How to Apply Vamp Eye Makeup

Theda Bara, early onscreen vamp

Despite their high sizzle factor, sultry vamp eyes don't call for a lot of time fussing with tricks like contouring and contrasting in front of the mirror. If you deem yourself ready to lure and mesmerize onlookers wherever you go, making over your eyes is the best place to begin. Here are the secrets to unleashing the hypnotic power wielded by steamy vamp eyes.

Things You'll Need

• Foundation
• Eye makeup primer
• Darker than usual brow color
• Dark eyeliner or dark eyeshadow and eye smudge brush
• Stiff angled brush and black creme eyeliner
• Eyelash curler
• Black thickening mascara
• Optional strip lashes

Instructions

1. Apply foundation over clean eyelids and under the eyes. Dot on and blend an eye makeup primer over lids to prep eyes for color.

2. Groom and shape eyebrows. Make sure there are no strays underneath your brow line or in between your brows over the bridge of your nose. Glamorous stylized eyebrows are a must for vamp eyes, so have on hand a brow powder or pencil slightly darker than what you normally use for extra definition. Use feather-soft strokes to get the color on without harsh lines. Focus on the arches of your brows for a little added drama.

3. 

   Define the eyes. You have a choice between thick eyeliner or a dark but soft and smoky shadow rimming the entire eye. To simply line eyes, use a deep shade of eyeliner. It need not necessarily be black. Shades reminiscent of blood, like a deep wine or a reddish brown work just as well. When lining the eyes, do not leave any spaces between your eyeliner and your lashes. To use shadow, work it around the eyes as you would a liner, but lay it on more thickly. Soften hard lines with an eye smudge brush and blend outer corners upwards for a sleek cat eye effect.

4. 

   Tightline eyes. Use a stiff angled brush to press black creme eyeliner underneath top lashes. You may also use a creamy black pencil. This brings out the shape of your eyes more and gives you a lusher looking lash line.

5. Curl eyelashes. You may use a thickening mascara in black on top lashes and leave it at that, or you may apply a pair of strip lashes instead followed by the mascara. Clean up any product fallout under the eyes.

Tips & Warnings

• Pair with deep toned lips to complete the look.

• A matte or at least a demi-matte finish is what works best here. Shimmer and shine detract from the sooty quality of your glare.