Beauty Tutorial >> Sultry Smokey Eyes in 5 Minutes!

You guys know my little sis, Morgan, as the food editor extraordinaire here at Bubby and Bean.  What you probably didn't know is that she is a serious guru when it comes to makeup.  After my super-hippie period of frolicking about the country with little more than a tube of lip balm in my bag, she was the one who taught me to apply mascara without looking like a sleepy raccoon.  She's always experimenting with new products and crazy colors, but her real talent lies in her ability to create a perfectly made-up face in a matter of minutes.  While I was visiting her this weekend, she did my eye makeup before we went to see my husband's band play, and I was majorly impressed with how she managed to make me look 100 times better (via some very sultry smokey eyes) in less than 5 minutes.  I asked her if she could recreate the look on me again the following day, and we decided to put together a little tutorial for you guys while we were at it!

T I P  >>   Work with what you have.  Morgan says this look is easy to improvise, even if you don't have all of the "essentials" shown above. 

STEP 1 >>  Start with a clean bare eye.  If you have an eyeshadow base or a flesh colored matte shadow on hand, apply to the upper lid. (This helps your eye makeup to stay in place.)

STEP 2 >>  Use an eyeshadow brush to sweep some dark brown shimmer over the entire eyelid and under the eye.  I used a shading brush for Melissa's eyes, but I'm not gonna lie - I usually use the cheap pads that come with plain old drugstore eye shadow.  Most makeup artists would scold me for this, but I find that they give you more control, which means a quicker makeup job!

STEP 3 >>  Add a coat of matte black shadow just along the upper and lower lash lines.

STEP 4 >>  Use a Q-Tip for quick clean-up of any loose eye shadow.  This step is totally optional, but it shaves off the time spent wiping any messes off your peepers after you're all done and the shadow has had a chance to set.

STEP 5 >>  Apply black eyeliner along the lash line all the way to the inner corners and along the lower waterline*.  Any black eyeliner pencil will do, but my must-have, every-single-day choice is Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in 'Zero.'   *The lower waterline is the bottom rim of your eye.  If you have overly sensitive eyes, you can skip this step.

STEP 6 >>  Sweep a light coat of a pale, neutral colored shimmer (I used a champagne color) along the top edge of the brown shadow that you applied in step 2, then apply a dab of white shimmer at the inner corners of your eyes.  (A hint of shimmery white shadow on the inner corners of your eye makes them look bigger and brighter.  It's like a happy little miracle.)

STEP 7 >>  Apply two coats of black mascara to your top lashes, then one coat to the bottom.  (For a great, no-fuss mascara application, look up, hold the wand at the roots of your top lashes, then gently wiggle the brush as you comb upward.  For the bottom, look up, and lightly tap the end of the mascara wand from side to side along your lashes).

TIP >>  If you're going for a more dramatic nighttime look, try adding a coat of black liquid eyeliner over the eyeliner pencil on the top lid. 

In 5 short minutes, you've transformed your already-badass self into a fierce super vixen / force to be reckoned with! 

We hope you guys have enjoyed our very first beauty tutorial!  You're now prepared to go show the world who's boss through the eyes of a goddess.  And all you need is 5 little minutes.  If you try this at home, we'd sure love to see some pictures!