Recreate Cara Delevingne's smoky eyes in 5 simple steps

Cara Delevingne's latest YSL campaign has made us fall in love with the LBD of makeup, the smoky eye, all over again. So sexy, yet so simple – and it's easy to do, too.

YSL's Makeup Artist for Northern Europe, Fred Letailleur gave us the inside info on how Cara's rock 'n' roll smoky eye was created, and it's not nearly as hard as you'd think.

Cosmo's Online Beauty Editor, Bridget, takes you through it in 5 simple steps. Make this your Friday night makeup must-do:

STEP 1: Prep + prime 

After your moisturiser, eye cream and foundation, begin by prepping the eye area with an illuminating concealer, like YSL Touche Éclat (£25). Map out the strokes with the pen applicator (focus on the lower inner corner of the eye) and blend in using your fingers or a foundation brush. This will give the effect of instant beauty sleep, ready for the smoky eye. Now prime your eyelids to make sure your eye shadow lasts longer and doesn't crease. We used the YSL Couture Eye Primer (£23.50), applying with the finger all over the eye up to the brow.

STEP 2: Brown base 

Use a rich brown eye shadow (like Cara we used the third from the left in the YSL Couture Variation Palette £49) over the eyelid, applied with the large end of the brush provided to keep the coverage soft and sheer. This can be applied up the brow.

King of the Booth

STEP 3: Black out  

Apply a black eye pencil all over the eye lid and underneath, then blend this with a denser bristled brush end (we used the shorter one from Couture Variation Palette). For a bold effect, use the same pencil into the upper inner rim of the eyelid as well. This creates an intense, dark smoke around the eye shape.

King of the Booth

STEP 4: Brighten up  

Using a pearlescent shade (we used the third from the right in the Couture Variation Palette), blend the colour from the inside corner of the eye outwards to the middle of the eyelid.

King of the Booth

STEP 5: Get lashed 

Layer the eyelashes with a false-lash effect mascara. We, like Cara, used the YSL Luxurious Mascara for False Lash Effect in High Density Black (£25).