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  4. The Best Makeup Tips for Every Eye Shape

The Best Makeup Tips for Every Eye Shape

By Hana Hong
Updated Aug 04, 2016 @ 12:30 pm
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Credit: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. After all, human eyes are the most conspicuous elements on our face; our eyes see, but they are also meant to be seen. Between the shades, contours, and combination capabilities, there is an overwhelming plethora of possibilities when it comes to generating fresh, new looks. But a smoky eye that looks striking on you might not emerge looking too fabulous on someone else — and the most dominant distinction winds down to eye shape.

Here we’ve rounded up six very diverse eye silhouettes to achieve one mutual goal: brighter, bigger, more awake eyes. Just follow these simple tips to determine your inherent eye shape and debunk the most flattering makeup routine for your lids. We guarantee you'll have the perfect #onfleek look in no time.

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Monolids

Credit: Albert L. Ortega/Getty

When it comes to monolids, you have little to no visible crease and no significant orbital bone. However, you can make up for it with lids for days. Prep your lid with a sprightly coat of long-wear primer; this will help counteract makeup transfer from your lash line. Apply eyeliner before eyeshadow to delineate your base first. Pencil liners are favored over gel or liquid; utilizing soft smudged liner around the entire eye can don an enlarging effect.

For a cat-eye, keep your line as close to the base of the lashes as possible, with a thick wing at the outer corners to give the eye some lift and definition. Don't worry if your line gets a little sloppy; you'll be layering shadow on top of it. Take the wide expanse below your eyebrow as a blank canvas, and apply a generous hand of eyeshadow using a smudge eyeshadow brush. Smoky eyes are perfect for you, so blend away. Create even more definition with fake eyelashes, but steer clear from eyeliner in your waterline; this can easily enclose the eye and make it appear smaller. 

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Hooded Lids

Credit: Dave J Hogan/Getty

These types of eyes can be considered as a cousin to the monolid and will know all too well the struggle of smudged eye makeup. You proudly fashion a masterpiece with 30 coats of mascara, and in one blink, it’s all over your browbone. With hooded eyes, an extra layer of skin will completely diminish your eyelid, making it appear to dissolve seamlessly into the brow bone. This means people perceive your eyes horizontally, so it’s crucial to apply eyeshadow vertically to minimize puffy hoods. Highlight the lids with a light, shimmery shade to accentuate, and to create even more dimension, extend a dark matte eyeshadow above your eyelid's crease to emulate a double eyelid. Contour a shimmery hue on the base of your brow bone and blend it up to the eyebrow.

When it comes to eyeliner, define the upper lash line with an eyeliner pen option; employing pencils and gel liners can smear due to friction caused by the lid overlap. To prevent looking like a raccoon, utilize waterproof makeup. Keep the liner as close to the lash line as possible to create a thick winged cat eyeliner effect. Be wary of smoky eyes, as they can often swallow your natural recesses. Instead, promote lift by utilizing mascara with a heavy hand on the top lashes, light on the bottom. Fiber mascaras are great because they have a smaller tendency to smudge, but can still be effortlessly removed at the end of the day.

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Close Set Eyes

Credit: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

The biggest trick with close set eyes it to open them up, simple as that. You want to give the illusion that your eyes are further apart, so you have to be careful with balance. Think of your eyes like a scale; the area closer to your nose is heavier, so concentrate light colors on the inner corner of the eyelid and darker colors on the outside. Diffuse your colors from light to deep, going from inside to outside. Use a shimmery highlight in your inner corners to create a little more visual distance from your nose.

When it comes to liner, only swipe it across two-thirds of your eye for an elongating effect. Don’t take under-eye liner all the way to your inner corner, thus adding extra weight there. Instead, use all-around smoky liners that steer clear from the lower waterline. Instead of tight-lining the lower lid with a dark liner, open it up with a refreshing nude or sparkling white, paired with long, spidery lashes. Dab extra mascara or apply additional lashes to the outer corner in order to tug attention outwards. 

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Wide Set Eyes

Credit: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty

If you’re one of the lucky people with wide set eyes, count your blessings. These are one of the easiest eyes to work with because you can line or contour them in a surplus of ways. The trick is to make the nose look more angular and interesting. Contouring your nose bridge will benefit in adding definition to the wide space between your eyes. To further bring the space together, you might want to avoid that shimmery eyeshadow in the tear duct tactic to avoid emphasizing the amount of space.

As a general rule of thumb, reduce the space between the eyes by operating darker colors in the inner corners. Another easy way to make the distance between your eyes appear narrower is by elongating your brows at the inner corners. When it comes to eyeliner, keep your kitty flicks intentionally shorter and more vertical. A sweeping cat eye will stretch your eye shape to look wider.

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Deep Set Eyes

Credit: Anthony Harvey/Getty

When eyes are situated deeper in the socket and your brow bone takes the lead over your eyelids, you have deep set eyes. The goal with deep set eyes is to help push them forward with illuminating colors. To prevent them from looking sunken, keep your light color on the lid and a warm color under the brow bone to create a multi-dimensional look.

A good place to start is to divide your eyelid into thirds--the inside third is for your light color, the very outside is for your dark color, and the middle is for blending them together. Keep the thickest part of your eyeliner on the outer edges of the eye to essentially nudge back that orbital bone. To stack on the drama, go for a kohl or gel eyeliner. Finish off with mascara on the top lashes to amp up the allure, but avoid lower lash mascara as this might make the shadows more conspicuous.

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Protruding Eyes

Credit: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

If you have big, round eyes that people often relate to cute anime, you most likely have protruding eyes. They are generally characterized by appearing to project from the eye socket. With so much white space around the pupils, you look best with minimal makeup and don’t require much to appear awake and refreshed. Choose matte colors over shimmers, and dust the entire lid with a nude shadow to neutralize shadows and redness.

Using a liquid liner, draw a thin line as close to the lashes as possible. Feel free to use eyeliner on your bottom line and waterline to help balance the bulge. In order to make the most of your strong features, gently drag a flesh-tone pencil across the waterline to exaggerate the whites of eyes and make them appear brighter. Elongated cat eyes can also help minimize the bulge, but ease up on the mascara by only applying furthest from the tear gland; toting super long lashes can thrust your look overboard.

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1 of 6 Monolids
2 of 6 Hooded Lids
3 of 6 Close Set Eyes
4 of 6 Wide Set Eyes
5 of 6 Deep Set Eyes
6 of 6 Protruding Eyes

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The Best Makeup Tips for Every Eye Shape
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