For Halloween, I wanted to do a really smoky, black eye because it was the next best thing to the black eyes that the demons sport on Supernatural.

Here’s how I did it:

1. I used Maybelline’s Cool Effects Shadow/Liner in Black Frost all over my eyelid, up to my brow bone. I blended the edges with a small eyeshadow brush so it wasn’t a harsh line. I winged out the edges a bit and made sure to put a lot in the crease, as it is a soft pencil—and the first place it would start to rub off would be in the crease and on the outside corner of my eye.

2. I then took my Rimmel eyeshadow quad in Smokey Noir and used a larger eyeshadow brush to apply the blackest color all over my eye, blending outward to make the winged part more defined.

3. For eyeliner, I used L’Oreal’s Extra Intense Eyeliner on my upper and lower lashline, as well as on the inside of my lower eyelid, which, by the way, you shouldn’t do if you’ve been sharing your makeup. Make sure to disinfect the tip of your eyeliner before doing this, and keep the point a bit dull.

4. To finish, I put on some mascara (I like Rimmel’s Lash Maxx).

5. I used a bit of bronzer on my cheeks, but not too much—I was supposed to be a demon, after all, and then used a little bit of concealer and pressed powder under my eyes to make the black makeup stand out even more.

Like I said to Sam last night, I wish I could get away with wearing this everyday!

When I do my makeup with winged eyeliner on my eyes, I always get questions (sometimes from complete strangers) on how I do it.

Glamour has a tutorial, but I think it’s a bit wonky (and frankly) makes it more difficult than it needs to be.

Here’s what I recommend:

• An eyeliner that you can twist up and that has a built-in sharpener, like Bare Escentuals ($14) or L’Oreal Pencil Perfect ($8.50). 
• Black is best: brown or other colored eyeliner (blue, purple, green, etc.) can look too costumey.
• Little-to-no eyeshadow. A slight dusting of a neutral shade with a bit of sparkle is all you need. But, this look works just as well without shadow—and also helps if you make mistakes on your first try because you can just wipe off mistakes with a Q-Tip soaked in makeup remover and you don’t have to worry about smudging shadow.
• A great mascara. To make this look really pop, big lashes are key. One of my favorite mascaras right now is Rimmel’s Sexy Curves ($7.50). Use black mascara to match your liner.

Okay, now for the fun part!

1. Close one eye. Hold the liner in your dominant hand. With your free hand, pull the skin on the outside corner of your eye taut so you can see every bit of your upper lash line.

2. Start from the inside of the eye (closest to your nose, in other words).

3. Start with a thin line and gradually thicken the line as you reach the other end of your eye.

4. Stop! Don’t wing it yet!

5. Now, take a look at the line you just did. It should go from thin to thick, from the inside to out and stop at the outside corner of your eye. Holding the skin taut still, draw a line from where you stopped and draw it slightly upwards. This time, start thicker and end thinner.

6. With a Q-Tip or your finger, shape the line so it resembles a wing—with a thicker base and a pointy end. Make sure that the wing extends from the end of your original line, so that when your close your eye, the whole line connects from the tip of the wing to the inside corner of your eye.

7. Do the other side!

8. Make sure both sides match: the winged part should be the same length and width.

Don’t worry if you don’t get the hang on the first try. After a few practices runs, you should be able to do all these steps in a matter of seconds.

The most common mistake people make with winged eyeliner is starting the wing from the spot between the top and lower lash line. This will look strange. Make sure the line is fluid all the way across the top of your eye.

Also, don’t use liquid eyeliner for this. Or, if you do, trace the liquid over cream eyeshadow so you have a good template. Liquid eyeliner is tricky, hard to remove and if you make a mistake, you’ll have trouble correcting it without starting over from the beginning.

Pair with some nude gloss or lipstick and a bit of blush and you’re ready!

Here’s a quick snap of my winged eyeliner look today at work:

(Photo from Glamour.com)

/ Q

What kind of makeup do you wear on a regular basis? You're very beautiful! Im always looking for something to make my lips look naturally pink, and eye liner that doesn't smear. You seam to have both!
Please share! Thanks so much : )

/ A

Thank you!

I don’t wear much make-up anywhere but on my eyes, to tell you the truth.

What I don’t wear:

• Foundation
• Concealer (unless there’s a rogue blemish)
• Base
• Powder
• Blush

What I do wear:

• Eyeliner (this one lately), usually black, sometimes brown, sometimes blue/gray/green. I line my upper lashes, wing it out slightly on the outer corners. I sometimes line my lower lashes and the rim of my bottom eyelid. My eyelashes are very dark naturally, so I don’t often need to line both upper and lower lash line.
• Mascara. I always wear mascara! Even if I skip the eyeliner, mascara is a must-wear. I don’t have a brand I stick to. I usually try a new brand every time I run out. Some brands I like are DiorShow, Benefit BADgal, CoverGirl LashBlast and Rimmel Sexy Curves.
• Eyeshadow. I vary it up from browns, to grays, to taupes/metallics to none at all. Sometimes a bare eye with black eyeliner is the easiest way to go, so that’s what I do. I usually apply a lighter color all over lid up to my brow bone and then a darker accent color in the crease.
• Lip balm/lip gloss. I rarely wear lipstick (Black Honey is the closest I’ll get), but when I do, I usually do so for a special occasion—not every day. I like pink/nude glosses and I swear by Carmex chapstick. You can get a sample of Carmex here. The lip glosses I’m currently alternating between are C.O. Bigelow’s Mentha Lip Tint in Violet Mint and Bare Mint.

The trick to keeping your eyeliner from smearing (especially if you wipe your eyes a lot) is liquid liner or a liner that isn’t kohl-based. Either of those should keep the raccoon eyes at bay! But the best way to keep eyeliner from smearing or smudging is not to touch your eyes! Hands off! You probably don’t even realize you’re rubbing them. Keep a package of these on hand when you smear for quick touch-ups.

I may have found the perfect eyeliner, courtesy of a co-worker who suggested it to me. I’ve tried lots of brands from high to low-end, and this one beat them all, hands-down.

It’s L’Oreal’s Extra Intense Eyeliner: the perfect combo of a liquid and pencil eyeliner. It goes on like a liquid: smooth and precise with intense pigmentation. But, because you can sharpen it, hold it and use it like a pencil eyeliner, you get the clean lines (and none of the fuss) of a liquid brush liner.

I use the black, but it’s also available in brown and green and it’s only $9 at drugstores.