How to get Grace Atwood's everyday smoky eye

By: The Beauty Experts at L'Oréal Paris

A smoky eye can seem downright intimidating, especially when fast, simple, low-key looks reign supreme in your beauty bag. Enter the everyday smoky eye -- a daring look that's actually easy to pull out of your back pocket.

We recently enlisted the help of one of our favorite bloggers, Grace Atwood of The Stripe, and dared her to step outside her go-to look of winged liner and red lips by trying a bold smoky eye. The result? She cooked up a fresh and simple day-to-night look you can nail in just a few simple steps.

And, lucky for you, we took notes. Here's a step-by-step guide to achieving -- and actually pulling off -- this amazingly easy everyday smoky-eye look.

Step 1: Clean Your Lids
It's a simple step, but make sure your skin is clean and fresh before you begin applying primers and makeup. To avoid smudged liner and creased shadow, use an oil-free makeup remover.

Step 2: Apply a Primer
Another key to avoiding smudged eye makeup? Applying a thin coat of primer or eye-shadow base to just-cleansed skin. Swipe a small dab across the lid and up to the brow using your finger, patting until it dries. But remember, a little goes a long way!

Step 3: Choose Your Colors
For a natural look, you'll want to start building your smoky eye using lighter shades, gradually blending in the darker ones. Choose a light-to-medium brown for your crease (we really love the L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche La Palette in Nude 01 because it has all the neutrals you need in one place!), and blend from the outer corner of your crease toward the center of the eye. Brush in a gentle back-and-forth motion, making your way toward the inner eye.

Tip: Keep a clean brush on hand to blend the outer edge of the color up to the brow to create a more seamless, natural look.

Step 4: Add Some Depth
From your palette, choose a color that's two or three shades darker than your base color. Apply that color from the corner of the lid in a sideways V formation, along both the eyelid crease and along the lash line. For a look that really stands out, intensify the application with a light layer of an ultra-creamy brown shadow. The best part? You can simply use your fingers to quickly swipe it across your crease from the corner of your lid to the center. Blend the edges with your brush.

Tip: Blend your darker shadow along your lower lash line for an extra-sultry look. Use a clean brush to blend out the color for a faded, smoky effect.

Step 5: Make It Pop
Forget diamonds: Liquid liner is a girl's best friend. Used properly, it creates eye-popping definition and depth. Use a felt-tip liquid liner along your top lash line, but instead of lining in one fell swoop, draw small dashes from the inner corner of your eye. Same result, less stress!

Step 6: Top It Off
The right mascara can make or break your smoky-eye look, and we're in love with L'Oréal Paris Voluminous Superstar Mascara. For best results, coat each lash with the primer and immediately follow up with the mascara (don't wait for the primer to dry). Layer on a couple extra coats of mascara to make your lashes look like falsies!

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