Give hooded eyes a dramatic lift with these simple and easy makeup hacks
Hooded eyes have a little more skin on the top part of the eyelid, and it folds down from the brow to the lashline, covering the lower eyelid partially or fully. Basically, having hooded eyes means that you have very little eyelid space to work with. Having said that, many Hollywood celebs like Blake Lively and Jennifer Lawrence who have hooded eyes have aced the eye makeup game with small hacks and illusions. Unearth some simple makeup tricks and techniques with StyleSpeak to make those deep-set hooded eyes look absolutely ‘d-eyelicious’.
Prime it first
The biggest problem with hooded eyes is that the makeup smudges easily so it is best to first apply an eye primer to get things off to a stellar start. The primer will keep the makeup in place and not let it traverse through the eyelids and create a smooth canvas for the makeup application. A foundation or concealer can also do the trick in place of primer.
Blend it right
Blending the eyeshadow properly is an art and especially so for hooded eyes. Use eye palettes to get the right mix of colours. Use a brighter luminous shade on the inner eye and base of the lid, while a darker hue in the top outer corner. Always blend up and out, avoiding the eye’s outer ‘V’. This makes the eyes look bigger and fuller.
Use matte eyeshadows as they are easy to blend and create a nice shadow just above the natural crease to create a fake one.
Fake a crease
Hooded eyes don’t have much real-estate to work on for makeup. So, you will have to create space to do eye makeup, creating a fake crease.
- Use a waterproof market-style eyeliner to give the eyelid a more defined look.
- Draw a line from the outer edge of the eye towards the inner corner. Go from thick on the outside to a gradual thinner line as you inch towards the inner corner.
- Try to arch the crease as a rounded edge will make the hooded eyes look seemingly bigger. But be sure not to make the eyeliner too thick otherwise will overrun the eyeshadow.
Pay attention to the brows
The socket shape of hooded eyes makes the brows look very prominent, so it is equally important to style them. Emphasize the brow bone, creating an arch with light brushstrokes
using a light eyeshadow colour underneath. This will highlight the brow bone well and add some colour to that space. With the current brow craze, there are a wide array of products from contouring pencils to palettes to transform sparse brows into a Picasso masterpiece.
White eyeliner to make the eyes look bigger
Play tricks on other people’s eyes with this technique. Use a white eye pencil and tight line the bottom of the eye and watch the eye brighten up. If the hooded part of the eye makes it look small, this tip will give the illusion of expanding the size.
Play up with the under-eye
Hooded eyes have very little space on the upper lid to work on, so why not use the under-eye to give the eyes a beautiful lift. Apply a thin dark-shadow about one-third of the way into the eye from the outside and for the rest of the eye use a bright luminous colour. This will make the eyes look bigger, creating a bold statement.
Amplify the lashes
Hooded eye makeup is all about illusion to make them look more open and awake. So, try out fluttery falsies for lashes, making them look longer and bigger. But use lashes that match the eye shape. Don’t use lashes that are longer on the outer corner of the eye as it will make your eyes look droopier. And, if your client is not into false lashes, use an eyelash curler and volumizing mascara to do the magic.
Seal the deal
After spending so much time on eye makeup for hooded eyes, it would be a waste if it wears off soon. So once the eye makeup is complete, use a makeup setting spray to seal the look and give your client the “just applied” makeup look and feel all day long.
Having hooded eyelids can cause some makeup challenges, but they are not unconquerable. With proper makeup application techniques and some illusions, you can make them look broader and brighter. So, get set to give your clients a beautiful eye makeover the next time they come to your salon.
