an Urban Decay palette to create the look, opting for a shimmering copper on my top lid, and a a combination of dark grey and black shimmer to create the smoky effect. I also used my trusty Rimmel black kohl pencil (I can’t live without it) and lashings of Benefit They’re Real on my lashes to create a dramatic look. Overall I really like the look, although I would be more careful on days when I’m tired as this can accentuate the panda look if you are a little under the weather!
VERDICT: A big CAN from me!
Elaine: This is definitely my favourite Can Can’t Don’t so far. I thought the end result looked really undone and cool, perfect for a night out. The biggest bonus is that it took just a couple of minutes to do! Additionally the whole idea is that it looks a bit messy so it’s ideal for those who aren’t the best at eye makeup. I used a black Lord & Berry eyeliner on my waterline and under my lower lashes and just smudged this out, extending it a little at the other corners to make it look a bit more dramatic.
Verdict: CAN