How to create a smoky eye for prom

Eye makeup on prom night is an accessory that's just as important as a girl's shoes. Here's how teens can create a celebrity smoky eye look with their own collection of shadows and brushes.

How to create long-lasting smoky eyes

Painting your face is like painting a canvas. Whether you're a born artist or just dabbling in the genre for the evening, you want your makeup for prom to be perfect. "The smoky eye is about shadow placement and blending, making the colors appear seamless," says Jaclyn Peresetsky of Skin Perfect, who provides the following step-by-step tutorial for creating the coveted smoky eye look.

• Apply an eye shadow base to the whole lid of the eye, from the root of the lash to the bottom of the eyebrow area.
• Pick your darkest eyeliner and use small dash marks along the lash line on the top lid. Smudge out the line.
• Put liner on the bottom, about three-quarters of the way across. When you smudge the liner it will carry to the inner corner of the eye.
• With a brush, take your medium shade and sweep over your smudged liner -- top and bottom -- fading the color on the round part of the eye.
• Blend your light shade so it is slightly overlapping the medium shade, fading it toward the crease. Keep your light shade away from the brow bone area.
• Using your matte finish nude color (this could be an eye shadow or your face powder), press and pat just under your brows with a large shadow brush.
• Use your eyeliner again and follow the top lash line from corner to corner.
• Apply volumizing mascara from root to tip on top and bottom lashes.
• Finishing touch: Use concealer to sweep under the eye area to create a clean look.

Overdo your eye shadow? Quick fixes

When it comes to trying out a dramatic new beauty look, be sure to give your new makeup tools several trial runs before the big event to experiment with your eye shape and get the best results. However, a shaky hand or butterflies on prom night can have you making an unwanted oops with your brush or wand. No worries.

"When dark shadows fall under the eye area, use your concealer brush as an eraser to pick up and remove any falling eye shadow," advises Peresetsky. "For mascara mishaps, use a dry Q-tip with a press and twist motion on the spots dotting the lid."

Keep your makeup in perspective

In case your BFF isn't the type to tell you if you've overdone your makeup, it's important to keep the following in mind: "If the eyes are dark, keep the lips light and make sure you use bronzer to contour those cheekbones," says Lauren Ballard, Hard Candy makeup artist.

Sophistication on prom night is the goal, but the smoky look can be appropriate for teens, Ballard adds, because "smoky eyes can be done with browns or charcoals or even deep blue tones to keep it fun and youthful."

More on prom style

• 5 Lovely prom makeup looks
• The anti-prom look
• Prom dress shopping