Almond eyes are the most symmetrical shape — picture celebs like Olivia Munn, Mila Kunis, and Lupita Nyong'o.
"Add any color onto the upper lids and trace an eyeliner of your choice along the upper lash lines to accentuate the almond shape. You can also add mascara on the outer corners," says makeup artist Nick Barose.
Almond Eyes
|
Getty |
To really make your almond eyes pop, celebrity makeup artist Matin suggests following up your eyeliner with an eyeshadow in taupe, beige, grey, deep chocolate, navy, or black, depending on how much drama you want to create. Try NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Mandchourie ($36; narscosmetics.com) or my favorite NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Portobello ($36; narscosmetics.com), which additionally works well as an all-over contour shadow.
Round Eyes
|
Getty |
Round eyes tend to have large defined lids — picture Katy Perry, Audrey Hepburn, Nicole Richie, and Christina Ricci.
"For large, round eyes, I love to use a kohl or Kajal pencil inside the waterline to create drama and mystery," says Matin. This will produce a lengthening effect that appears cat-like. Essentially, you'll use the softness of the creamy eyeliner to move it into becoming an eyeshadow. Try Make Up Forever's Kohl Pencil ($18; sephora.com).
Round Eyes
|
Getty |
For added drama, draw a thick line with a pencil along the lashes and then use a nylon eye shadow brush — like Sonia Kashuk's Core Tools Smudge Brush No. 105 ($5; target.com) — and blend it upwards and fade as you approach the crease. Use what's left on your brush and bring the liner past the lash line on the bottom, concentrating more on the outer part of the eye. Follow up with a medium-toned shadow for a natural look — like, L'Oreal's Infallible Eye Shadow in Amber Rush ($8; lorealparisusa.com) — or a dark powder shadow for a dramatic one, for instance, Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadow ($5; milanicosmetics.com).
Hooded Lids
|
Getty |
Hooded lids means that the upper fold of your eye drops close to your lash line. Think: Blake Lively, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger, and Jennifer Lawrence.
Apply shimmery shades like taupes on the brow bones, leaving the crease areas bare and shadowless, says Barose. Try Lancôme Color Design 5 Pan Eyeshadow Palette in Beige Brûlée ($50; lancome-usa.com) or Essence All About Eyeshadow Pallete in Bronze. And for ease of blending, try Sephora Collection Classic Precision Powder Shadow Brush #61
Use mascara to highlight your lashes and add further dimension to your eye area.
Monolids
|
Getty |
Monolids tend to have a flatter plane. Lucy Liu, Jenna Ushkowitz, and Sandra Oh represent a few in this mix.
Avoid shadows that are brown with red tones as they will make your eyes look swollen, minimizing the size. Instead try taupe-y browns or gray, Barose says. MAC Eyeshadow in Copperplate ($16; maccosmetics.com), a medium matte gray or NYX Cosmetics Nude Matte Shadow in Maybe Later, a soft brown, work well.
With the flatter planed area, don't get carried away with shading from the lash line to the brow bone. This will end up looking like a large color patch and will work against enhancing your eyes.
Ruddy or Deep Set Lids
|
Getty |
Ruddy or deep set lids tend to draw shadows and a have a darker appearance. Some red-carpet faves repping this group are Julianne Moore, Sandra Bullock, and Susan Sarandon.
The best thing is to use an eye primer, like Lancôme Aquatique Waterproof Eyecolour Base ($26; lancome-usa.com), to brighten and tone down any discoloration and darkness, says Barose, setting it with a loose powder. Use a lighter toned eyeshadow like a soft gold, ivory or champagne to illuminate the eyes (e.g, Lancôme Color Design Sensational Effects Eye Shadow Smooth Hold in Honeymoon, Glowing Light, or Positive, $20 each; lancome-usa.com), creating a sheer wash of shimmer to bring light the the lid area.
Ruddy or Deep Set Lids
|
Getty |
Another great way to make your eyes pop is to use a really thin liquid liner and mascara to add further definition, says Barose. This method will prevent your eyes from looking any deeper.
Wide Set Eyes
|
Getty |
If you have wide set eyes like Miranda Kerr or Kate Moss, the right makeup can help offset the space between them.
"With wide set eyes, there's no need to overdo it with heavy eye makeup," Barose says. "Subtle things like eyeliner shapes will instantly balance it out. The shape of brows also help, so you might want to fill in each brow differently to balance out their shapes."
He suggests pulling liner all the way into the inner corners. "Don't wing out the liner on outer corners too much," Barose says. "Then apply eyeshadow and focus a bit more on outer corners." Using a tiny mascara brush, "try to reach hard to reach shorter lashes in inner corners," he notes. "This will help pull the eyes in too."
Barose recommends using a gel liner Mac FluidLine ($17.50, ulta.com), an eyeliner and shadow stick combo like Surratt Beauty Eyes Baton ($35, sephora.com), and It Cosmetics Tightline mascara ($11, ulta.com), which boasts a super-small, super-precise brush to reach every inch of lash. "Applying mascara really close to lash lines will also help balance the shapes," Barose says.
Close Set Eyes
|
Getty |
Just like wide set eyes, if your eyes are set closer together, there's no need to overdo it with lots of products. Subtle touches are best to help balance out proportions.
"For close set eyes, try to start the brows out a bit further, without being obvious, because this helps open up the space," Barose says. "Use eyeliner like Lancome Dual End Eyeliner Brush ($20, ulta.com). Start the liner midway through the eye and don't pull it all the way in. Make it thicker at the outer corners and add a bit of darker eyeshadow on outer corners." Next, "Apply mascara and focus more on outer corners, putting extra mascara there. This will help pull the eyes apart."
When selecting a liner, Barose recommends choosing a liquid formula with a super thin brush that won't look obvious, which is the best way to "cheat the shapes." He likes Cle de Peau's LiquidLiner.