Makeup Tips and Tricks for Lifting Hooded Eyes

Just a few helpful hints for those wanting a bigger more doe-eyed look

Bambi.

That’s what my friends called me when I was younger, and I wore the title proudly. After all, I knew they were complimenting my large, slightly turned-up “doe eyes,” and to be honest, I agreed with their praise. My eyes have always been my favorite feature.

However, as I approached fifty, those come-hither eyes began to sag. As a result, I researched ways to make my hooded eyes look less droopy.

Here are some tricks I discovered that might also be useful to you.

Create a fake crease higher than your own.

When you have hooded eyes, shadow can get lost in the crease and folded skin above it. This is why you need to create a “fake crease” using a warm, light to medium-toned brown shadow.

How do you do it?

L’Oreal Paris recommends holding a spoon sideways and placing the top of it on your crease. These are their exact instructions.

“Grab a clean round spoon and place it over your eye socket [the spoon should be sideways], then use a fluffy eyeshadow brush dipped into a shadow and follow the shape of the spoon’s edge to sweep on the color. When you remove the spoon, you’ll see a perfectly rounded crease shape above your natural crease.”

Once you’ve created your new crease, blend the line slightly upward, buffing and smoothing as you go.

Go light on the eyelid.

Now that you’ve got your new crease, you want to make the area under it stand out. The way to do this is through contrast, which means using lighter tones underneath.

Maybelline advises using concealer, stating:

“Apply a light concealer across the lid to clean up the edges of the brown eyeshadow and provide a guide for the cut crease. Use an angled brush to sweep concealer outward and across toward the tail of the eyebrow.”

Looking at the picture on the site will help you get a better idea of what to do.

After this step, the cosmetics company says to layer white shadow across the same area as the concealer.

Just so you know: While white is considered the best shadow to brighten up hooded eyes, you can still achieve the same principle with other light colors. Just make sure there’s a marked difference between the fake crease and the shadow.

For those forty or older: Another thing to consider is the fact that as you age, concealers and heavy creams tend to settle in fine lines and wrinkles. My advice is to use the white shadow or lighter color alone, or at least be very subtle with the amount of concealer you use.

Don’t forget highlighter.

Remember, when dealing with hooded eyes, the goal is to create lift. One way you can do this is by using a highlighter just under your brow. Some people follow the entire browline, while others highlight only from the highest point of the brow to the end. You can try both ways to see which makes your eyes pop more.

Another way to open up your hooded eyes is to apply a highlighter in your eye’s inner corners. I prefer to add a touch of shimmer or sparkle in the inner eye area and keep the highlighter under the eyebrow more matte.

Extra tip you may want to consider: Use a white or flesh-colored eyeliner in the water line. The light color will make your eyes seem even bigger.

The bottom line:

The truth is that all eyes are beautiful, especially when they look upon others with love and grace.

However, if your hooded eyes bother you, the power of makeup can go a long way toward giving you a more wide-eyed look.

So try these tips out, and let me know how it goes. I’m betting you’ll look fabulous.

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