How to Do Eye Makeup for All 8 Eye Shapes [Tutorial]
When it comes to how to do eye makeup, what’s step 1? Priming? Concealing? Lining? Shadow?
Sorry, folks — if you answered any of the above…
… YA BURNT. The *real* first step of how to makeup eyes is to determine your eye shape. You wouldn’t try to contour without knowing your face shape first, would you? (If you would, pls send pics because that sounds impossible and hilar 😂.)
All jokes aside, the same rules apply to your eyes. We’ll walk you through 8 basic eye shapes and teach you how to do eye makeup for each one:
1. Almond eyes
2. Round eyes
3. Hooded eyes
4. Monolid eyes
5. Upturned eyes
6. Downturned eyes
7. Close set eyes
8. Wide set eyes
And remember: you may fall into a few of these categories — wide set AND round, close set AND almond — so check out all the categories for more eye-amping options.
Let’s get to it!
1. Almond eyes
Almond eyes look, DUH, almond shaped! What that really means is almond eyes:
— Are oval (longer in width than they are round)
— Have a smaller eyelid
— Have corners that are tapered and slightly upturned
Almond eye makeup match: Eva Longoria
Almond eye makeup tips
When it comes to how to makeup eyes that are almond-shaped, you’ve *pretty much* hit the jackpot because they can pull off most any look. But almond eyes tend to look extra sexy played up with a soft-winged liner.
Blend deeper eyeshadow colors into the outer corner of your eyes, and then grab your WING MAN: Curved Eyeliner Brush and draw on that perfect cat-eye. Not sure how it’s done? We got you, boo!
Check out our full guide: How to Do Winged Eyeliner. And if you still don’t quite trust yourself to have a steady hand, invest in our LINER DESIGNER: Cat-Eye Makeup Tool and WORK THAT WINEHOUSE.
2. Round eyes
Again, this one’s a bit of a no-brainer, but round eyes:
— Are equal in width and height
— Have visible white space around the top or bottom of your iris when you’re looking straight ahead
— Give you LOTS of space to work with
Round eye makeup match: Zooey Deschanel
Round eye makeup tips
The key for how to makeup eyes that are round is to balance neutrals and dark shades on different parts of the lid. Use darker eyeshadow on the outer corners of your eyes and finish with shimmery, neutral colors on the middle. Your lids are large enough to handle multiple shades, and finishing with an iridescent neutral will help your eye color pop.
Tip: To master makeup for round eyes, it’s critical to clean your brush between swipes so your super-different shades don’t mix and muddle. For that, we recommend Instaclean. Like a dry shampoo for your hair, this fast-drying spray spot cleans your brushes or blenders sans rinsing, which means you can pull the old switcheroo and still get a true-to-color application every time.
3. Hooded eyes
If you’ve ever done your eyeshadow only to open your eyes and realize you can’t even *see* all your hard work, hooded eyes are likely the reason. Hooded eyes have:
— A heavy brow bone
— A deep-set crease
— An eyelid that isn’t visible when eyes are open
Hooded eye makeup match: Camilla Belle
Hooded eye makeup tips
While it may be harder to figure out how to do makeup for eyes that are hooded, the fact is we’ll all have some degree of hoodedness (hoododity? hoodosity? 🤷🏻♀️) because eyelid space shrinks as we age. So it’s well worth everyone’s time to learn how less is more when it comes to eyelids.
The key to hooded eye makeup is to remember the 3 Ps: priming, placement and powder. When your eyelids are in constant contact, it’s key to use a primer like Opal Essence™ Serum Primer so you create a hydrated base for makeup to glide over, not stick to.
Next, be sure you get the placement of your eyeshadow right. Grab your SHADY LADY: All-Over Eyeshadow Brush & Cooling Roller and:
1. Open your eyes.
2. Hold a small mirror up above your head.
3. Use it to look down and find the natural crease.
4. Place your shadow slightly ABOVE the crease rather than IN it so the color doesn’t get lost.
If you really want your shadow to pop, consider using it on your bottom lashes too, and don’t be stingy with the eyeliner or mascara. Lashes are the best friend of hooded lords and ladies everywhere. Learn to love them.
Finally, grab some powder to prevent smudging. Our new BOUNCE Soft Focus Gemstone Setting Powder is perfect for locking a look in place, from blush to brows, and ensures your magnetic, new look will slay all day.
