The Best Eyeliner Look for Your Eye Shape

Have you ever felt like no matter how many tutorials you’ve read or videos you’ve watched, you just can’t seem to nail the perfect winged eyeliner? The issue may not lie with your 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 do the same when it comes to your eyeliner! 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 as well!

The Best Eyeliner Tips for Almond-Shaped Eyes

How to know if you have almond-shaped eyes: 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.

The best eyeliner look for almond-shaped eyes: 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.

How to get the perfect smoky eye for almond-shaped eyes: Apply a light shade to the center of your lids and the inner corners of your eyes. Then, take a medium shadow 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. 

The Best Eyeliner Tips for Hooded Eyes

How to know if you have hooded eyes: Hooded eyes are very similar to monolids because both have a lack of lid space when it comes to applying makeup. 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 gets hidden when your eyes are open. For this reason, you should stay away from thin liner looks.

The best eyeliner look for hooded eyes: 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 smudge-proof for some peace of mind. Another way you can make your eyes look larger is by tightlining your upper lash line and adding a couple of swipes of mascara.

How to get the perfect smoky eye for hooded eyes: Since your lids have an extra layer of skin over the natural crease, avoid applying a dark eye shadow all of your lids. This can make your eyes look heavier and more closed off. Use a medium shade like a light brown instead. Brush it from the outer corner of your eye and bring the color up and over the entire hooded area to cause a receding effect. Then, brush the same shade along your lower lash line. Use your contour shade to layer it on top of the medium one (be careful not to extend the color all the way across!) Use the highlighter in your eye shadow palette on the inner corners of your lower lash line and your brow bone to create a break between your eyes and eyebrows to help make your eyes appear wider.

The Best Eyeliner Tips for Downturned Eyes

How to know if you have downturned eyes: Think of downturned eyes as almond-shaped, with a slight downward tilt at the outer corners. The downward tilt angle makes your upper eyelids look much longer than the lower lids. Finding the right eyeliner look can lift your eyes and open them up.

The best eyeliner look for downturned eyes: So, what’s the trick to faking a lift? Creating an upward flick with your eyeliner! Do so with your liner at the outermost corner of your eyes to help make them look lifted.

How to get the perfect smoky eye for downturned eyes: Apply a light highlighter color 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. Blend up an even darker color to the outer corner of your eyelid. When blending, be sure to do it out and up.

The Best Eyeliner Tips for Upturned Eyes

How to know if you have if you have upturned eyes: 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.

The best eyeliner look for upturned eyes: An easy way to enhance the symmetry of your 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 and thinly line the upper and lower lash line and then apply a thicker line at the outer corner of your lower lash line. Once you’re done lining, use a smudger to slightly diffuse the eyeliner.

How to get the perfect smoky eye for upturned eyes: This eye shape is actually the ideal shape for the 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.

The Best Eyeliner Tips for Round Eyes

How to know if you have if you have round eyes: 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.

The best eyeliner look for round eyes: 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.

How to get the perfect smoky eye for round eyes: 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. Use your lightest eye shadow color (a highlighter shade can work as well) to brush the color over your lid and brow bone. Then, using a medium shade, bring the color from the outside corner of your crease to the inside. Add a darker 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!

The Best Eyeliner Tips for Small Eyes

How to know know if you have if you have small eyes: 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!

The best eyeliner look for small eyes: One way you can make your eyes look bigger is by lining your waterline with either a nude or white liner. Caution: Stay away from using black eyeliner on your waterline because it can make your eyes look even smaller. Thinly draw a cat eye from the outer corner, working your way in. Finish off by lining your bottom lash line and smudge it a little in the outer corners.

How to get the perfect smoky eye for small eyes: When your eyes are small and close together, the purpose of eye makeup is to create the illusion that they are farther apart. The trick to achieving this is by using light colors on the 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 in 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.

Eyeliner Picks from L’Oréal Paris

Now that you’ve learned what kind of eyeliner will look the most stunning with your eye shape, it’s time to get to work! Add the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Paints Eyeliner, L’Oréal Paris Voluminous Liner Noir, and L’Oréal Paris Infallible Silkissime Eyeliner to your makeup bag. Have fun!