6 Eyeliner Tips For Hooded Eyes

Eyeliner has become such a staple product because it can enhance your eye makeup in a matter of seconds and allows you to create all kinds of fun looks. But if you have hooded eyes, you know that creating particular eyeliner looks can be challenging. Between having minimal eyelid space to work with and dealing with frequent makeup transfer, the difficulties of applying eyeliner on a hooded eye shape can make the result feel like it’s not worth the trouble. 

Luckily, there are a few tricks you can use to make the process easier. Below, we’re sharing six tips for applying eyeliner for hooded eyes, and the products you can use to get the best results.

1. Use Primer to Avoid Smudging 

If you have hooded eyes, there’s a chance that your eyeliner will smear or smudge because of the extra layer of skin on your eye that folds over your crease. Use an eye primer before eyeliner to help extend the wear of it and prevent any transfer by locking the liner into place. Reach for your favorite primer and tap it onto your eyelids using your fingers or a makeup brush. Wait five minutes for the primer to dry, and then proceed with your eyeliner and eyeshadow.

2. Keep Both Eyes Open

You might be used to keeping one eye open and one eye closed as you apply your eyeliner, but if you have hooded eyes, you'll benefit from keeping both eyes open as you put on your liner. This way, you’ll have a clear view of your eye space and where your crease is, and you won't have to worry about all of your hard work (seemingly) disappearing once you open your eyes.

3. Make Sure Your Lines Are Precise

For the best eyeliner application on hooded eyes, you want an eyeliner that will give you a thin and precise line so your eyes will look lifted instead of droopy. Reach for the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Grip Mechanical Gel Eyeliner, which has a pointed tip to help the gel eyeliner glide smoothly across the lash line as you apply it. The formula is also long-wearing and waterproof, so you won’t have to worry about any smudging or transfer. To get the straightest line possible, place your arm on a sturdy surface to prevent your hand from shaking as you work. 

4. Use the Triangle Technique 

Hooded eyes can sometimes give off a sleepy or heavy appearance due to the hood. To get the look of bigger and wider eyes, take your eyeliner and make a small vertical line on the outer corner of your eye, extending from your lash line to just below your crease. Create a triangle on each side of the line (you’ll be left with a shape that looks like a parallelogram) and then fill in each triangle.This technique will both lengthen the look of your eyes and give off a cool graphic eyeliner look.

5. Try Bat Liner

A winged-out bat eye look is the perfect style to go for when lining hooded eyes because it works with your crease shape and will help give the eyes a more lifted appearance. To get the look you’ll need an easy-glide eyeliner, a wall mounted mirror and a hand mirror.

Grab the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Grip Precision Felt Waterproof Eyeliner, and looking straight into a mirror, draw a thin line across the entire lash line. Try to stay as close to your lashes as possible and extend the line all the way out to the outer corner of your eyes, going over the fold to create a wing. After the wing is complete, create the extra “bat” part of the wing by drawing a line from the tip of the outer wing towards the eye crease, and then fill it in. When you close your eyes, you’ll see the bat wing shaped line, and when you open your eyes, you’ll see a perfect winged eyeliner.

6. Skip Black Eyeliner on the Waterline

Since there's an extra layer of skin on the eye, those with hooded eyes may struggle with how to make their eyes appear bigger and more open. One easy way to do this is to skip lining the waterline with a black liner, as the deep color can make the eye appear more closed off. When you do decide to line your waterline, you should reach for a white or nude eyeliner like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Last Waterproof, Up to 24HR Pencil Eyeliner in Nude.

Next: 20 Colored Eyeliner Shades for an Electric Makeup Look

Photo Credit: Katie Jane Hughes, @katiejanehughes