Makeup for your Eye Shape

If you’ve ever tried to do makeup on yourself or someone else, you’ll know that everyone’s eyes are not always the same. There are many different eye shapes as well as combinations of eye shapes that make doing your makeup different from the next person. Here are some tips to identify your eye shape and makeup best suited for your shape. 

Almond-Shaped/Upturned Eyes

To identify if you have almond-shaped eyes, look in the mirror and see if you can see the white part of your eye above or below your iris. In most  cases, part of the iris is covered by the upper or lower lid. Almond eyes tend to be narrower in the inner and outer corner of the eye. While upturned eyes are when your eyes seem to turn upward rather than downward, they are often lumped with almond-shaped eyes because they are addressed similarly.​ Here are some tips if you think you have almond-shaped eyes. 

Eyeshadow:

• Apply a light shade all over lines to add depth

• Apply a medium shade in sideways “V” shape on the outer corner

• Apply even darker color over the medium shade but concentrate on the outer edge

• Use pointed and precise brushes because there isn’t a lot of space on the lid

• Use sparkly shades to accentuate the eyelid size

• Don’t apply shadow too low or far inward on the lower lash line because it can become overwhelming 

Eyeliner:

• Eyeliner in lower lash line can close off the already narrow eye

• Avoid doing thick eyeliner and stick close to the lash line

• If you do lower eyeliner, don’t take it all the way to your inner corner 

Eyelashes:

• Use mascara or false lashes to open up the eyes

Close-Set Eyes

To determine if your eyes are close-set, measure the length of your eye with your index finger and thumb. Then move that measurement to the space between your eyes. If the area your fingers created (the length of your eye) is bigger than the space between your eyes, you have close-set eyes. If the space is the same length, you have average spaced eyes. Here are some tips for applying makeup to make your eyes seem further apart or to accentuate their spacing. 

Eyeshadow:

• Use eyeshadow a couple of shades lighter for the inside corner of the eyelid and underneath the eye

• Keep darker shades on the outer third of the eye

• Push out eyeshadow rather than pull in towards the nose

• Apply lighter shades on inside and darker shades on outside

• Apply highlight/shimmer shades more into nose shadow

Eyeliner:

• Keep eyeliner thin but wing it out far

• Thicker liner on the outside lid rather than the inside

• Connect lower lash eyeliner and upper eyeliner

• Avoid putting eyeliner on the inner corner and creating a shadow

Eyebrows:

• Start filling in brows a little bit farther in to give the illusion of a bigger space between the eyebrows

• Focus brow highlight shade to make the area look bigger 

Eyelashes:

• Pull mascara wand out and upwards

• False lashes should be thicker on the outside and thinner on the inside

• Focus mascara on the outer lashes from the center of the lashes outward

• Use false lashes that are shorter on the inner corner and flare out on the outer corner

Wide-Set Eyes

You are going to perform the exact same process as the previous to determine if your eyes are wide-set. Measure the length of your eye with your index finger and thumb. Then move that measurement to the space between your eyes. If the area your fingers created (the length of your eye) is smaller than the space between your eyes, you have wide-set eyes. If the space is the same length, you have average spaced eyes. Here are some tips for applying makeup to make your eyes seem closer together or to accentuate their spacing. 

Eyeshadow:

• Use dark shades 

• Blend towards the nose rather than outward

• Focus blending in the crease

• Add more shadows to the inner corner to give the illusion of a slimmer nose bridge 

• Try to avoid a highlight shade on the inner corner

Eyeliner:

• Avoid a wing

• Extend liner into the inner corner to give more of a cat-shape

Eyebrows:

• Start highlighting right under the arch 

• Start filling in brows father inward to your nose to give the impression of less space between your brows

Eyelashes:

• Try to blend mascara inward 

• Choose false  eyelashes that are the same length all the way across or longer on the inside

• Focus mascara on the middle and inner corners

The Monolid

If, when you look in the mirror, your eyelid doesn’t crease, then you have a monolid. You may also have flatter eyelids and less prominent brow bones than those with a more prominent lid. Monolids are most common in those of Asian descent. Here are some tips for applying makeup to give the illusion of a crease and/or to make the most of the space you do have.

Eyeshadow:

• Highlight the center of the lid with a lighter/shimmer/sparkly shade rather than the whole lid (halo effect)

• Create  a vertical gradient effect by applying  the darkest shade close to the lash line and the lightest color up towards the eyebrows 

• Use a light color to shape out the natural orbital bone of where the shadow is (use the tap method rather than the swipe)

  • The orbital bone stops when you can press in, and the skin folds over the brush

• Leave space under orbital bone light and soft

• Creme eyeshadows might lock better onto the lid instead of powder which might crease when the lid gets the natural grease 

Eyeliner:

• Try to avoid just doing super thick eyeliner 

• Winged eyeliner will elongate your eye

• Concentrate the liner at the end of eye

• Use nude or light liner on the lower lash line to open up eyes

• Mark the eyeliner when the eye is open, and then just fill in with the eyes closed from that line

• Fill liner into lashes if your natural lashes are on the thin side

Eyebrows:

• Keep eyebrows groomed and out of the eyelid

• Wear eyeshadow higher to the brow because there is a lot of space

Eyelashes:

• Curl your lashes 

• Clamp lashes and lift

• Curl at three intervals (base, middle, and outer)

• Use thin long false lashes versus heavy, thick ones that weight down the lid

Deep-Set Eyes

To determine if you have deep-set eyes, examine the socket and the lid. If your eyes are deeper in the socket, giving the appearance of a smaller, shorter lid, then you might have deep-set eyes. It may also seem like your brow bone is bigger because of how deep your eyes are in the sockets. Here are some tips for applying makeup to make your eye look farther out of the socket and to accentuate the lid rather than the brow bone.

