Using the right makeup for different eye shapes allows a woman to enhance her eyes in a way that is most flattering to her individual look. There are several dominant eye shapes, and knowing how to apply eye cosmetics for yours can make a big difference.
Makeup Tips for Different Eye Shapes
Each of the three physical eye shapes - almond, oval, and round, can be beautiful, but if the shape is strongly defined, you can enhance the beauty of your eyes with various eye makeup tricks suited to your shape. For example, although almond eyes are considered a very pleasing shape, a narrow almond can make eyes appear small, and while round eyes often have the advantage of appearing large, the horizontal width can make them appear disproportionate.
Fortunately, eye makeup can create a design to maximize the beauty of your eyes.
- Almond Eyes: This eye shape is characterized by an upswept outer corner. Many women with this eye shape want to increase the depth and intensity of their eyes, so experiment with eyeliner as a bold sweep on the upper lid, neutral colors lining under the eye, and upper and lower liner in various shades. To help almond eyes appear larger, limit liner to the outer portion of the top lid. To make almond eyes appear more round, stop liner before the outer corner of the eye, or use a lighter shade or smoky or smudged look in that area.
- Round Eyes: This eye shape is often large, and open-looking, and many women like to use makeup to elongate the eye. Use darker liner to slightly extend beyond the eyelid at the outer corners to give this illusion. Use a medium shade of eye shadow on the eyelid (up to the crease) and extend the shade slightly both slightly up toward the brow bone and slightly down toward the lower lid to create a more elongated eye appearance.
- Oval Eyes: To give an oval eye an illusion of more height, use liner to create a thin line at the outer corner and gradually thicken towards the middle of the eye. Continue in slightly towards the inner corner, reducing again to a fine line. If your eyes are small, skip the lower liner; otherwise draw a very fine line under the lower lashes.
Beyond the basic almond, round, or oval shape, other common traits can be used to characterize the eyes. The way a woman's eyes are set in her face also affect the way they look. The most common of these are deep set, drooping, close set, and wide set eyes. The chart below identifies makeup techniques that can help create a more balanced look:
More Eye Makeup Tips
Some women may have eyes that are more hooded or more prominent; these unique eye shapes also need specific makeup techniques to enhance and balance their look.
Makeup for Hooded Eye Shapes
Hooded eyes, sometimes also referred to as "bedroom eyes" appear as if the eye lid is partially closed. They are also common in Asian cultures. Hooded eyes often need more prominence, so to give this illusion:
- Use a light highlight shade on brow bone and inner corner along lash line.
- Apply an eye shadow shade slightly darker than the highlight shade over the entire lid and hooded area of the eye.
- Use a darker contour shade on the outer corner, sweeping up to a light peak.
- Finish with a liner to define the lash lines.
Prominent Eyes
For prominent or convex eye shapes, makeup can help reduce the appearance if bulging, or bugging out. To make the eye appear as if it is receding a bit more into the face, use a dark shade of eye shadow near the lash line and base of the lid. Use a slightly lighter shade for the crease, and blend outward towards the brow bone.
Work with Your Eye Shape
No matter what shape of eyes you have, there's a makeup technique to emphasize their beauty. All you need to do is learn where to highlight, where to create a shadow, and the best shape, length, and thickness for your liner. You may have a combination of eye types, so experiment with the appropriate application techniques to get the best combination of shadow and liner placements for your features.
