DIY Homemade Kajal for Smouldering Smokey Eyes

Remember Deepika Padukone’s Piku look? The gorgeous Bollywood star got everyone swooning with her kohl-laced eyes. But, she is not the only star to rock that look. Actors like Kareena Kapoor, Bipasha Basu and Sonakshi Sinha have also been spotted with flawless kajal smeared eye makeup.

The kajal or kohl has an interesting history. It’s not only our contemporary Bollywood stars who are in support of the effortless eye makeup. Kohl has been a favourite even among ancient Egyptians and Romans! The earliest known use of kohl as an eye makeup dates back to Egypt’s Protodynastic period in 3100 BC. This was long before Nefertiti’s reign. Unlike us, Egyptians depended on homemade kajal and these were long-lasting. Historians have also found traces of kohl in ancient Roman societies and also among the Greeks.

The Global Kohl Trend

While Indians have always been fond of the kajal, the worldwide trend erupted with the discovery of Nefertiti’s bust. In 1912, a German Egyptologist by the name of Ludwig Borchardt made his biggest discovery in Amarna, Egypt. It was the bust of Nefertiti, an ancient Egyptian Queen known for her radiating beauty. The bust threw light into Nefertiti’s perfectly symmetrical features, her long neck and well-defined cheekbones. Her almond-shaped eyes were adorned with a black line of kohl, propelling the eyeliner trend across the globe.

DIY Homemade Kajal

Although the market is flooded with several drugstore and high-end options, it’s always fun to make your own product. Making a homemade kajal is a fairly simple process.

Things you need:

• A kansa plate. (The kansa/bronze metal plate has long been used in Indian households for its Ayurvedic properties. If you don’t know which the right one is, ask your mother for help!)
• Undiluted almond oil
• Cotton
• Ghee
• Spoon
• Almonds
• Clean container
• Matchstick

Method:

1. The process of making your very own homemade kajal begins with finely crushing almonds using pestle and mortar. Place the crushed almond along a rolled out cotton pad, as if stuffing it. Add 2 teaspoons of carom (ajwain) to this. Now, roll the cotton pad gently with the almond and ajwain stuffing along a thin roll.
2. Take an earthen lamp (diya) and fill it with ghee. Soak the rolled cotton in the ghee and place it gently with the head sticking out.
3. Now, take three bowls and place it along the diya like supporting pillars. Light the diya using a matchstick. Once lit, place the kansa plate on top of the bowl pillars. The flame of the diya should be in contact with the plate but not extinguish it.
4. Allow the diya to burn out completely. You will notice a black ash-like deposition on the inner side of the plate. Scrape this onto a clean container with a knife.
5. Mix a drop or two of almond oil to the black ash depending on the quantity collected. Use a spatula to mix it thoroughly and you will see it becoming sticky. Swatch on your hand to check the vibrancy of the kohl.
6. Now, close the lid of the container and store it in the refrigerator. Your own chemical-free homemade kajal is now ready!

Creating the Smokey Eye Look

There are no hard and fast rules for nailing the smokey eye look. You can do it anyway as long as you are having fun! There’s no better time than now, to begin the experimentation. If you are a beginner, we have your back.

1. Always begin with prepping your eyes with a primer. This helps to set the eye makeup better while making your skin prepared for what’s coming next.
2. Now that your eyes are prepped, begin with applying a mid-tone shade all along your eyelid. This will create the base for your overall smokey eye. You can use the greys and browns for this step.
3. This step involves the use of your homemade kajal. Take a pointed brush and apply a thin layer evenly along the upper lash line. You can wing it if you want.
4. In this step, take a dark shadow and layer it along the kajal. Now, take a brush and blend it halfway up the lid and into the lid shadow. Apply this along the lower lash line by gently pressing the brush on to the root of the lashes. Use your fingers to smudge it out properly. Softly dab the excess with a clean tissue.
5. If you want to bling it up, add a sparkly eye shadow along the upper lid and blend it thoroughly through the crease of the eye. You can use your fingers to add finesse and make it messy.
6. Finally, finish your smokey eye look by putting on mascara. Layer it up at least three times to flaunt well-defined lashes that compliment the dark eye makeup.