Eyeshadow:

• Keep dark shadows  as far away from the inner part of the eye

• Keep the light/light shimmers in inner two thirds 

• Apply transition shades higher than your crease and almost on the brow bone

• Flick eyeshadow up like an eyeliner wing rather than create a circle

• Keep lower lash line shadow in the outer half and then blend the darker shade out with a lighter shade 

Eyeliner:

• Avoid thick liner on the inside for the eye

• Eyeliner should be tight-lined to the lash line on the inner half of the eye and can remain thin or be smoked out in the outer half

  • Tightlining is when you lift your lashes and use the eyeliner underneath the lashes to give the impression of a thicker lash line

• Lighter brown/nude liner would be better

• Keep the wing under the crease

Eyebrows:

• The brow bone is set out farther than the eye socket, so the key is to make the brow bone seem to recede 

• Avoid the white highlights on the brow bone, and create a soft definition instead with a more skin tone/ light brown on the brow bone

Eyelashes:

• Waterproof mascaras are best for deep-set eyes

  • When the eyelashes touch the naturally greasy eyelid, it begins to break down the mascara 

Face:

• Correct the darkness with a concealer a shade or two lighter than your skin color, and apply/blend everything up rather than around the eye

Protruding Eyes

To determine if you have deep-set eyes, examine the socket and the lid. If your eyes are farther out in the socket, towards the upper lash line, then you may have more protruding eyes. Here are some tips for applying makeup to elongate the eye.

Eyeshadow:

• Avoid  application of highlight, shimmer, or a light shade over the lid

• Start with the darkest color on the lid

• Avoid putting the darker color on the brow bone

• Don’t need to create a crease

• Use more matte shades instead shimmer

Eyeliner:

• A long wing will elongate your eyes

• Have the thickest part of the eyeliner in the center of the eye and thinner towards the edges or use the same thickness all over

• Draw wing of eyeliner with eye open 

Eyelashes:

• Focus most of the mascara on the outer lashes

Hooded/Downturned Eyes

If you have hooded eyes, your eyelid your skin above your orbital bone hangs down over the crease. This causes the eyelid to look smaller and, in some cases, be invisible when your eyes are open. Many people are born with hooded eyes, but this also an occurrence that happens as people age. While downturned eyes are when your eyes seem to droop lower and turn downward instead of upward, they are often lumped with hooded eyes because they are addressed very similarly. Here are some makeup tips to make you look like you have a visible crease, to take advantage of the limited space, and to trick the eye into thinking your eye appears another way.

Eyeshadow:

• Keep eyeshadow higher, so it’s visible when you open your eyes

• Try not to emphasize the hood

• Use a lighter shade on the little bit of lid space that is seen

• Don’t drag darker color to the inner part of the eye

• Keep lower lash liner and dark eyeshadow on the outer third

• Use brushes that are small to be very focused with makeup application

• Use lighter/shimmer shade on the inner eye to make you look more awake

Eyeliner:

• Use an eyeliner applicator that you have more control of 

• Don’t start winging the liner until the crease has ended

• Tightline the upper lash line

• Recommend a lighter eyeliner on the lower lash line

• Use a waterproof liner to prevent creasing

Eyebrows:

• Recommend a brow with an arch

• Place shimmer very close the arch instead of farther down

Eyelashes:

• Use a waterproof mascara, so the mascara doesn’t transfer onto the lid

• Use mascara to open up the eye on both the top and bottom

Face:

• Always prime and set your eyes to prevent creasing from natural eyelid grease

Round Eyes

To identify if you have round eyes, look in the mirror and see if you can see the white part of your eye above or below your iris. If you can see the white above and below your iris, your eyes are more round. It doesn’t have to be a lot of white because even a sliver counts are rounder compared to almond-shaped eyes. Round eyes typically appear less tapered off at the inner and outer corner as well as seeming to be more open. Here are some tips if you think you have round eyes to elongate the eyes.

Eyeshadow:

• Avoid bringing dark eyeshadow into the inner corner

• Focus eyeshadow in the large sideways “V” shape from the outside

• Round eyes really pull off darker shimmer shades 

• When elongating the eye highlighting the inner corner is very important

• Create a false wing with eyeshadow

Eyeliner:

• Flick eyeliner up 

• Line the upper lash line with black or a darker color

• Start eyeliner a third of the way in your eye

• Really wing out that eyeliner to elongate the eye

• Avoid closing off the eye with heavy, dark upper and lower eyeliner

Eyelashes:

• Only apply mascara to the upper lashes if you don’t want to seem like your eyes are rounder

• Applying mascara on the bottom lashes will make your eyes open up and make you look like a doll

• False lashes that are longest on the outer part rather than the inner part

• Focus mascara on the outer half of eyelashes

Remember that all eye shapes and types are beautiful in their own way. No one should have to be anything they don’t want to be. I encourage you to try out these new ways you may have learned to compliment your eyes. 

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