Ever looked at your eyes and wonder what type of features you have?
There are many eye shapes such as almond eyes, monolid eye shape, to name a few, and if you’re going to be applying makeup often, it’s best to know what kind do you have. The reason is that certain makeup looks may not be suitable for your eye shape. Imagine you’re using some kind of smokey eye makeup, but you’re getting weird stares from everyone solely because it just doesn’t look right – which is the case for hooded eye makeup.
What are hooded eyes?
Do you realise how your eye makeup usually fades or creases during the day? You could have hooded eyes. Try to draw an imaginary horizontal line across your eyes. If your outer corners are slightly deeper, then those are clear signs you have hooded eyes.
You will also notice an extra layer of skin that’s covering your crease or brow bones. This causes your eyes to look smaller. As you age, it’s common for hooded eyes to suddenly appear. People with hooded eyes tend to mention how applying makeup can get slightly complicated as it requires certain techniques. Some of the popular makeup looks may not be suitable for those with hooded eyes as well.
It has been said that most Asians tend to have hooded eyes, but contrary to popular belief, anyone from different ethnicity could have them! But don’t think just because you have hooded eyes, you automatically think you’re unattractive. Let’s not forget how there are many famous celebrities that are utterly gorgeous and handsome looking which have their own pair of hooded eyes.
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Heck, hooded eyes are actually pretty common. Some of the famous celebrities that have hooded eyes are Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Emma Stone, Blake Lively, to name a few.
To be frank, despite the fact that we have to love ourselves for who we are, unfortunately, not everyone feels that way. There are certain people with hooded eyes who seek treatment such as upper lid blepharoplasty which is a surgery that helps to improve saggy, hooded eyes. Skin lifting with threads is also common that doesn’t require any surgery.
The real question is – is it really worth getting them treated? Having hooded eyes could affect your eyesight, more precisely, when you’re older. Your visions tend to get blurry and you might find yourself having reading difficulties.
However, if you’re not part of the community that wants to get your hooded eyes treated (you go, girl!), read on to find out how to make the most out of your hooded eyes.
10 useful hooded eye makeup tips
It’s not the end of the world if you have hooded eyes – there’s always a way to work around it with several tips and tricks! Being a makeup enthusiast, you will be able to find the best way to make your overall appearance well-groomed, even with several makeup limitations. Daily Vanity has gathered some of the best hooded eye makeup tips to help you look great whenever you are.
Tip #1: Get your hands on a good eye primer
The best tip, which should also be the first step of your eye makeup, is to apply primer. Spread the primer evenly on your eyelids. This helps to prevent your makeup from smudging or smearing all over. Primer also helps to fix your eyeshadow in place. Alternatively, if you don’t have a primer at hand, you could also make use of oil-free foundations or concealers.
Tip #2: Prevent your eyes from closing when you put on makeup
When applying your eyeshadow, it makes a whole lot of difference if you keep your eyes open. How are you going to know where to define eyeshadows and colours when your crease tends to hide over your eyelid? Imagine you’re applying your eyeshadow and poof – it goes ahead and disappears! However, you can blend your eyeshadow layers with your eyes closed. But when you’re just starting to apply your makeup, be sure to open wide!
Tip #3: Always go for waterproof makeup
For your eyeliners or mascaras, be sure to use waterproof or smudge-proof ones. After all, waterproof makeup is widely known to be smudge-proof. And when you have hooded eyes, it’s common to get your eye makeup all smudged. If you’re using waterproof mascaras, keep in mind to use an eyeshadow that is not creamy – it could potentially affect the mascara by making it melt all over your face because of the hooded eye shape.
Tip #4: Crease it out yourself
Even though your crease disappears, you could still make your own crease in contrast to keeping your eyes open. To create your own crease, you could use double-lid tapes that are available at many local stores. If you haven’t heard of these, they are pretty handy and easy to put on. All you have to do is place the thin tape on your eyelids and use a fork that some of them include in the package and you’re good to go! It can be tricky for those who are just starting out, but after several tries, you’ll be able to get it done perfectly.
Aside from that, you can fake your crease by using a medium eyeshadow shade. Just above your eyelid where you want your crease to appear, close your eyes and apply a darker shade than the previous shade to make the crease look deeper. Use a small, circular motion when applying the lighter shade with a round crease brush.
Tip #5: Apply eyeliner first
When you apply your eyeliner before your other makeup, it helps to give a subtle effect by applying a thin line using an angled brush. Be sure to apply it at the root of your lashes as well instead of above your lashes, with the main reason being it could make your eyes look even smaller. Same goes to when you apply bold or thick eyeliner. Another tip is to line your lower lash at the outer corners only. The best hooded eye makeup look for eyeliners would be ‘cat eyes’.
The recommended eyeliner to use would be either liquid or gel. Pencil eyeliners tend to smudge more so it’s best to avoid them altogether. A good oil based gel liner could help it stay put without any smudging.
Tip #6: Play around with bright colours
When applying eyeshadow, choose bright, lighter colours as it adds some life to your eyelids. Hooded eyes tend to have a darker, heavier eyelid, so using brighter colours will uplift your overall makeup look. At the middle and inner corners of your eyelids, use a lighter shade such as a shimmer.
Tip #7: Make use of concealers to make your eyes look less tired
As well all know, hooded eyes have a bad rep of looking heavy and tired. When applying your hooded eye makeup, add some concealer underneath your eyes. Blend your concealer with the areas that tend to have more shadows. You can also consider applying some concealer around your inner corner of the eye to brighten it up even more.
Tip #8: Apply eyeshadow with the proper techniques
Start off by applying your eyeshadow at the orbital bone, which is right underneath your eyebrow. Apply lighter shades on the insides and darker shades on the outside.
Besides that, consider using matte colours for your eyeshadows. Matte colours help to create a neat shadow when you create your fake crease. By using matte colours, it makes your eyes look bigger as well when you apply darker colours on the outside.
Blend your eyeshadow in a straight, horizontal line as it helps to create an illusion that there’s more space around your inner eye. A small tip, you can use a handkerchief to help create that horizontal line.
It can be challenging for those with hooded eyes to pull off smokey eyes, but here’s a tutorial by Youtuber Smitha Deepak that teaches you how to get it right.
Tip #9: Don’t skip mascaras
Mascaras are commonly used to make your eyes appear bigger. Hence, need we say more on why you should use mascara if you have hooded eyes? Apply mascara to your upper and lower lashes to bring more attention to your eyes. Long-lasting mascaras are highly recommended as well.
Tip #10: Use falsies
When mascaras ain’t doing justice, consider using false eyelashes. It could help make your eyes appear to be bigger, giving you a boost to really open up your eyes. You can also curl both your upper and lower eyelashes thoroughly – it really helps to lift your eyes. When choosing false lashes, choose fluttery ones that are usually longer in the middle, making your eyes bigger. Avoid lashes that are too long or thick as they could make your eyes look even heavier and smaller. Natural eyelashes should be your go-to as well.
We hope these makeup tips could help you achieve the makeup look you’ve always wanted! If you have yet to find ways to perfect your hooded eye makeup look, don’t worry – with practice, you’ll be able to prevent your eye makeup from smudging, disappearing and smearing.
