How to master the brown smoky eye, according to Deepika Padukone’s go-to makeup artist

There’s a reason beauty entrepreneur and makeup artist Sandhya Shekar is the go-to for everything from red-carpet radiance to the perfect brown smoky eye on Bollywood’s most photographed faces. Having created some of the most memorable beauty looks for Deepika Padukone, Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif, among others, Shekar’s approach is equal parts technique and intuition, rooted in the belief that makeup should enhance, not overpower.

At a masterclass hosted as part of the Vogue Beauty & Wellness Honours 2025, in partnership with Tira, Shekar chose to spotlight one of the most deceptively difficult eye looks: the brown smoky eye. Often reduced to muddy pigments or overly graphic shapes, it’s a technique that demands subtlety, smart layering and a deep understanding of face structure—skills Shekar brings in spades.

The founder of Mokae Beauty doesn’t believe in black smoky eyes, at least not for real life. “Stop doing black smoky eyes,” she said, to a roomful of knowing laughs. “Unless it’s for a theme shoot or fashion editorial, it’s very easy to get wrong.” Black eyeshadow is hard to blend, easy to overdo, and often ends up looking too harsh. “It can be ageing and make the eye look smaller. Browns are more flattering on Indian skin; they give you warmth, richness and so many ways to build drama without overpowering your face.”

What followed wasn’t just a step-by-step tutorial, but a beauty philosophy in motion: one that favours softness over drama, richness over contrast and skin that still looks like skin. Below, her most essential tips on how to nail the brown smokey eye, and make it look expensive, wearable, and completely your own.

#1 Start with a primer and skip the concealer

Most of us reach for concealer when priming our lids, but Shekar takes a different approach. “When I’m working on Indian skin, I love using a colourless primer. It helps keep the makeup looking as natural as possible,” she explains.

“With concealer, the skin gets very dry, the moisture gets sucked out, and it adds five years,” she says. A sheer primer that grips pigment without dulling the skin’s natural undertone is the way to go, according to Shekar. “We don’t have to do what we did 10 years ago. Makeup tech has advanced. We don’t need to use concealer everywhere anymore.”

#2 Pencil first, powder next, cream to finish

A rich, brown smoky eye isn’t about pigment, it’s about layers. Shekar begins with a dark brown pencil smudged across the lid to create depth. Then comes a soft, earthy powder to diffuse the lines, followed by a tap of cream or liquid pigment to add sheen.