Gigi Hadid with the classic smokey fox eye look.
Credit: Shutterstock

In the late 2000s and in the early years of the following decade, the Smokey Eye was undoubtedly THE go-to for an on-point makeup look. If you’re looking for the indelible cultural proof of this eye makeup’s influence on an era heavily influenced by rock and glamour, look no further than the promotional shots from Beyoncé’s rhythmic album “I am… Sasha Fierce,” released in 2008. Even more of its undeniable presence is in “Keeping Up with the Kardashians!” While the smokey eye may have lost some ground as the 2020s approached, it’s now making a powerful comeback with a new trendy name: the Smokey Fox Eye.

 

Smokey Fox Eye: What’s the difference between the old and new version?

The smokey eye, yes, but the fox version, please! If you’re keeping tabs on makeup trends on social media, you’ve undoubtedly noticed all these eyes delicately enhanced with dark shades. But unlike the 2010s, the new smokey eye aims for a more elongated shape to mimic the alluring gaze of a fox. Gone are the days of darkening your look with a heavy layer of black eyeshadow—now, it’s the dark brown shades taking center stage. Eyeliner also plays a pivotal role, acting as the defining tool to reshape and dramatize the eye contour. This modern rendition of the smokey eye draws as much inspiration from its earlier iteration as it does from the Cut Crease technique.

 

How do you achieve this trending eye look?

To begin the smokey fox eye look, apply a primer to your eyelids, followed by a nude eyeshadow. Once the area is prepped, add a darker color to create depth between the moving and static parts of the eyelid. That’s when we deepen the gaze by applying a brown shade to the outer and upper part of the eye, extending it to meet the lower part. The eyeliner should then trace along the eye shape, extending delicately from the inner corner to the outer edge.