A Beauty Editor's Go-To Eye Makeup Look You Can Do Right From Home

I can't help myself—I’ve started to feel all sorts of sparkly again. Lately, I’m all about bubbly moments, lots of laughs, and dressing to the nines (OK, maybe sevens or eights). To prove my point, I’ve been reaching for shimmery eye shadow more often, and it's quickly becoming a go-to for dinner outings.

The aesthetic isn’t flashy, though—it’s surprisingly understated. For me, the sparkle is about less megawatt and more candlelit—less dazzling, and more dashing.

I have a hunch that the revival of moody makeup (freshly dubbed "indie sleaze" by the TikTok crowd) has influenced me. As someone who spent her 20s in the era of full-faced YouTube tutorials and pristine, bright Instagram aesthetics, seeing makeup that feels undone is a much-needed breath of fresh air.

I was particularly inspired by makeup artist Donni Davy's advice in a story about makeup aesthetic: "In order to nail the look, it really shouldn't look like you put any real effort, which actually makes it pretty easy to achieve," Davy says.

I've found the easiest way to achieve it is to tight-line the eye area with a black pencil liner (I'm into this Victoria Beckham Beauty Satin Kajal Liner in Black.) Celebrity makeup artist Jenny Patinkin once told me that you should get the liner as close to the waterline as possible—and that when you can hear the lashes ruffling as you etch on the liner, that's when you know you're in the right spot. The idea here is to create a base for the shadow to eventually blend with, creating that hazy effect.

From there, I go in with my shadow of choice: Gunmetal, a dark brassy metallic that brings just the right amount of edge. I've been drawn to options that have a warm taupe undertone because I think it works better with my complexion and eye coloring—but there are stunning shades that skew more silver, cool-toned, and mauve.

For the more creamy textured shadows, I use my fingers to apply. (My preferred method of application for most days.) I simply pick up a small amount of pigment with my ring finger, and smudge it into the lash line, blending out onto the lid. (Depending on the shadow of choice, you may need to work to blend it a bit more thoroughly—some creams are dense with pigment.) I repeat this process until I get the desired intensity, which is thick at the root, but then dissipates out as you work up the lid. I don't apply anything higher than my crease.

For powders, it's a similar situation, but instead of my fingers, I pick up a small shadow brush. But I always start at the lash line and blend out and up. It's sultry, appropriately messy, and takes all of a few seconds. This glam should be completed with a coat or two of mascara to really play up the drama.