Applying makeup for small eyes is similar to applying makeup for any other eye shape. You’ll contour some areas, highlight others, and conceal some, too. Read on to learn all of the best small eyes makeup tricks so you can try them for yourself. It’s truly amazing how much you can change your look.
Eye Makeup Tips For Small Eyes
Accentuate Your Brows
You can think of your eyebrows as the perfect sidekick for your eyes. Maintaining the shape and condition of your brows can help you look more alert and put together. To help your eyes look bigger, ask your brow stylist to slightly raise your brow arch. Arched brows give you more lid space between your eyes and your brows, which calls attention to the eyes.
Try this: Depending on your face shape, you may ask your brow stylist to raise your arch, move your arch outward, or subtly darken your brows. This can help make your eyes look wide set and large.1
Conceal Dark Circles
Dark circles have a way of making eyes look small and closed-in. To brighten up your eye area, use a high quality, illuminating concealer to cover dark circles.
Try this: Pick up a concealer that’s slightly lighter than your foundation color. Dab it under your eye in an upside-down triangle shape (rather than a U right below your eye). This will help it look more natural. Be sure to get the inner corners of your eyes. Pat the concealer into your skin, and follow it up with the rest of your makeup routine.2
Contour Your Eyelids
Contouring your eyelids is a great way to apply makeup for small eyes. This technique can help create the illusion of deeper set eyes that pop. Contouring is all about using light and dark shades to highlight and deepen. If you’d like to try this, remember this rule of thumb: light colors reflect light, and dark shades deepen shadows.
Try this: Cover your entire lid with a matte shade that’s slightly lighter than your skin tone. This will be your base. Now, take a darker shade of shadow that’s a few shades darker than your skin tone and apply it to your crease. Creating a shadow here will make your eye socket look deeper. Finally, use a light, shimmery shade to highlight the middle part of your lid and the inner corners.3
Add Highlights Strategically
Another word on highlights: they can really help open up the eye area. Try a shimmery shadow pencil or a creamy shadow in a light color for this.
Try this: Apply a dusting of highlighter in the inner corner of your eyelids near your tear duct and below the arches of your eyebrows.4
Apply Black Liner To Your Upper Waterline
Applying eyeliner to your upper waterline is a technique called tightlining. This technique is loved by makeup artists for its subtle but powerful ability to define the eyes and make lashes look heavier. It’s a great technique to use if you have small eyes.
Try this: First, curl your lashes. Then pick up a soft, black pencil liner. Gently raise up your eyelid with your fingers, and apply the eyeliner to your waterline. For small eyes, it’s best to only tightline your upper lid with black and use nude (or nothing) on your lower lid.5
Add A Wing To Your Eyeliner
Winged eyeliner can range from a dramatic to a subtle flick at the end of otherwise natural-looking liner. Wings of all sizes can have an eye-opening effect.
Try this: For a cat eye, line your upper eyelid and extend the line all the way out to your crease area. The angle should follow the line of your lower lashes. For a more subtle wing look, line your upper lash line and continue the line only slightly beyond your eyes.6
Avoid Black Under Your Eyes
When applied under the eyes, black liner can make your eyes look small and boxed in. This is especially true if you extend the black liner all the way to the inner corner of your eyes.
Try this: Instead of black, try a white eye pencil or nude eyeliner on your lower waterline. If you can’t stand to part with black liner under your eyes, try applying it only to the outer portion of your lower waterline.7
Go Big On Your Lashes
To help your eyes stand out, add volume to your eyelashes. You’ll want to pull out your favorite lash curler and your best volumizing mascara in black. Fuller lashes can give your eyes a bigger impact.
Try this: Curl your eyelashes, ensuring that you fully cup the lashes in the curler up to the roots. Hold the curler in position for a few seconds to strengthen the curl. Then take your volumizing mascara and layer on two coats. For a dramatic look, apply mascara to your bottom lashes, too.
Focus On Skincare
The true key to gorgeous eyes may have more to do with skincare than makeup. Dark circles, swollen eyelids, wrinkles, and puffiness can make your eyes look smaller. Your best bet is to step up your skincare routine to address these issues, and stick with it.
Try this: Step up your skincare routine. Cleanse, gently exfoliate, tone, use a serum, eye cream, eye mask, and high quality moisturizer. Look for hydrating, anti-aging ingredients, like hyaluronic acid, retinol, argireline, and palmitoyl peptides, to keep your skin looking youthful and fresh.
Love Your Eyes
Eyes of all shapes and sizes are beautiful, so there’s really no need to “hide” your natural eye shape. You’re beautiful just the way you are. But, if you want to enhance the natural beauty of your eyes or try a more dramatic look, these small eyes makeup techniques are here to help you out.
Makeup can be really fun to experiment with. In the long run, you’ll also want to be sure you’re following a consistent skincare routine that takes care of the health and longevity of your skin. Healthy skin is beautiful skin.
Learn More:
Tips On How To Shape Eyebrows
Here’s How To Properly Care For Delicate Skin Around The Eyes
Ever Wonder What Causes Wrinkles Under Eyes? Here’s How To Help Prevent It
Sources
1. https://www.allure.com/story/make-eyes-look-bigger-2016-01
2. https://www.vogue.com/article/how-to-apply-concealer-pro-expert-guide-dark-circles-bags-blemishes
3. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/beauty-hair/a27910/tips-to-make-eyes-look-bigger/
4. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/beauty-hair/a27910/tips-to-make-eyes-look-bigger/
5. https://www.byrdie.com/tightline-eyes-4778119
6. https://beverlyhillsmd.com/apply-eyeliner-to-make-eyes-look-bigger/
7. https://www.byrdie.com/tightline-eyes-4778119
