Makeup Tips For All Eye Shapes

Just like your feet and your hands, or your legs and hips, eyes come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Women of different nationalities may have similar eye shapes and hues, but even within their similarities, each of those sets of eyes is unique. 

That means that there will never be a one size fits all approach that works when applying eye makeup. You might have eyes that are large and almond shaped and while your friend has deep set eyes. What works for her when she’s glamming it up may look more like theater paint on you. Nothing against theater paint, of course! 

Breakdown of Different Eye Shapes

Undoubtedly, eyes are the most prominent facial feature that captures attention and captivates hearts. That means you obviously want to frame them in the best way possible, which includes choosing the right eyeshadow palette or liquid eyeliner to best highlight your features. . Although, this can be just as challenging as learning how to shape your eyebrows. By applying your makeup in a way that complements your eye shape and doesn’t detract from it, you can do just that! 

Listed below are the 8 types of eye shapes most commonly seen. We have also included identifying features of each eye shape to help you more accurately determine yours.

1. Round Eyes

Often associated with being child-like, round eyes are eyes that appear somewhat rounded even at the corners. You can also see the whites around the iris in a round eye shape. They lend a youthful look to the face, and make you appear wide awake and alert, even when you might not be! 

2. Almond Eyes

These eyes are shaped a bit like almonds laid on their side, with the pointed part of the almond as the inner corner of the eye, and the larger and rounder end of the almond as the outer corner. Almond shaped eyes appear large, bright, and pleasantly proportionate. This is a very common eye shape and lends itself very well to almost all types of eye makeup and techniques.

3. Deep Set Eyes

Much like protruding eyes, deep set eyes are also caused by a bone structure that is set deeper than normal into the skull, making the brow bone more prominent. Deep set eyes create a shadow on the outer corner of the eye due to the protruding brow bone. 

4. Protruding Eyes

If your eyes appear a little bulging in your side profile, you have protruding eyes. This happens because the bone structure is focused outward. It is an uncommon eye shape and makes the eyes look rounder and larger than they really are. 

5. Wide Set Eyes

These eyes feature a great distance between them, longer than the length of a single eye. This makes them appear far apart in proportion to the rest of your face. You might even say it gives one quite the “honest” look. Wide Set eyes are often associated with ethereal beauty and serve to make your face appear more open and trusting.

6. Close Set Eyes

A normal eye shape features the distance of a single eye between your two eyes. With wide set eyes, that distance is more than a single eye. Close set eyes, on the other hand, have space between the two eyes that is less than a single eye. This makes them appear closer to each other and to the bridge of the nose. Close Set eyes are quite the striking feature, often associated with clever and cunning people, and folks who possess a straightforward disposition. 

7. Downturned Eyes

Downturned eyes appear heavier at the outer corners and seem like they are drooping because of the heaviness of the lid. The inner corner of downturned eyes is upturned. This type of eye shape works best with a heavy makeup application, and provides a stunningly attractive look to the eyes. 

8. Upturned Eyes

The opposite of downturned eyes, upturned eyes feature an inner corner that is downturned and an outer corner that is higher or unturned. This eye shape lends itself best to cat eye makeup techniques and gives a delicate and dainty look to your whole face. 

Different Types of Eyelids Explained

Just like your eyes can have a distinct shape, your eyelids can also appear to have different shapes, depending on your ethnicity and genetic design. Some common eyelid types include: 

Hooded Lids

With hooded eyes, the lid and crease area is covered almost completely by a flap of skin. This type of eye shape can be either genetic, or caused by aging and the eventual loss of elasticity that goes along with it.

Monolids

A monolid eye is a type of eye where there is no visible lid. The brow is close to the lash line, leaving little to no eyelid visible. This eye shape is very common in people of Asian descent. 

Tapered Lids

Similar to a monolid eye, a tapered lid also shows a crease running parallel with the upper lash line that tapers when it merges with the inner eye corners. That innocent look that some refer to as doe-eyed comes with tapered lids.

Makeup Tips for Each Eye Shape

Pro tip: If you want a look that is professional makeup artist worthy, it’s vital to first figure out your eye shape. Then you can find a makeup look that’s already been designed for that specific shape and simply tweak it to add your own flair and style. No need to reinvent the wheel, only glam it up a little!

Eye Makeup for Monolids

It’s always a good idea to prime the eyes to make sure your eyeshadow stays put, since there is no lid to catch the excess. That way, your look will maintain itself throughout the day. Another great tip to accent monolids is to create definition and depth along the lash line. 

Eye Makeup for Hooded, Deep Set, and Downturned Eyes 

A hooded eye often lacks depth. The real make it or break it eye makeup is your eyeliner. Your eyeliner needs to be thick but without a dramatic wing, ensuring the liner doesn’t crowd the eyes. 

Try dabbing a bright colored eyeshadow or highlighter in the inner corners to make your eyes appear bigger. Another option is using matte eye shadows instead of shimmery ones. Used with a bit of strategy, the matte color can help draw attention away from the hood of your eyes. 

Deep set eyes should lean toward lighter colors, like beiges, to help brighten the area. Since the brow bone casts a bit of a shadow, it’s also a good idea to use a highlighter along the inner corners of your eyes and brow bone to help it look less prominent. 

Downturned eyes need a bit of lift to keep them from looking sad or sleepy, so they make a great canvas for a cat or winged eye look. Try to avoid lining along the outer corners unless you’re doing some kind of wing look. That can contribute to the downward turn and draw more attention to it. It’s also a good idea to avoid dark shadows! 

Eye Makeup for Round, Protruding, and Almond Eyes

For round eyes, the goal is to give a more elongated shape to the eye. This can be done by blending your shadow outward instead of inward. Also, be sure to highlight the brow bone and inner corners to give the appearance of depth to the eye and don’t line the inner corners. Keep the lower lash line light and subtle to add even more dimension, with a bolder line up top. 

Almond eyes look gorgeous when you use your eyeshadow to create a bit of a wing, blending the color up and away from your eye and enhancing its natural upward tilt. Alternatively, you can create more of an oval shape around your entire eye.

For protruding eyes, dark colors are your friend if you are trying to minimize all that muchness! Try using matte shades and give your liner a slight tilt up in the corners of the eye. If your goal is to emphasize all that muchness, you can go easy on the liner and play with lighter shades that have a bit of shimmer. 

There are a ton of different makeup tips and tricks you can experiment with once you know what your eye shape is. In addition to playing with different looks that suit your eye shape, you can also experiment with different colors that suit the hue of your eyes. Combine these two tricks of the trade, and you’ll end up looking like you just stepped out of the pages of a magazine. Our Honest makeup products can help you elevate and achieve your makeup goals. it's just that good! 

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