A super quick and wearable smoky eye

As the days are growing ever shorter (and colder) it's less and less tempting to get out of bed. Now I don't think that anybody should feel the need to wear makeup to work but if you do want to put something on but don't want to spare more than 5 minutes, then this long lasting smoky eye is for you.

Step one is to swipe on a creamy eye stick and I absolutely love No7's Stay Perfect Shade and Define in Cool Mink. This is a lovely sheeny eye crayon in a cool mink hue. It's buildable to a fairly strong colour or you can blend it out and leave it as a pretty wash. For a quick smoky eye I like to swipe over the lid and pat with my finger, before following with a powder so I know it will last through the longest work day.

Step two, the powder I use is a shade from Pixi's Mesmerizing Mineral Palette in Rich Gold which is pretty much the exact same shade as the shadow stick. I use the second shade down and simply blend over the lid with a fluffy brush. If you want a slightly darker but less shimmery shade, opt for the fourth down.

You could easily leave it here, pop on some mascara and run out the door but using the same palette you can easily amp up the volume a bit.

Step three, adding a little of the palest shade in the palette to the inner corner will brighten up the eyes, and dabbing the third shade down with a finger in the centre of your lid will add dimension. Smoke it out under the lid with the second shade again if you want to add some wearable drama.

There you have it, a really easy smoky eye that is still wearable to the office but looks like you've made loads of effort. The mid bronze shades are really flattering and wearable and pair well with any lip combination. You could easily opt for a nude in the day and switch up to a bold berry shade for some after work drinks! The shadow stick is a real hidden gem with great lasting power but adding the powder on top helps it literally last through 10 hours if you work long shifts or commute to work.

No7's Stay Perfect Shade and Define in Cool Mink, £8, Pixi's Mesmerizing Mineral Palette in Rich Gold, £15