Makeup Tutorial for Downturned Eyes

Do you have downturned eyes? If that simple five-word question has made you ponder your eye shape—good! When you’re able to accurately identify your eye shape, you’ll be better suited to create shape-enhancing eye makeup masterpieces with eyeshadow and eyeliner, like cat eyes and smoky eyes. Keep reading to determine if you have downturned eyes and learn how to apply eye makeup to this eye shape.

WHAT ARE DOWNTURNED EYES?

Downturned eyes are one of the six most popular eye shapes (alongside upturned eyes, almond eyes, round eyes, hooded eyes, and monolids). They’re characterized by a downward tilt at the outer corners of your eyes. So, what does this mean? When you have downturned eyes, it can make your upper lid look much larger than your bottom lid. As a result, it might seem like you have a lot more space to work with in terms of eye shadow. Truth is, you want to be a bit more thoughtful about the way that you use that space, though—that way you’ll be able to create a more lifted look.

HOW CAN YOU TELL IF YOU HAVE DOWNTURNED EYES?

If you’re having trouble determining if you have downturned eyes, take a peek in the mirror. Do you have a crease? Yes? Good, you’re on the right track! If you were to draw a line straight across your lid, would your outer corners dip below it? Then you have downturned eyes.

HOW DO YOU APPLY MAKEUP TO DOWNTURNED EYES?

Characterized by outer corners that slant down in such a way to make upper lids extend into an almost droopy look, mastering a few key makeup techniques can make a pretty significant difference in your end makeup look.

Ready to make the most of your downturned eye shape? Follow the steps below and you’ll be well on your way.

1. Prime like a pro. Start your makeup look for downturned eyes by applying an eye makeup primer, which can help create a smooth canvas for the rest of your makeup application. If you don’t have any primer on hand, a tiny dab of foundation or concealer will do.

2. Try a three-toned eye shadow look. To help add dimension and depth to your elongated, downturned lids, pick up an eye shadow palette that has at least three colors. For a quick start, try using the L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Pocket Palette Eye Shadow in Boudoir Charme. Start by applying a light nude eye shadow all-over your lid, extending from your lash line to your brow. By stretching all the way up to your brow you’ll be able to give the appearance of a lifted lid look. Next, buff a medium shade overtop of your light shade, extending from your lash line to just above your crease. Top it off by blending your darkest eye shadow shade directly into your crease before blending it slightly outwards to mimic the look of a more lifted outer corner. Use a fluffy eye shadow brush to rid your lids of any harsh lines of demarcation between eye shadow shades.

3. Switch up the way you line your upper lash line. As much as you may love eyeliner, it’s important to not go overboard in order to not weigh down your already downturned lids. For that reason, try using a creamy eyeliner pencil, like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Last Waterproof Eyeliner in Brown. It’s best to opt for a lighter eyeliner—as opposed to black—in order to, again, not weight your lid down. When applying your eyeliner, start at your inner corner and extend about two-thirds of the way across your lash line. By not extending all the way out to your outer corner, you’ll be able to play up the roundness of your eyes to help make them look not as downturned. If you absolutely adore eyeliner and want to extend across your entire lash line, flick it upwards for a pretty cat eye that will help balance out your downturned eye.

4. Rim your lower lid in white. Another great way to downplay the downward slope of your eye shape is to mimic roundness with a little white eyeliner across your waterline—the area of your lid closest to your eye. This technique can help blur the line between your skin and the whites of your eyes, which can help redefine your shape.

5. Focus your mascara towards your outer corners. Open the L’Oréal Paris Voluminous X Fiber Mascara and swipe a few coats of product onto the outer edges of your lashes to help open the appearance of your eyes up a bit.

Loved learning about how to accentuate your eye shape? Share the beauty love with your bestie by showing one of our other eye shape articles to her. From Makeup Tutorial for Almond Eyes to Makeup Tutorial for Hooded Eyes, we’ve got you covered.