Beauty

Get the look: Jason Wu’s smoky eye

How to recreate the violet smoky eye look from Jason Wu’s fall runway.

by : Ava Baccari- Oct 18th, 2013

While the smoky eye is having its moment this fall, it’s the palette of vibrant colours—from deep plums to shimmering metallics—that makes this fall beauty look standout. At Jason Wu this season, makeup artist Diane Kendal for Lancôme created the wash of indigo-violet eye shadow that beautifully feathered out over lids— and caught our eye, naturally. “The colour choice is really interesting,” says Lora Spiga, Lancôme Canada’s official makeup artist. “Indigo is such a hot colour.”

Spiga breaks down the soft and feminine violet smoky eye at Jason Wu this fall, and gives us a step-by-step guide on recreating the look yourself.

Jason Wu fall beauty eye shadow
For a colourful smoky eye, leave the makeup application on the rest of your face last. “When you’re working with a lot of pigment and blending, it’s just easier to clean any fallout if you haven’t actually done the complexion,” says Spiga. “And the makeup just looks so neat afterward.” Before starting, apply an eye shadow primer to the lid to remove any discolouration.

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Use eyeliner as your base to structure the gaze, which is essentially, “Creating the shape that you want your eye to take with your liner,” she explains. Take a kohl pencil and trace closely along the lash line on the top and bottom, extending slightly past the lower lash line to create that cat eye effect. Don’t worry about finding an eyeliner pencil that matches the exact indigo shade of your eye shadow. “This is where you can add more dimension or create a little bit more of an interesting, unique colour by mixing your eyeliner colour with your eye shadow,” explains Spiga.

For a more violet tone throughout, go with a purple eyeliner. To get a deep indigo shade, work with a dark blue eyeliner (try Lancôme Le Crayon Khôl in Noir Lapis), and apply a purple eye shadow overtop. “What’s important here is that when you are using the pencil, you’re virtually blending it away,” she explains. “Like a wash of colour that acts as a base for the actual shadow.” Use a medium-firm eye shadow brush to blend the eyeliner into the shadow—it should disappear into a creamy wash over the lid.

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As for that soft, blurred pop of colour on the eye, apply Lancôme Color Design eye shadow in Purple Pumps. “After you’ve placed the shadow, take a soft blending brush and soften all the edges,” she explains. Be patient with blending to get that muted, feminine look. And blend down, and not up toward the brow, she says.

For a wash of colour under the eye, take a soft brush and deposit a touch of shadow underneath. Tben finish off with clean swipe of mascara. “One or two coats, that’s it,” Spiga says.

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Jason Wu fall beauty look: Soft, neutral complexion
Complement your high-intensity smoky eye with a matte complexion. “Just a touch of contour, there’s not a lot of blush either,” says Spiga. “It has to be flawless.” Apply your foundation first and go over with concealer afterward as your final touch. “You may find when working with blues and purples that you need to add an extra layer of concealer.”

Apply a thin film where needed, let sit for a minute, and build if needed. “It’s thin film, powder, another thin film, then power, until you reach the desired coverage,” she says. “Don’t move or blend it, because you’ll find that it sets itself and works on its own—it’s quite magical actually.” This also makes for easier blending.

Keep the lips neutral as well. “Take a tiny bit of a soft neutral lip colour with your fingertip and just smear it on the lips,” she says. Or smudge concealer on the edge of the lip to create a nude colour.

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The final touch—brows!
To finish off Jason Wu’s fall beauty look, keep eyebrows groomed and tidy. “They have to be shaped—brows are super important going into spring,” says Spiga. Use a brush to comb brows, and apply a brow gel to gently tint the skin underneath for a natural fullness. All together, it’s the finer, delicate details that enhance this vibrant yet feminine look. “You’re really just playing with the eyes,” affirms Spiga.