Beauty Basics: Eye Priming

Are you ready? Are you sitting down? I'm about share some serious makeup tips with you. I'm talking about the best kept secret in makeup. OK... Maybe the 2nd best - I can't compete with the secret to Kylie Jenner's #natural lips.

BUT this is pretty good too. It's a super easy guide to give all of your eye ~lewks~ the professional edge. So pull up your vanity stools and settle in for the whopping 3 steps it takes to look great every time!

It's all about priming your eye. When I say “prime eye” I don’t mean the product primer. I mean priming your eye to get it ready for your look. I use priming about 99% of the time for whatever makeup I’m doing. Bright eyeshadow? Primed eye. Smokey eye? Primed eye. Natural smokey? Primed eye. Fresh brunch makeup? Primed eye. It is the perfect way to start every look, and it’s legit the best kept secret in makeup.

If videos are your jam check out the full video tutorial!

Or scroll down for an easy to follow my complete step-by-step guide!

As always, check out our D-eye-gram if you ever need more clarity on the various terms we’re throwing out!

Step 1: Eye Primer

So now I mean the actual product. Take an eye primer and sweep it under the eyebrow down to the lashline. The layer should be super thin and cover the entire lid area. For this, I love MAC Prep + Prime 24 Hour Eye Base. It holds the product all day and keeps creasing at bay. Using a brush for this is optional. If you do opt to brush the product on - use a stiff bristled brush like the MAC 242 brush.

Step 2: Highlight

Now we're going to brighten up the eyes with some brow highlight. Every beauty culture look out there wants your eyebrow bone highlighted so I threw it in with my every-look-eye-priming-routine. Use a stiff bristled brush to sweep a skin tone color with shimmer eyeshadow under the eyebrow down into the crease. I prefer something with a metallic shimmer rather than sparkly or glittery finish. I like MAC 'Shroom' using the 252 brush.

Step 3 - This is it - the last step: Define the Crease

I get it - this kinda seems like this would depend on the look you're going for, right? W-R-O-N-G! This is the 'secret'. This step is going to give you a blueprint to follow for the rest of your look and give you a neutral color to blend the rest of your look to. Trust me - this is crucial.

Take a fluffy brush - I love the MAC 217 - and work a warm brown, like MAC texture, into the bristles. Dig your brush into the crease of your eye and go back and forth, working the color into your crease, and using little circles to get above and below the crease.

I hear you - a warm brown??? Is this chick serious? Firstly, no one will notice that warm brown. It’s not the focus, and it’s not meant to be pretty or even seen. You're going to use it to blend the rest of the look and prevent those colors from creeping up too high. Your smokey eye should blend into the crease, and not take over your lid and go up to the eyebrow (no more raccoon eyes yay!). By defining your crease with this neutral you give yourself a threshold to keep your bright and bold colors where you want them and give you some definition on your lighter looks.

That's it! Easy, right? Did you try it out? Tell us how it went in the comments!

Want to take this tutorial with you? Check out our how-to guide!