Ring In the New Year With a Purple Smoky Eye

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On New Year's Eve, you want your makeup to be as glam as your party dress. That's why we're pulling out all the stops with a purple smoky eye. "Plum is amazing because it will allow the white of the eye to look brighter," says MAC Senior Makeup Artist Romero Jennings. "It's no longer for any specific eye color, and it does stand out against the skin, since it's not a neutral color." He showed us the step-by-step process of creating a long-lasting look that will easily (and flawlessly) take you from party to party . . . and the afterparty.

Achieving a flawless makeup look starts with perfecting your skin. Jennings always dabs on a little moisturizer and eye cream before applying foundation, and uses concealer under the eyes, around the nose, and on any blemishes that needed hiding.

Tip: if you're planning on doing a set of false lashes, Jennings recommends applying them right after foundation and before you do your eye makeup. That way, you're less likely to mess up your shadow.

To create a plum smoky eye, waterline of the bottom lashes at the root and just under the lashes with a deep violet liner — Jennings used MAC Pro's Longwear Eyeliner in Snow Shadow ($20). "You want it to show up and be smoky," Jennings says. "Make sure there are no spaces or gaps so you don't see any light spots on the eye."

Next, soften the liner with a coordinating plum eye shadow and extend the line outwards toward the temples. Jennings used a bluish-plum hue like MAC's eye shadow in Contrast ($16).

"Doing an extension at the outer corner helps make the eye look bigger," he explains. Tip: use a cotton swab to clean up the edges and extend the color outwards.

Line the upper lash line with the same deep violet liner. "I like to follow the contour of the eye shape instead making one straight line," Jennings says. Start with a thin line at the inner corner of the eye and create a gradually thicker line as it reaches the outer corner.

Next, "stain" the lid with the pencil to aid in forming a long-lasting color base for the eye makeup. Then go over the pencil with a brush to blend out the color before it sets.

To create a smoky eye, go over the pencil with a little bit of the eye shadow. "Keep blending and tapping the eye shadow until you get the desired intensity," he says.

Jennings's trick to blending out a smoky eye is to use a taupe shadow in the crease. "Take a neutral shadow and blend it so now the purple blends into this taupe color," he explains. Then use the brand's Eye Shadow in Omega ($16), which is his go-to neutral shade. This step helps transition the dark shadow to the skin under the brows.

Once you've finished blending the smoky eye upwards, it's time to connect the top and bottom section, so the color seamlessly wraps around your eye.

"With the smoky look, you can never have too much mascara," Jennings says. He recommends applying generous coats of mascara to both the upper and lower lashes. "Since we have all this lash and color on top, you get a nice balance of the shadow wrapped around the face, and the bottom lashes get enhanced."

"You need to use something to attract the light to the eye," Jennings says. "So use a shimmery color, like the Eye Shadow in Nylon ($16) in the inner corner of the eye to create a sunburst-like effect. And it makes the smoky eye more flattering."

For a little more dimension, hit the center of the lid with a touch of superfine shimmer. "The trick is to tilt your head back so nothing falls off the eye while you're placing the pigment," he says. This means you won't have to worry about cleaning up bits of eye makeup off your cheeks and under your eyes.

"You want to use a brow pencil to fill in the shape you already have," Jennings explains. You're not creating a bold brow, but rather grooming it, so it complements the smoky eye rather than competing with it.

To help sculpt the face, add a hint of contour starting at the hair near the top of the ear and move down under the cheek. You want to go for a neutral tone in a shade darker than your own complexion. The end result will make your cheekbones pop, and can even have a face-slenderizing effect.

Next up is highlighting. Jennings used Cream Colour Base in Pearl ($21) to add a flattering glow to the face. Tip: using your finger or a brush, tap and blend it on the highest point of your cheekbones right under the eye.

You can also put a little under the brow for a natural highlight. "It brings a real nice luminosity to the face," Jennings says. "And it looks more three-dimensional and makes skin look flawless."

"Blush goes between the highlight and contour," Jennings explains. Sweep it on the apples of the cheeks and blend out toward the top of your cheekbones for an uplifting effect.

To complement the deep purple smoky eye, try a lavender blush, like Full of Joy ($22). For medium to dark complexions, Jennings recommends the Breath of Plum shade.

To finish off the look, line the lips with Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Nice N Spicy ($20), drawing a little beyond the lip border to create a fuller effect. Note: if your lips need a little hydration, use a lip balm and blot off the excess with a tissue first.

For a lip color that will enhance your own skin tone, look for a pencil a shade or two darker than your natural lip color.

For a glossy, bright lip, apply a vivid purple gloss — try Lipglass in Girl About Town ($15) — to enhance the cool tones featured in the makeup look. The neutral lip base mellows out the intensity of purple in the gloss for a pretty, complexion-enhancing final result.

If you want a less prominent lip to balance your smoky eyes, Jennings also recommends a lighter hue like Wanting More, which can go right on top of your long-lasting lip pencil base.

The final look is a colorful take on a smoky eye that's festive, modern, and wearable. Plus, the steps taken to make the makeup last means you can party all night with just the lip gloss in your clutch for minimal touch-ups.