How to create Rosé’s smokey eye makeup look, according to Blackpink’s makeup artist

Blackpink’s main vocalist is known all too well by fans for her “golden voice”, angelic ever-blonde tresses, and her endearing love for food. Not forgetting, of course, her signature sultry, yet easy-to-wear smokey eye makeup.

The makeup that follows Roseanne Chaeyoung Park, better known as Rosé, in most of her photoshoots and frames her soft gaze on screen, her unique smokey eye lends itself to the K-pop star’s iconic look.

But, while we recognise the style at a glance, it’s not quite so easy when it comes to imitating it ourselves.

Lucky for us, Blackpink’s makeup artist, Maeng, has just released a YouTube video sharing how she does Rose’s signature smokey eye as well as the products she uses to do it!

Read on, because we share a step-by-step tutorial on how to wear a unique smokey eye makeup for a complete Rosé-esque style, according to none other than the star’s makeup artist herself.

1. Fill in the brows with eyeshadow

The brows aren’t the eyes but, since they frame the eyes, they can help you achieve a smokey eye style that looks closer to Rosé’s.

If you’re fortunate enough to have hair that’s a dusty pinkish blonde just like the K-pop idol’s iconic mane, then this brow tip will work best for you.

Blackpink’s makeup artist, Maeng, doesn’t go in straight with an eyebrow pencil; instead, she fills in the brows with a light eyeshadow to complement the model’s pink-blonde hair.

She uses Make Up For Ever’s Artist Color Shadow in the shade M536 Milk Tea and MAC’s Eyeshadow in the shade Omega to give the brows a soft “base”.

“Rosé’s brow makeup isn’t that thick,” Maeng remarks, “she just fills some of the empty spots”.

Blackpink’s makeup artist’s choice of brow pencil is the Shu Uemura Hard Formula Eyebrow Pencil in Walnut Brown, which she uses to create quick, short strokes across the eyebrow, mimicking the natural fine hairs.

2. Curl your lashes with a lash and half lash curler

We can pick up two handy tips with Maeng’s next step: first, curling your lashes should come before putting on eyeshadow, and second, don’t skip using a half lash curler.

Curling your lashes before you put on eyeshadow or eyeliner can help to widen your eyes and clearly reveal your eye shape. You’ll be able to sweep on your eye makeup with greater ease and such that it better complements your features.

Maeng holds the Shiseido Lash Curler (known for working particularly well on Asian lashes) close to the lash line and presses down multiple times. Then, she uses the MAC Half Lash Curler to reach the lashes at the inner and outer corners of the eye, also squeezing down more than once.

3. Sweep on a light brown eyeshadow

“The eye makeup for today is a semi-smokey makeup with coloured lines,” Maeng describes.

To achieve this, she begins with eyeshadow, using the Bobbi Brown Eye Shadow in Taupe. She brushes the subtle grey-brown shade onto the lids to create a base while explaining that the shading doesn’t have to be dark for a “semi-smokey look”.

She sweeps the eyeshadow onto the model’s lids and stops right underneath the gentle concave of the brow bones; an “almond size” amount is just enough, she advises.

Instead of stopping right at the outer corner of the eyes, she also extends the milky-brown eyeshadow further out to the sides, while having the model keep her eyes open.

4. Fill in your waterline with waterproof, liquid eyeliner

After the base eyeshadow comes eyeliner. “To make it more long-lasting, we’ll be using a waterproof product,” Maeng emphasises, “but be sure to use the ones in liquid when you put makeup close to the eye.”

For her, the MAC Liquidlast 24-hour Waterproof Liner in Black is what fits the bill. Instead of applying the eyeliner directly, she uses the By Maeng #01 brush, a thin and angled liner brush, to pick up the product.

“Just dip the tip of it [into the product],” she explains. “If you want to make your brush sharper, get a tissue and press it hard with the products on.”

She presses down on both sides of the brush, which flattens it and makes it sharper. Then, she dips the tip of the brush into the product again, and it’s good to go.

To colour in your waterline, do what Maeng does and lift the eyelid up, then use the brush to gently tap along the entire line. “You don’t have to draw it – just give it a gentle tap.”

5. Draw the eyeliner wing with a gel liner

To create the eyeliner wings, you can swap your liquid eyeliner with a gel one. Maeng uses the MAC Pro Longwear Fluidline Eye Liner and Brow Gel in Blacktrack. She explained that you should keep your gaze forward while extending the eyeliner out in a straight, horizontal line.

