How To Do Makeup On Downturned Eyes

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: makeup is rarely, if ever, one-size-fits-all. This is especially true where eye makeup is concerned—your eye shape plays a significant role in determining which techniques will flatter your features best. If you have downturned eyes, you’ll generally want to steer clear of anything that visually pulls your eyes downward, like TikTok’s puppy liner. Instead, it’s best to focus your efforts on “lifting” your eyes to create a balanced, wide-awake look. If you need help determining how, exactly, to do that, keep reading on. Ahead, we’ll explain what downturned eyes are, share tips on determining your eye shape, and offer a simple makeup tutorial perfect for accentuating your eyes like a pro.

What Are Downturned Eyes?

The term “downturned eyes” refers to eyes that tilt downward at the outer corners. Downturned eyes may also be referred to as puppy eyes (as in the TikTok trend mentioned above) or downward eyes, depending on who you speak to. It’s a common eye shape, though a downward tilt at the outer corners can also come with age, according to the Cleveland Clinic. 

How Can You Tell If You Have Downturned Eyes?

There are five other common eye shapes besides downturned eyes, including almond-shaped eyes, monolids, round eyes, upturned eyes, and hooded eyes. If you’re having trouble determining if your eyes are downturned, ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you have a visible crease?
• If you drew an imaginary line across the center of your eye, would the outer corner dip beneath the line? 
• Do your upper lids appear significantly larger than your lower lids?

If you answered “yes” to all of the above, chances are good that you have downturned eyes.

How To Apply Eye Makeup For Downturned Eyes 

If you have downturned eyes, you likely have a good amount of lid space to work with when applying eye makeup. How you use that ample space will determine how flattering your eye makeup looks. If you’re not sure where to start, follow our downturned eye makeup tutorial below and get ready to put your best face forward.

1. Prime your eyelids

Before applying any eye makeup, it’s a good idea to prime your eyes to help create a smooth, even canvas for your look. If you don’t have a dedicated eyeshadow primer on hand, you can use concealer to achieve a similar effect. We’re fond of the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Full Wear Concealer Up To 24H Full Coverage, as it won’t fade, transfer, or crease throughout the day. Keep in mind that it’s full coverage, so a little goes a long way.

2. Create a subtle shadow wing 

In general, the best makeup for eyes that turn down are looks that help create the illusion of lift at the outer corners. Winged shadow and liner fit the bill. Start by applying a neutral-toned shadow, such as the L’Oréal Paris Paradise Le Shadow Stick in Alluring Rose, to your lid, blending the soft color a touch past your natural crease. Then, grab a darker hue in a coordinating color (we love the L’Oréal Paris Paradise Le Shadow Stick in Brown Bliss) and draw a small sideways “v” shape extending from just above the outer corner of your eye to your crease. Then, blend the darker pigment upward and outward to create a soft, smokey wing effect. 

3. Line your upper lash line

When doing eyeliner for downturned eyes, a light hand is essential. Anything too thick, dark, or heavy can visually weigh down your lids, making your eyes appear closed off instead of lifted and bright. As such, we recommend swapping the black liquid liner for a soft brown gel eyeliner, such as the L’Oréal Paris Grip Mechanical Gel Eyeliner in Brown Denim. Use the pencil to line your upper lash line, keeping the liner as close to the base of your lashes as possible. Right before you get to the outer corner, flick the liner ever so slightly upward to create a wing cradling the shadow wing you created earlier. If you want to keep the end result super soft, you could also define your eyes with a deeper brown eyeshadow instead of liner.

4. Brighten your waterline 

As you can probably guess by now, eye makeup for downward eyes is all about lifting, opening, and brightening. And one of the best ways to do that is by tightlining your eyes with a white or nude eyeliner. To do that, grab the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Grip Mechanical Gel Eyeliner in Nude and look upward to expose your upper waterline. Gently fill it in with the creamy gel liner, then do the same on the bottom waterline. The light-toned liner will help make the whites of your eyes appear larger, in turn making your eyes themselves appear bigger and more open.

6. Shape your brows

How you groom your brows can make a big difference in determining your final look. To help visually “lift” your eyes, we recommend brushing your brows upward and slightly outward so they angle toward the tops of your temples. You’ll want to avoid creating a super arched shape, as the downward slope could exaggerate your eyes’ natural downturn. If your brows are naturally arched—or you simply need a little help keeping your brows in place—reach for the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Up to 24HR Brow Lamination. The clear brow gel provides all-day hold without flaking or leaving behind any visible residue. If needed, you can also fill in any sparse areas with a brow pencil or pen, such as the L’Oréal Paris Faux Brow Hair-Like Brow Filling Pen. 

5. Highlight your brow bone

There’s only one more step before you move onto mascara, and that’s highlighting. A bit of well-placed highlighter can help bring your entire eye look together. Grab the L’Oréal Paris Lumi Le Glass Highlighter Stick and pick up a bit of product with your ring finger. Then, lightly tap the highlighter onto areas that you’d like to brighten and accentuate. We recommend highlighting your brow bone and inner corners for a bright, wide-eyed look. You can also tap a bit of the creamy formula onto the center of your lid for a subtly luminous finish.

6. Swipe on mascara

A coat or two of mascara is flattering on just about everyone, but the application method may vary depending on your eye shape. If you have downturned eyes, we recommend focusing primarily on your outer corners to help create a lifted look. Brush a couple of coats of the L’Oréal Paris Paradise Big Deal Buildable Washable Mascara throughout your lashes as normal, then add an extra few coats just to the outer third of your top lid. Thanks to this mascara’s endlessly buildable formula, you won’t have to worry about clumping—even if your “extra few coats” looks more like “ten or 15 coats.”

Next Up: How To Get TikTok’s Viral Siren Eyes in 5 Easy Steps

Photo courtesy of L’Oréal Paris