How to Do Dramatic Black Eye Makeup? Dramatic black eye makeup is a great way to transform the look of your eyes.
It can also help create other looks, like a gothic or Halloween style. Use this makeup technique on its own or to enhance another one you already have in mind.
Dramatic black eye makeup doesn’t have to take hours to complete. You’ll need eyeliner and a few other supplies to get the look.
How to Do Dramatic Black Eye Makeup?
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Step 1: Prep The Eyelid Apply primer to the eyelid if you have naturally oily skin. This will help prevent your makeup from running or creasing. It’s especially important if you are planning a smoky eye look, which can be very intense.
Step 2: Choose Eye Shadow Base Your black eye makeup will be easier to apply if you begin with a base of your favorite eyeshadow color.
You can use any color, but deep purples and greens work particularly well for this look. Apply it to the eyelid with an applicator and blend until it reaches your desired shade.
Step 3: Create Shapes With Eyeliner Draw a cat-eye shape on the top of your eyelid. Then, create a triangle that extends to the outer corner of your bottom lid. Finally, draw a curved line below it to complete the “V” shape used for this technique.
Expert Tips & Tricks
Don’t make these common mistakes when doing dramatic black eye makeup:
- Don’t continue layering on heavy eyeshadow if you feel like it’s starting to look too dark or intense.
- Don’t forget to blend! Use an eyeshadow brush and blend gently in circular motions until your desired look is achieved.
- If you’re working with bright colors instead of black, use white eyeliner instead.
- Don’t skip the eyelid primer if your skin’s oil keeps causing eyeshadows to crease or fade.
Step 4: Apply Eyeliner With a fine-tipped liquid eyeliner, draw a thin line on the upper lash line and make the bottom line thick.
Make sure they meet at the outer corner of your eye for an intense look. Fill in gaps between lines with more eyeliner until you achieve your desired thickness and darkness.
Step 5: Create More Shapes With Smudged Liner Using black smudge-proof kohl (or black gel liner), extend one cat-eye shape from both corners of your top lid outward toward your ears.
Draw another triangle below the first one. Blend and smudge to soften the lines, but leave a thick edge line at the top and bottom for an intense look.
Step 6: Highlight Time Use your finger or a cotton swab to highlight your brow bone with beige powder shadow or highlighter.
Step 7: Black Tears You can use black mascara for this step if you don’t have liquid eyeliner, although they’re not always the same thing. Draw black tears over both cat-eye shapes on your upper lid.
Additional Ideas There are lots of ways to switch up dramatic black eye makeup. Create different shapes like hearts or teardrops instead of triangles.
Or add false lashes on top of your regular ones for extra drama. You can also outline your eyes with black liquid eyeliner instead of drawing on cat-eye shapes.
Step 8: Finish With Lipstick Complete the look by applying dark red or purple lipstick. Tinted lip balm makes a great alternative if you don’t want to wear heavy makeup.
Don’t forget to keep moisturizing as needed since your lips will likely become dry due to the intensity of this look.
What Makes Dramatic Black Eye Makeup Unique?
This is one of the most unique special effects looks because it incorporates so many different types of makeup, including crease color and smoky eyes.
The tears aren’t always an added touch for dramatic black eye makeup, but they’re what really make it stand out from other looks.
Top 10 Dramatic Black Eye Makeup Ideas
Here I will show you the top 10 dramatic black eye makeup ideas. I hope you will like these different from others.
1. The classic cat-eye shape
This is so simple and one of the most popular looks ever for a reason. It’s intense but not too overwhelming.
2. The “Pretear” look
This is a cross between the cat eye and teardrop shapes, with a light pink and black instead of white.
3. The double cat-eye shape
Perfect for those who like the look of a thick wing but still want to keep it simple.
4. The heart-shaped smoky eyes
This is so much fun and perfect for girly girls! Who doesn’t want hearts on their eyes? 🙂
5. The teardrop shape
This is very versatile and can be worn in different ways to get many different looks. It’s a great way to incorporate the black tears if you’re not too comfortable drawing them yet.
6. Diamond-shaped smoky eyes
Another variation of the smoky eye shape. I love the purple and silver combo for a darkly romantic look.
7. The round, open eye
This has to be my new favorite shape! It’s so simple but makes such an intense statement.
8. The cat-eye with smokey eyes
This is similar to the double cat-eye look, except with more smudging and blending to create a softer line.
9. The teardrop with smokey eyes
Even though the tear is on the same lid as the smoky eyes, it still looks subtle enough for everyday wear. I also like this idea if you only have time to put on one eye shape before running out the door.
10. The monster eye
This is such a fun look and perfect for Halloween! This would also be great for doing at home with kids to keep them entertained long enough for you to get dressed in the morning.
The Bottom Line
I hope this post helped show you how to do dramatic black eye makeup. I also wanted to mention that it is important not to go overboard with the eyeliner.
So try keeping your eyeshadow single-toned and use a light pigment of liner on the bottom waterline only (not all around).
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or want help finding more info about applying dramatic black eye makeup, feel free to comment below!
