Benefit Scene Queen: A Tuesday Smokey Eye Tutorial

Brace yourself, young lady, because someone’s about to make a scene — and it’s you! Do you remember last week’s grayish blue smokey eye from our look at theBenefit Scene Queen The Annie Collection palette? Here’s a quick breakdown of it with pictures and a how-to. 

The Benefit Scene Queen palette

When would I rock a look like this? Well, often! — specifically, whenever I’d want to look dressed up but not overdone, day or night. If it feels a little too dramatic for daytime wear to work/school, maybe give it a try out one night with friends or your boo.

Because it puts so many great products at my fingertips, I love the Benefit Scene Queen palette, but take a look at your existing makeup stash for similar colors… You might already have the right fixin’s to duplicate the look.

First, let’s marshal our forces and gather our supplies!

For the eyes…

• A neutral eyeshadow primer like Benefit Stay Don’t Stray
• The Shimmery Beige Eyeshadow from Scene Queen
• The Misty Blue Eyeshadow from Scene Queen
• The Charcoal Eyeshadow from Scene Queen
• The Navy Eyeshadow from Scene Queen
• Smokin’ Liner from Scene Queen
• A black mascara like Benefit BADgal Waterproof Mascara

Your tools…

• A fluffy eyeshadow brush like the Benefit Fluff Shadow Brush
• A good crease brush like the Sonia Kashuk Crease Brush
• A good blending brush like the MAC 217
• A small smudge brush like the MAC 214 Short Shader Brush
• A good lash curler (lately I’ve been using the Benefit ProCurl)
• A makeup fixing spray like MAC Fix+

Benefit Scene Queen eye makeup swatches on NC35 skin from left: Smokin’ Liner, Charcoal Eyeshadow, Shimmering Beige Eyeshadow, Misty Blue Eyeshadow, Navy Eyeshadow

Benefit Scene Queen eye makeup swatches on NW20 skin from left: Smokin’ Liner, Shimmering Beige Shadow, Charcoal Eyeshadow, Misty Blue Eyeshadow, Navy Eyeshadow

The eye makeup, step-by-step (ooh baby!)

1. Begin by prepping your lids. To create a smooth canvas for color and extend the wear time of my eye makeup, I’ll start with an eyeshadow primer. For this look, I applied Benefit Stay Don’t Stray over the entire lid with a finger. Then, I dabbed the base eyeshadow color, Shimmering Beige Eyeshadow, directly on top with a fluffy eyeshadow brush.

2. Add a POP! of color. Since this look contains some darker shades, I also wanted to add some color (but not so much that it overwhelmed the eye). I wet the head of my fluffy shadow brush with a spritz of makeup fixing spray and then used it to apply Misty Blue Eyeshadow onto the lid. Next, I drew the color up into the crease and smoothed out any harsh lines with the blending brush.

3. Deepen the look, and add smoke in the outer corner. For a daytime-friendly smokey effect, I applied Navy Eyeshadow to the outer corner and, with my trustyblending brush, mellowed out any harsh lines.

4. Define the look with liner. To draw attention to my peepers (and to create the illusion of thicker lashes), I lined both the upper and lower waterlines (and lash lines) with Smokin’ Liner.

5. Soften the look with layering. Because black liner can look a little harsh for daytime wear, I toned it down by smudging Navy Shadow along the lashlines with the small smudge brush.

6. Finish the eyes with mascara. Finally, the finishing touches! I curled my lashes with the Benefit ProCurl Curler and applied three coats of Benefit BADgal Waterproof Mascara to the upper lashes.

Scene Queen’s lip and cheek goodies

Scene Queens’s coordinating colors for lips and cheeks make finishing this look a total breeze.

That’s Scene Queen’s Coralista on my cheeks, High Beam along the upper cheek bones and Juicy Coral gloss on my lips.

I hope you had fun making a scene with me today, ladies.  If you end up giving this look a try and feel like sharing, send me a pic! (email it to me at karen (at) makeupandbeautyblog (dot) com). I’d love to see what you come up with.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Have you ever stopped by Benefit’s beauty blog, the Secret Life of Benefit Gal? They’re doing this fun feature right now with Southwest airlines called Beauty on the Fly. The video is freakin’ hilarious! It stars the rapping Southwest flight attendant from their commercials (he waxes philosophic on Benefit makeup, so funny!) and gives lots of tips and tricks.

Since we’re on the subject, Benefit is also hosting a sweepstakes now with some awesome prizes: a trip on Southwest and a Benefit makeup haul (it’s called Beauty on the Fly Sweepstakes). Good luck!