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Have you ever felt like no matter how many eyeliner application tutorials you’ve read (or watched), you just can’t seem to nail the perfect winged eyeliner look? The issue may not lie in your makeup skills—it could just be that you haven’t been taking your eye shape into consideration. Just like how you should tailor your brows to your face shape, you should base the way you wear your eyeliner on your eye shape! If you think about it, it really doesn’t make any sense to line your lids without taking the shape of your eye into consideration, does it?
Luckily, the solution is simple. Find the look that best suits your eye shape with our guide below. We’re starting with the basics to help you figure out what your eye shape is and what eyeliner look is the most flattering—and as an added bonus, we’re also showing you how to get the perfect smoky eye for your eye shape!
Do you have oval-shaped eyes with slightly upturned outer corners? Then you have almond-shaped eyes! If this sounds like you, consider yourself lucky because just about every eyeliner look will be seriously flattering on you. Almond-shaped eyes are very well-proportioned and symmetrical, which is why most eyeliner techniques suit you.
Even though you can rock every eyeliner look in the book, there is one that stands out the most. Here’s how to do it: Start by drawing a very thin line from the inner corners and intensifying the thickness as you reach the outer corners of your lids. If you have this eye shape, you can get away with lining your lower lash line as well. Get a soft, subtle look by slightly smudging both the top and bottom outer corner. To keep things simple, opt for an eyeliner with a built-in smudger, like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Never-Fail Eyeliner.
Apply a light shade of eye shadow from the L’Oréal Paris Paradise Enchanted Scented Eye Shadow Palette to the center of your lids and the inner corners of your eyes. Then, take a medium shadow from the same palette and brush it across your lid, going into the crease slightly. Next, use a darker shadow along the base of your lash line and in the center of your lid. Follow up by lining your lash line with a black eyeliner pencil, like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Last Waterproof Pencil Eyeliner in Black
Hooded eyes are very similar to, and sometimes confused with, monolids because both have a lack of lid space for applying makeup. If you have hooded eyes, your eyelids are covered up by skin on the brow bone. That can make it hard to pull off some eye makeup looks since your makeup is effectively hidden when your eyes are open. For this reason, you should stay away from thin liner looks.
Don’t let your makeup disappear into your lid or even worse, smear! Opt for a bold look with a thick, bold wing—this will help to add definition to your eyes. Choose an eyeliner that is waterproof to give yourself some peace of mind. Try the L’Oréal Paris Voluminous Lash Paradise Liquid Eyeliner, which has a long-lasting, waterproof formula.
Another way you can make your eyes look larger is by tightlining your upper lash line and adding a couple of swipes of mascara.
Since your lids have an extra layer of skin over the natural crease, avoid applying a dark eye shadow all over your lids. This can make your eyes look heavier and even more closed off. Use a medium shade instead. Brush the shadow from the outer corner of your eye, bringing the color up and over the entire hooded area to cause a receding effect. Then, brush the same shade along your lower lash line. Complete the look by applying highlighter on the inner corners of your lower lash line and your brow bone to help make your eyes appear wider.
Think of downturned eyes as almond-shaped, with a slight downward tilt at the outer corners. The downward angle makes your upper eyelids look much longer than the lower lids. Finding the right eyeliner look is key in order to help give your eyes a lifted, open look.
So, what’s the trick to faking a more lifted eye look? Creating an upward flick with your eyeliner! Use an eyeliner pen with a precise applicator, like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible The Super Slim Liquid Eyeliner, to create a flick at the outermost corner of your eyes.
Apply a light shade of highlighter to your entire lid, the inner corners of your eyes, and your brow bone. Take a brush and apply a medium shade from the middle of your lid all the way to the outer corner. Finally, blend an even darker color onto the outer corner of your eyelid.
Upturned eyes are one of the most common eye shapes. They are quite similar to almond-shaped eyes because they are oval in shape and have a natural upward lift at the outer edges. The difference lies in the fact that the lower lid is more prominent and appears much longer than the top eyelid.
An easy way to enhance the symmetry of upturned eyes is, drumroll please...eyeliner! Eyeliner will help even out your eye’s upper and lower proportions so they look like they’re the same size. Grab an eyeliner in the color of your choice—we love bright blues, like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Paints Eyeliner in Electric Blue—and thinly line the upper and lower lash line before applying a thicker line at the outer corner of your lower lash line.
This eye shape is actually the ideal shape for a smoky eye look because your eyes already have a natural lift at the outer corners. Emphasize the lift by dividing the lid surface in half and apply a light shade to the inner half. Apply a medium shade to the outer half and make sure to blend the colors together well. Finish off by using a dark shade to line the outer corner of both your upper and lower lash line to enhance your eye shape.
Round eyes are the easiest to decipher. First of all, you know you have round eyes if you’ve heard everyone compliment you on your big, doll-like eyes. And second, you’ll know you have round eyes if you can see the white around the top or bottom of your iris.
With round eyes, the goal of using eyeliner should be to elongate the width of your eye shape to create a balance. A cat eye can help to create the illusion of length. For a touch of drama, smudge black eyeliner along your upper and lower lash lines.
If you have wide round eyes, you can use a smoky eye to visually “pull” the eyes closer by blending your shadow inward instead of out. Brush the lightest eye shadow color from the L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Pocket Palette Eye Shadow in Silver Couture over your lid and brow bone. Then, using the medium shade, bring the color from the outside corner of your crease to the inside. Add the darkest shade along your upper lash line working from the outside in, and pull the color up into the crease of your eye slightly. Line your lower lids concentrating near the inner tear duct—and you’re done!
This one’s pretty self-explanatory. If you have small eyes, don’t get disheartened, though. There are many ways you can make your small eyes look larger than life!
One way you can make your eyes look bigger is by lining your waterline, at the base of your lower lashes, with a nude. Try the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Last Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil in Nude.
Editor’s tip: If you have small eyes, away from using black eyeliner on your waterline--it can make your eyes look even smaller!
When your eyes are small and close together, the purpose of eye makeup is to create the illusion that they are actually farther apart. The trick to achieving this is by using light colors on the inside part of your eyelid and applying the darker colors on the outside for the perfect smoky eye effect! Divide your eye into thirds and apply the lightest shade to your lid first, concentrating on the inner corner. Apply the medium shade from the middle of your lid outward and use the darkest color on the outer edges of your eyes. Extending the shadow outwards can help to counterbalance the closeness of your eyes.
Don’t forget, it isn’t just your eye shape you should take into consideration! Look to your eye color too when choosing how to wear your eye makeup. Here are The Best Eye Makeup Shades for Every Eye Color.