“Try not to draw it down[wards],” she emphasises. Doing so will cause your eyes to look droopier.

Should you have naturally drooping eyelids, you can also slant the wing slightly upwards to create an illusion of more lifted, open eyes.

If you accidentally create any wiggly lines, don’t panic because you can simply touch them up with your brush. Just “go with the line that your brush creates”, is Maeng’s advice; this will help you achieve a crisp, clean wing that you want for a Rosé-type smokey-eye makeup.

6. Cover the gaps with a deep eyeshadow

The lashes can often make it difficult for you to colour in your eyeliner completely, resulting in gaps where your flesh peeks through. To fill in these holes, Maeng suggests using a deep eyeshadow like the Bobbi Brown Eye Shadow in Espresso.

“There’s a white line – just fill it in with a deep eyeshadow,” she explains.

She uses a makeup brush to pick up the eyeshadow and applies it to the eyelid, just above the eyeliner. “It’s easier when you use a short, dull brush,” she remarks, “but if it’s still hard, you can use the brush that draws a flat line.”

Then, she sweeps the eyeshadow upwards slightly (in a back and forth motion) above the eyeliner to create a slight graduation effect that lends to a semi-smokey eye look.

7. Apply long but less curly false eyelashes

The goal is to create eyes that are deeper and wider, which is why Maeng chooses lashes that are not so curly (curly lashes give the eyes a cuter, rounder shape) but still long enough to bring out the eyes.

When attaching the Eye Me #32 false lashes, she does so starting from the outer corners of the eyes to emphasise their width. She also attaches false lashes to the extended eyeliner line, past the outer corner of the eye to create eyes that are wider-looking.

8. Brush on volumising mascara

When it comes to applying the mascara, Maeng similarly starts from the outer corner of the eyes before applying the remaining product to the rest of the lashes.

She uses the Dior Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara, brushing it in quick upward motions while lifting the eyelid slightly.

9. Heat-curl your lashes with two wooden rods

Using a lighter, Maeng heats a wooden rod and places it under the model’s lashes. She holds a second wooden rod above the lashes and brushes the (first) heated rod in an upward motion against the eyelashes, curling them.

“While rolling them up, try to spread out the mascara that looks droopy or jammed,” she suggests, for lashes that are slightly spidery and cleanly lifted just like Rosé’s.

10. Give the under eyes a light shadow

“Most salons brighten up the [undereye] bags, but that’s not the case for Rosé’s style,” Maeng says.

Take a closer look at the K-pop star’s iconic smokey-eye makeup and you’ll realise that a light brown eyeshadow typically hugs the under eyes. Maeng takes the same Bobbi Brown Eye Shadow in Taupe that she used earlier, applying it from the inner to outer corners of the model’s under eyes.

She also extends the taupe eyeshadow to the ends of the eyeliner, which also helps to make the eyes look longer (just as she does with the false lashes and mascara).

Finally, at the innermost corner of the eye, she also brushes the eyeshadow in a gently curved motion, following the almond shape of the earlier applied eyeshadow.

11. Colour in a silver-grey just above the eyeliner

Waterproof crayons are the best products to use to keep your eye makeup smokey instead of smudged.

“You can also use shading products for the silverish colour, but the particles might fall into your eyes or get jammed within your eye line,” Maeng notes, “It also loses the colour.”

That’s why Maeng chooses to use CHANEL’s Stylo Yeux Waterproof in 42 Gris Graphite. She shades it on just above the eyeliner, following the eyeline, and then blurs the edges with a brush or swab before the product dries.

12. Touch up the outer corners of the eye with brown eyeshadow

Going back to Bobbi Brown’s Eye Shadow in Taupe, Maeng puts the finishing touches on the smokey eye by applying the eyeshadow to the outer corners, just above the wings.

13. Finish with lower lashes

Finally, complete Rosé’s iconic smokey eye makeup with the finishing touches: lower lashes!

For the lower lashes, you can either use mascara to darken and lengthen the lashes or use falsies to supplement your natural lashes.

Since the model has short lower lashes, Maeng attaches false lashes to her under-eyes.

“For the eyelashes on the outer part, make it look like it’s opening the sides up [by] just [making] it straight,” Maeng explains. Rather than follow the curved line of your undereye, you should attach the outer lashes slightly lower so that they follow a straight line instead.

Check out the full video below!