I only have two eye make-up looks: one is applied in five seconds with my own fingers and the other is a high-impact smoke show, applied by a pro make-up artist—there is no in between. You see, I am truly dire at any sort of technical make-up application. Most days I simply scribble on some concealer, smudge some eyeshadow over my lids, dab a cream blusher onto my cheeks, drag some brow gel through my unruly brows, and head out. I'd like to think that, as a beauty editor who spends her days chatting with the best make-up artists in the world, I'm okay at applying my daily low-maintenance, quick make-up look. But the minute any sort of artistic skill comes into play, I'm useless.
And I have spent my adult life full of envy for one person's eye make-up in particular—Victoria Beckham's daily smokey eye is the stuff I dream of. Having a go-to, low-fuss signature eye look is something I long for—something not too in-your-face but not too bland, either. My problem? I simply have no idea where to start and am totally incapable of applying eye make-up in an intentional way. (Yes, I was the kid who couldn't keep my colouring within the lines.) So, when I was invited to sit down with Victoria's go-to make-up artist, Francesca Abrahamovitch, I jumped at the chance. My mission? To get her to school me on that iconic VB smokey eye.
I knew that the routine was going to be filled with Victoria Beckham Beauty products—after all, VB is one of the celebrities who really does use her own products day in, day out. And truthfully, I was happy about it. VBB products are some of the very best I've ever used, and I know I can count on them for easy, foolproof application.
Low and behold, after just a few minutes in Francesca's chair, my eyes were transformed. I had the chicest, low-fuss smokey eye look. And the best part? She equipped me with all of the info on how to achieve it myself at home. Here's how Victoria Beckham (and now me) achieves the ultimate smokey eye.
1. Brows
Francesca told me that because my brows are dark, it's best for me to opt for a brow pencil that's a little lighter than my brow hairs. "You don't want them to look too heavy," say said. "But usually, for most people, I say to use one shade darker to really deliver that definition."
Truthfully, I don't usually use brow pencil—it requires too much skill—but the tips she gave me were easy enough. "Comb your brows into place to see the shape, and then you can assess where you need to pencil in any gaps or areas that need balancing out. I just do tiny little hair strokes."
Then it was time to add fullness with what is potentially my favourite make-up launch of the year, Victoria Beckham Beauty FeatherFix Brow Gel. "First, take a little bit of product off the brush. You want to focus not at the front of the brow, but a little bit in, leaving the fronts fluffy. Then, you start wiggling it at the base, like you would a mascara, and bring it through to the ends. You want that definition and density at the base of the brow and for the ends to be soft. Once you have the shape, I just use the excess product left over on the brush at the front of the brow to keep things soft and feathery," she explained.
2. Eyeshadow
"I use the EyeWear cream shadow stick in Pecan, which Victoria absolutely loves and uses every single day," revealed Francesca. And this was music to my ears—I'm all for an easy-to-use cream eyeshadow that can be scribbled over lids and blended out with fingers in a second. "I just apply it all over and blend it out. You can use it on its own, as a base or as an all-over shadow. It's super quick. Then I use the Signature Smoky Eye Brick to add some definition and smoke into the crease."
3. Liner
One thing to know about me is that I am terrible at eyeliner application—a steady hand, I do not have. It's for this reason I was pleased to hear that there is no winging involved or need for super-straight lines. First of all, Francesca uses Bronze Satin Kajal Liner over the centre of the lid (they're very easy-to-blend formulas, meaning they can double up as a creamy shadow) to add some shimmer. "Then, I use shade Cinnamon on the inside waterline and finish off by smudging Cocoa onto the upper lash line and outer corners," she added.
4. Mascara
The final touch? Coatings of a volumising, lengthening mascara (Victoria, of course, uses VBB Vast Lash) for full, high-impact lashes. And there you have it, a four-step smokey eye à la Victoria.
