This celebrity eye makeup trend is so easy to try

While the smoky eye technique is often a surefire way to achieve sultry and dramatic peepers, mastering the application of multiple shades, blending it just right and everything else involved in this look is often a step above our preferred effort level (and sometimes our skill level). So when we saw that the recent celebrity trend for eye makeup only involved a single shade of eyeshadow, and still managed to make your eyes pop – we were over the moon.

The technique is called colour wash and all you need is a single shade of eyeshadow. We spoke to makeup artist Hayley Dutton about her top tips for choosing the right colour for you, as well as her tricks for mastering the technique.

How do I pick the right shade to use?
“Earthy, neutral tones such as warm browns, bronze, taupe, stone, amber and terracotta work on any eye colour – but particularly well on those with blue, hazel and green eyes. A bright orange lid on blue eyes also creates a really intense pop to the eye. More daring eyeshadow colours such as pinks, blues and greens are suited to brown eyes. And I really love greys, peach and purple for our green and hazel-eyed babes.”

What is the key to nailing this look?
“Because we aren’t using darker and lighter colours to define the eye, I tend to work the colour up in certain areas of the eye to help add dimension and definition. When you apply a colour wash to the eyelid, blending up into the crease and then bringing this under the lash line – even after a coat of mascara, the eyes can still feel a little lost. What I do is really layer that colour up along the lash line to create more definition.”

 If you think you’ll stick to your classic smoky eye, here’s how to master it in three steps.

Main image credit: Getty

Inset image credits: @patrickta; @hungvanngo