Apply eyeliner.

Step One
First, prep the skin around your eye , then prep lids with a primer (like Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion). After blending concealer under the eyes, wet a small, flat brush and rub it across a black cake liner (like Clinique Water-Resistant Eyeliner). Pull the upper lid taut, and gently push the brush underneath and into the lashline. Your eyes will look wider and your lashes more defined.

Always: Curl your lashes for an eye-opener before you apply any makeup.
Blend color on eyelids.

Step Two
Trace the upper lashline with a thick, smudgy black or dark brown pencil (like Sue Devitt Eye Intensifier Pencil in Kenya), and blend it upward with your ring finger. The color should be sheer by the time you reach the browbone.

Always: If you have hooded lids, apply enough pencil so that it stays dense all the way to the browbone—the darkness will make the protruding area appear to recede.
Dust powder on eyelids.

Step Three
Dust translucent powder over the lids (try Skin Alison Raffaele Transparent Finish Loose Powder) to keep the color in place.

Never: Use concealer under your eye shadow or pencil. Makeup artists often see women do this in an effort to even out discoloration and to make eye shadow adhere. But, in fact, the concealer will quickly melt (and take the rest of your eye makeup with it).
Brush on powder shadow.

Step Four
Brush a powder shadow over the lid to tone down the color a bit. Here, Matin used a soft taupe (Laura Mercier Eye Colour in Whiskey). If you want to add a little more dimension to the color, layer green or gray on top instead.

Always: Concentrate liner and shadow on the outer corners if you have close-set eyes. The color can be more evenly distributed if your eyes are farther apart.
Completed daytime look.

Step Five
A coat of mascara finishes off a daytime look. (If you're looking for smoky evening eyes, keep going. ) Pull the wand through the outer lashes toward the temple, the inner lashes toward your nose, and the center lashes up toward your forehead.

Never: Apply mascara on the lower lashes—it can quickly look spidery. With just a coat on top, simply blinking will tint the bottom ones sufficiently.

From the February 2007 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine