The gray eyes have it

While nude, neutral eyes are timeless, a smoldering gray gaze is one of this season's hottest looks. Less harsh than black and more fresh than brown, grays can make your eye makeup look instantly fresh and on trend.

Choose lighter grays and silvers for a more subtle, ethereal look. If you want something more dramatic, layer on the deeper shades of pewter, heather and charcoal gray. The best part is that, regardless of which shades you choose, grays trends to be easy to wear and easy to incorporate into makeup that you already have.

1. Your easiest bet: Gray eyeliner.

The easiest way to incorporate gray shades into makeup that you already own is to simply swap out your regular black or brown liner for a gray one. Remember that, because gray is also a neutral, a gray liner will work beautifully with a range of other colors.

When you're short on time and want a super easy makeup look, try lining your eyes with gray liner and then blending it out for a quick, softly smokey look.

To get maximum bang for your buck, invest in a high quality gray shadow that can pull double duty as an eyeliner or an eyeshadow. One of my current faves is Plantlove eyeshadow in Dove ($20, Sephora).

2. Gray was made for smokey eyes.

While the most traditional "smokey" eye relied heavily on black shadow, more recent times have seen a shift to a lighter, more wearable, smokey eye in pretty much any color you desire. Brown smokey eyes are popular, but gray eyes just look more fresh.

To make smokey gray eyes a breeze, invest in a great eyeshadow palette like Elizabeth Arden's Color Intrigue Eyeshadow Duo in Illusion ($24.50) or, for a more budget-friendly alternative, try Loreal's Wear Infinite Eye Shadow Quad in Rich Smokey Eyes ($7.49, Walgreens)

3. All that glitters is not gold.

For an absolutely fabby party look, smoke out your eyes in shades of shimmering silver and pewter. If you really want to amp up your look, layer on a glittering gray shadow (just beware the disco ball effect). Try Tarte's Lock & Roll Creaseless Eyeshadow Duo in Slate or Gunmetal ($17, Sephora). It provides a shimmery, smooth-wearing liquid shadow on one end and a perfectly matched glittery powder on the other.

While the gray eye trend may come and go, the color gray is still classic and neutral enough that you can wear it year-round...and for years to come.