The perfect smoky eyeWe hope you love the products we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors. Just so you know, HuffPost UK may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Oh, and FYI – prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.Hard to master and virtually never out of style, the perfect smoky eye is a very powerful thing. But getting a smoky eye *just right* is an enigma that’s puzzled makeup lovers for decades.Some days, it might come out perfect with relative ease, but others? There’s no telling how long you’ll be standing in front of that mirror for, trying to get your eyes to look symmetrical and distinctly un-panda-like. The internet is full of videos of influencers coming up with new tips and tricks for getting the perfect smoky eye, but I wanted to chat to a true pro about it. So, I asked celebrity makeup artist Pamela Cochrane, who’s been crafting looks for Lana Del Rey since 2011, to give her absolute last word on the subject.Here are her step-by-step instructions on how she gets a perfect (and simple) smoky eye just right. Step 1: Start with an eye pencilPamela, whose work has appeared in the likes of Vogue, Dazed Beauty, and Elle, tells HuffPost UK: “Run a pencil along the lash line, thinner at the inner corner and gradually thicker towards the outer corner.”If your eyes are smaller and/or hooded, she adds that you might want to start in the centre of your lash line instead. Step 2: Smudge“With a small brush,” instructs the makeup pro, “smudge softly up and out.” Then, do the same thing with your lower lash line. Step 3: EyeshadowNow it’s time to really blur things out. Pamela says: “Press a similar or slightly lighter shade of powder eyeshadow over the pencil and blend upward and outward with a soft blending brush. Add a touch in the outer half of the crease for depth.”Step 4: Finishing touches If you like your smoky eyes to be really intense, Pamela says you should line along the waterline too. Then top your look off with mascara, and you’re all done.What to useAn artist needs great materials, after all. “Choose an easy-to-draw, easy-to-smudge pencil that has staying power,” recommends Pamela. “Pressing [a] powder shadow on top helps lock it in and gives a soft, slightly mattifying finish.”The following products are some of her favourites…And as for brushes? Pamela says: “I love Hakuhodo brushes – small eyeshadow and blending brushes, and a smudge brush are best.”Related…If You’re Tired Of Clean Girl Makeup, You’re Not The Only OneWe Scoured The Internet For Makeup That’ll Last In The Wind And RainThis Budget-Friendly K-Beauty Glossy Lip Tint Is A Staple In My Makeup Bag HuffPost UK – Athena2 – All Entries (Public) Read More