Makeup For Hooded Eyes: Pro Tips On Eyeshadow, Eyeliner, And More

Makeup for hooded eyes can be tricky at times. The shape of a hooded eyelid makes it easy for makeup to smudge, transfer, and disappear under a fold of skin. One minute you think you’ve expertly applied hooded eye makeup, and then – poof – it’s (literally) gone with a blink of an eye.

But fret not: The key is to embrace your beautiful eye shape and work with what you have. Follow these hooded eyes makeup application rules, and learn how to make your eye makeup work for you.

What Are Hooded Eyes?

There are six main eye shapes – hooded, round, monolid, downturned, upturned and almond – and they are all beautiful in their own way. Many, many people have hooded eyes, whether they were born with them or they developed them with age.

Hooded eyes have a fold of skin that drops from the brow bone to the upper lash line. Because of this, the upper lid area tends to be less visible than in other eye shapes. Without tailored effort, eyeshadow, and even eyeliner, can disappear in the crease of a hooded lid.¹

How To Tell If You Have Hooded Eyes

Step in front of a mirror, and look at your beautiful eyes in the reflection. While you’re there, go ahead and tell yourself you look beautiful today. Mwah!

Now, back to the matter at hand. Examine your eye shape. Do you lack a natural crease in the center of your eyelid? Does your skin go straight down from your brow bone to your lashes? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you likely have hooded eyes.

If you have hooded eyes, there are some makeup application techniques that can really help them pop. Read on for eyebrow, eyeshadow, and eyeliner tips that will flatter your eye shape.

How To: Makeup For Hooded Eyes

Trick 1: Shape Your Eyebrows To Flatter Your Hooded Eyelid

The shape of your brows can really change the appearance of facial features (like eye size). Hooded eyelids can make your eyes look smaller. Because of this, you may want to use your brows to play up the natural angles of your face and make your eyes look bigger.

Here’s how:

makeup for hooded eyes | Beverly Hills MD 1. Pay attention to your eyebrow proportions. Grab a ruler and line it up with these points:

Straight up from the sides of your nose. This is where the inside of your eyebrows should start.
From the outer edge of your nose to the center of your eyeball. This is where your arch should land.
At an angle from the outer corner of your nose to the outer corner of your eye. This is where your eyebrows should end.

2. Clean up the shape. Consider a straight or low arch shape. This can help make your eyes look bigger and more open, a boon for a person with hooded eyes.

3. With your proportions and shape in mind, clean up your brows.

Brush them up.
Lightly trim errant hairs with small scissors.
Tweeze stray hairs that lay outside your desired proportions or shape.
Fill them in with a brow pencil liner or brow mascara.^2,3

Trick 2: Use Eyeshadow To Add Depth To Your Upper Lid

Here’s an easy-to-follow eyeshadow application tutorial for hooded eyes.

Step 1: Start With A Primer

If you’ve ever applied eye makeup on hooded eye shapes, you know that the smudge struggle is real. The anatomy of a hooded eyelid makes it easy for eye makeup to wear off.

Apply eyeshadow primer over the entire lid. Your daily concealer or foundation can work for this too.⁴

Step 2: Fake A Crease

hooded eye makeup | Beverly Hills MD

Rather than covering the entire lid with a base color, some makeup artists like to start with the crease color instead. Adding shadow to your crease first can anchor your eyeshadow look. If you can’t see your crease when your eyes are open, you can fake one with a dark shadow.

Using a small angled brush, apply a dark shade into your crease or on the eyelid space where you’d like to add a crease. Do this while your eyes are open, so you can see exactly where it will land.^5,6

Step 3: Apply A Base And Blend

Now that you’ve applied your crease color, you’ll want to apply color to the rest of your eyelid.

Use a flat brush to apply a lighter shade to the rest of the lid. The flat brush will help you “cut” through and define the crease line. This is also known as a “cut crease.”
Buff away any harsh lines between the base and the crease with a fluffy brush or a blending brush.⁷

Step 4: Go Back And Accentuate That Crease

One of the most common mistakes with hooded eyes makeup is a disappearing eye crease. At this point it helps to look into the mirror with open eyes and check your crease. Do you still see the initial line you drew?

Go back and add more pigment to your artificial crease if it has been buffed away.

Step 5: Highlight

hooded eye makeup | Beverly Hills MD Using a lighter shade of shadow as a highlighter can help give the appearance of bright eyes and lifted eyelids.

Take a small brush and press a light color into the inner corners of your eyes. A light shade of shimmer or glitter eyeshadow works well for this.

Step 6: Try Out A Smoky Eye

If you want a dramatic look, you can add some intensity here and try a smokey eye. If you want a more casual daytime look, skip this step.

Apply a darker shadow with a thin brush along your upper lash line and below your lower lash line. Blend well.

Trick 3: Apply Eyeliner So You Can See It

Applying eyeliner on hooded eyes can be tricky. There’s a chance that all of your hard work will disappear into the eyelid space when you open your eyes. With the right technique, however, it can be done.

Use liquid liner and focus on the outer corner of your eye where you are likely to see the product
Use a pencil liner and apply it to your upper waterline. This conserves eyelid space and ensures that the liner is visible.
Try the tightline technique where you gently rub pencil liner through the base of your upper lashes
Use gel liner to create a winged liner look that extends past your natural lid. This elongated winged look will be visible when your eyes are open.⁸

Trick 4: Give Your Lashes Some Love

Mascara is the perfect finishing touch to your hooded eye makeup look. If your goal is to make your eyes look bigger, mascara can really help.

Use an eyelash curler to increase the volume of your lashes in an instant.
Apply multiple coats of a waterproof mascara to your bottom and top lashes. Waterproof formulas may help prevent mascara from transferring onto your skin.

Now You: Try Out The Hooded Eye Makeup Look

If you’re blessed with hooded eyes, go ahead and try some of these techniques. You may be amazed at how different your eyes look when you add a more pronounced crease or some winged eyeliner. Have fun with it, take your time, and go out and show the world your new look.

Learn More:
How To Apply Mascara Like A Pro And Make Your Eyes Pop
Face Makeup: The Ultimate Step-By-Step Guide
How To Apply Eye Cream Properly

Sources
1. https://www.marieclaire.com.au/hooded-eyes
2. https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/different-eyebrow-shapes
3. https://www.elle.com/beauty/makeup-skin-care/tips/g11/eyebrow-shaping-tips/
4. https://www.buzzfeed.com/chrissymahlmeister/hooded-eye-makeup
5. https://www.byrdie.com/eye-makeup-for-hooded-eye-shapes
6. https://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/makeup/a30721166/how-to-do-a-cut-crease/
7. https://www.thetrendspotter.net/cut-crease/
8. https://www.bustle.com/articles/89909-9-eyeliner-tips-for-hooded-eyes-thatll-help-you-really-show-off-your-gorgeous-eye-shape

But fret not: The key is to embrace your beautiful eye shape and work with what you have. Follow these hooded eyes makeup application rules, and learn how to make your eye makeup work for you.