4. Monolid eyes
Monolid eyes are just what they sound like: They don’t have a crease, so there’s just one (MONO) big ol’ lid (LID!). That smooth transition straight up to the brow bone can create challenges, but it can also create opportunities — if you know how to do makeup for monolids right.
Monolid eye makeup match: AWKWAFINA
Monolid eye makeup tips
As QIL AWKWAFINA noted for a little pub called the New York Times, “Asian eyes are difficult to do makeup on because of the lid. Some days I have a monolid, and some days I don’t. Some days only one is a monolid, and the other one isn’t. When that happens, I still don’t know what to do.”
Not to worry, AWK — it doesn’t have to be difficult, we got you! Start by swiping on BOUNCE Airbrush Liquid Whip Concealer, BUT, in a true movie-worthy twist, don’t let it dry completely. Since monolid eyes don’t have a crease, you need to start with a sticky base. Dabbing on primer or concealer and just barely blending it with a Micro Mini will help create a canvas that’s tacky (in a good way).
Once that’s done, pick a look that focuses on playing up your lash line. Keep dark tones and liners close to the lashes, blending up and out to create your look. With makeup for monolids, the great thing is that you’ve got a lot of surface area to work with, which means you can experiment with liner and brow looks that not everyone could pull off. Try 4 super-fun ones here.
5. Upturned eyes
Upturned eyes are similar to almond eyes in that the outer corners are tapered. But upturned eyes also have:
— Corners that point upward
— A lower lash line that looks longer than the upper lash line
— A natural cat-eye shape
Upturned eye makeup match: Kendall Jenner
Upturned eye makeup tips
Upturned eyes practically demand the smokey eye treatment.
Get the full tutorial on how to do eye makeup for a smokey sizzle here, or use this quick refresher:
1. Prep your lids with concealer or primer to create an even base.
2. Use a tapered brush like the Shady Lady to apply a neutral base color.
3. Pack your darkest color onto the corner of your lids and blend into the crease for a natural-looking ombre.
4. Blend a medium color into your crease using the High Roller crease brush.
5. For extra drama, add a dark or medium shadow below your lower lash line using the Wing Man.
6. Finish with eyeliner and mascara.
7. Get ready to smolder.
6. Downturned eyes
On the flipside of the almond-eye spectrum, we’ve got downturned eyes, which:
— Have a downward tilt at the outer corners
— Can make your upper lid look much larger than your bottom
Downturned eye makeup match: Katy Perry
Downturned eye makeup tips
Downturned eyes are alllllll about that lift.
Here’s how to do eye makeup that creates the illusion of a lifted eye:
1. Apply a nude shade from the lash line to the brow.
2. Apply a medium shade along your crease and blend upward.
3. Focus your eye makeup on your lid rather than your bottom lash line.
4. Apply winged eyeliner at a 45-degree angle, pulling it out a tad farther than you normally do for the full, lifted effect.
5. Curl your lashes.
7. Close set eyes
There are 2 easy ways to determine if you’ve got close set eyes. Stand a few feet back from your mirror, and ask:
1. Are your eyes less than one eyeball width apart?
2. Is there less space between the inner corners of your eyes than between the outer corners and your temples?
If the answer to either question is yes, welcome to the close set club!
Tip: If you’re having trouble eyeballing it (sorry, couldn’t resist 😬) grab something straight — a makeup brush, a comb, a cotton swab — to mark the length as you measure.
Close set eye makeup match: Regina King
Close set eye makeup tips
When it comes to how to do eye makeup for close set eyes, here are a few tricks:
— Use a little extra concealer on the inner corners of your eyes to offset any extra darkness.
— Focus eye shadow on the outer corners, top and bottom.
— Apply liner starting in the center of your eye going out (applying it on the inner corners will make your eyes appear closer together).
— Highlight the inner corners of your eyes using Glass Glow Crystal Clear Shinelighter.
8. Wide set eyes
For wide set eyes, the test is the inverse of close set: Are your eyes MORE than one eyeball width apart? If so, go wide!
Wide set eye makeup match: Amanda Seyfried
Wide set eye makeup tips
To create the illusion of eyes being closer together:
— Line your whole eye.
— Use a decent amount of eye shadow on the inner corner of your eyes.
— Keep darker shadows on the center of your lid, blending out softly in the outer corners.
— Highlight under your brow and in the outer corners.
Bookmark The Blend
Check back in with The Blend often for more tips on how to do eye makeup, or brush up those skillz now with these key tips:
— How to Apply Eyeshadow: Tips + Tricks
— How to Tame Eyebrows in 5 Simple Steps
