18 Makeup Tips Every Person With Hooded Eyes Needs To Know
Yes, you can wear a killer cat eye.
BuzzFeed Staff
BuzzFeed Staff
Before we start, let's find out if you actually have hooded lids. Do your eyes have a crease?
If you do, draw a straight line across your eyes and see if the outer corners pull up or down.
If they don't turn up or down (aka they are just straight), ask yourself one last question: Is your crease visible?
If not, you have hooded eyes, which means all of the following tips apply to you. Woo-hoo!
Now, are you ready for some ~eye-popping~ tricks?
We've curated a few hooded eye makeup tips from all around the internet, so hopefully you find some you love.
1. For starters, get a great eye primer.
Those with hooded lids know better than anyone else how easily their eye makeup smears and smudges, so invest in a great primer to get things off to a stellar start. Most swear by the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, $20.
2. It's best to apply makeup with your eyes open, because it can be hard to find your natural crease with your eyes closed.
3. Apply the eyeshadow just above where you're marking your crease as opposed to in the natural fold of your eyelid.
That way, the color won't get lost when your eye is open.
To get more details, go here.
4. If you're a beginner at applying eyeshadow, try this foolproof straight-line technique.
Grab a handkerchief and place it on the outer corner of your nose to your eyebrow. Apply eyeshadow from the center of your eye straight out toward the handkerchief.
To get more details, go here.
It'll give hooded lids the illusion of lifted eyes.
Notice how he's also not scared to add some shadow on the lower lashline.
To get more details, go here.
5. If you're using false eyelashes, it's important to choose the right shape for your eye!
According to Elle, the best lashes for hooded eyes are fluttery lashes that are longer in the middle. This in turn will make your eyes look bigger. YouTuber Alissa Ashley also has a video for hooded eyes in which she discusses falsies. You can check it out here.
6. If you're looking to minimize your upper brow bone, stick with matte shades.
Any shimmery shades will reflect light and make things look bigger than they are, so if you want to bring the attention away from the hood, keep the shimmer on the part of your lid that actually moves.
To get more details, go here.
7. Invest in a waterproof mascara.
Since your lashes are often touching your brow bone, you don't want a mascara that will smudge. Plus, long lashes open up hooded eyes in an instant.
To get more details, go here.
8. A cat eye is probably the biggest struggle for small-lidded ladies, but here's a quick and easy trick.
To get more details, go here.
9. If you're still having trouble, this disconnected wing technique may look wild, but it actually works.
See how she connects her cat eye with her eyes open? Genius.
To get more details, go here.
10. Did you think that classic looks like a silvery smoky eye weren't possible because of your hooded eyes? Think again!
You can follow YouTuber Smitha Deepak's tutorial for this look right here.
11. If you're into warmer, shinier colors, here's great smoky look with a more bronzy hue.
You can follow Bronte Jones's tutorial for this look right here.
12. You can also create a "cut crease," which fakes a higher fold on your eyelid.
To get more details, take a look at YouTuber Stephanie Lange's tutorial here. She has a lot of hooded eye tutorials, so you have plenty of options.
13. Are cut creases and elaborate smoky eyes a little intimidating? No worries, with some strategic brushstrokes, you can achieve a simple eye look with just a few colors. Sometimes simple is best!
This simple look by YouTuber All For Lovely can be done with any color. You can follow her tutorial right here.
14. If you want to try something bright AF, be sure to bring the shadow up past the hood to maximize the color. Otherwise, the color will get trapped in the fold of your eyelid.
To get more details, go here.
15. You might feel like there isn't enough space on your eyelids for makeup, so do your eyebrows in a way that creates more space under the brow bone.
Smitha Deepak has a great eyebrow tutorial for hooded eyes, which you can watch and follow right here.
16. Forget that idea that your beautiful hooded eyes can't rock any and all makeup looks!
This is a case where knowing is half the battle. A lot of people spend years wondering why their makeup never looks exactly like the tutorials without realizing that they need to adjust their technique to their specific eye shape. But once you know, you can learn the do's and don'ts of makeup for hooded eyes.
17. If you thought tips for hooded eyes were only applicable to people in their 20s, 30s, or 40s, that's not true.
As you get older, the skin around your eyes might start to droop a bit more (thanks, gravity), and if you have hooded eyes to begin with you might feel like makeup is simply impossible. But that's not the case!
Mature, hooded eyes can rock an elaborate eyeshadow just like anyone else. Check out Natasha Denona's tutorial here.
Here's a Natasha Denona tutorial for a much more colorful hooded eye look.
18. And lastly, know that YouTube is a great resource for any kind of makeup you might want to do.
Didn't like any of the tips here? Never fear, because we live in the age of beauty gurus, and there are lots of options for different ages, skin tones, and degrees of hooded-ness. Here's a full face tutorial for hooded eyes, and a very intense black smoky eye.
And, as always, continue being your bad self.
