If you’ve ever felt like your beautifully blended eyeshadow disappears the moment you open your eyes, or your perfect wing stamp turns into a messy, smudged line, then you likely have hooded eyes. This common and beautiful eye shape is defined by a fold of skin that hangs over the natural crease, making the movable part of the eyelid smaller or completely hidden when your eyes are open.
But let me stop you right there. Having hooded eyes isn't a challenge to overcome; it's a unique canvas that simply requires smarter application techniques.
This guide is your deep dive into the most effective strategies for an instant eye lift. We’re going to show you how to do eye makeup with hooded eyes that actually stays put, provides visible lift, and truly makes your eyes pop, all with three game-changing techniques that focus on precision, placement, and smudge-proof products.
Defining Your Canvas: What Are Hooded Eyes?
Before we dive into the techniques, let's clearly define what we're working with. Hooded eyes are characterized by a prominent brow bone that causes skin to fold down over the outer corner and crease of the eye. This extra skin is what hides a significant portion of your eyelid when you look straight ahead. The crucial takeaway is this: traditional eye makeup tutorials designed for visible lids simply won't work.
The secret to mastering how to do eye makeup with hooded eyes lies in applying products above the natural crease and using smudge-proof formulas to prevent frustrating transfer. We’ll be focusing on creating a visible ‘false crease’ and a lifted wing that stays crisp all day.
Technique 1: The 'Eyes Open' Crease (The False Socket)
The biggest mistake people with hooded eyes make is applying their crease color only where their natural crease is when their eyes are closed. When you open your eyes, that color vanishes under the hood!
The Game-Changer: The Open-Eye Placement
This technique, often referred to as 'drawing a new crease,' ensures your definition is visible when you’re looking straight ahead.
-
Prep is Non-Negotiable: Start with an excellent eyeshadow primer. This is the absolute first step for hooded eyes, as the skin-on-skin contact of the hood is a recipe for creasing and smudging.
-
Look Straight Ahead: With your eyes relaxed and looking directly into a mirror, use a matte, medium-toned brown or taupe shadow (the transition shade).
-
Draw the New Crease: Locate where you want your crease to be usually about an eighth to a quarter of an inch above your natural crease line, right where the hood of skin starts to recede into the brow bone. Use a fluffy blending brush to gently stamp this shadow color right into that new line.
-
Blend Up and Out: Now, blend the color upwards and slightly outwards toward the tail of your Eyebrow Makeup. Always blend up and out to create the illusion of a lift. This makes your eyes appear more open and less heavy.
-
Shimmer on the Mobile Lid: Since the space is small, keep any shimmer or bright color contained strictly to the mobile lid (the part that moves). The contrast of the matte crease color above and the bright shimmer on the lid is essential to mastering how to do eye makeup with hooded eyes.
Technique 2: The 'Bat Wing' Eyeliner Hack
Thick eyeliner on the upper lid is an enemy to hooded eyes, it takes up all the precious visible lid space and disappears the moment you look forward. The "Bat Wing" is the perfect solution for dramatic eyeliners that stay visible and look incredibly lifted.
The Game-Changer: The Unconnected Wing
The key to this technique is drawing the top and bottom lines of the wing while your eye is open, allowing the skin fold to break the line, then connecting it when the eye is closed to form a unique bat-wing shape.
-
Mark the Bottom Line: Look straight ahead. Use a fine-tipped liquid eyeliner (we love the precision and longevity of the Amaterasu Beauty Liquid Eyeliner for its smudge-proof formula) and draw the bottom line of your wing, extending it upwards toward the end of your brow.
-
Mark the Top Line: Still looking straight ahead, find the point on your upper lash line where the hood begins to descend. From that spot, draw a line that connects to the tip of your bottom wing. Ultimately, this line will create a sharp angle over the hood.
-
Fill the Gap: Close your eye. The line you just drew will likely have a strange 'step' or 'break' where the hooded lid is. Gently fill the triangle, creating a shape that looks "broken" or like a bat wing when your eye is closed.
-
The Reveal: Open your eyes! Because the wing was drawn based on your open-eye visibility, it will now appear as one crisp, sharp line, giving you an unparalleled eye lift.
Tip for Beginners: The Pencil-to-Powder Method
If a liquid eyeliner is too intimidating, start with a dark eyeliner pencil or gel liner. Use it to trace the shape, then smudge and set it immediately with a dark eyeshadow. This softens the line and makes it much more forgiving, while the powder shadow sets to prevent any transfer onto the hooded lid.
Technique 3: The Ultimate Lash and Liner Lift
A common frustration with how to do eye makeup with hooded eyes is eyeliner transfer, even with the best products. This last technique combines precise product placement and the right tools to guarantee definition without the smear.
The Game-Changer: Tightlining and Root Volume
Since your upper eyelid space is limited, the most effective way to add definition is by working into the lash line rather than on the lid.
-
Tightlining for Thickness: Use a waterproof eyeliner or kohl pencil to tightline your upper waterline. This means applying the product right under the root of the lashes and onto the inner rim. This darkens the lash line, making your lashes look instantly thicker and fuller without taking up any visible lid space.
-
Lash Focus: Hooded eyes benefit immensely from an intensely curled and lifted lash. Always curl your lashes before applying mascara. When applying mascara, concentrate the product at the base of the lashes, then pull it through the ends, sweeping the outer lashes diagonally toward your temple to further enhance the lifted appearance.
-
Brow Lift: Never underestimate the power of your brows. A perfectly shaped and slightly lifted arch can instantly create more space on your eyelid. Use a pencil or pomade to define the bottom line of your brow and gently lift the arch, which visually pulls the entire eye area upward. The right Eyebrow Makeup completes the illusion of lift.
Why Smudge-Proof is Essential for Hooded Eyes
The single biggest enemy of eye makeup with hooded eyes is smudging. The constant contact of the skin fold with the lid will break down most standard makeup formulas. Look for oil-controlling, long-wear formulas. Products like the Amaterasu Beauty line, known for their 24-hour smudge-proof technology and clean ingredients, are specifically formulated to resist the oils and folds of hooded eye shapes. Investing in transfer-resistant formulas for your eyeliners and mascara is not a luxury, it’s a necessity.
Mastering how to do eye makeup with hooded eyes is all about shifting your perspective and your placement. Embrace your beautiful eye shape, apply your makeup with your eyes open, and you will achieve that instant eye-lift effect you’ve been looking for.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
To ensure you have all the insider tips, here are the most asked questions about applying makeup for this eye shape:
Q1: What is the best type of eyeliner for hooded eyes?
The best type of eyeliner for hooded eyes is one that is smudge-proof and long-wearing. Many professionals recommend a fine-tipped liquid eyeliner for precision or a gel formula that sets quickly. The goal is to prevent transfer and maintain a sharp line. You should avoid overly creamy or soft eyeliner pencil formulas unless you immediately set them with eyeshadow.
Q2: Should I avoid shimmery or glittery eyeshadow with hooded eyes?
Absolutely not! While matte shadows are crucial for creating depth in the false crease, shimmer and glitter are fantastic when applied correctly. You should apply shimmery or metallic shades only on the center of the mobile lid and the inner corner to catch the light and make the eye appear larger. Avoid placing shimmery shades too high on the brow bone, as this can highlight the hood.
Q3: How do I stop my eye makeup from creasing or transferring?
The number one defense is an eyeshadow primer. Applying a high-quality primer all over the mobile lid and up into the area where the hood touches the brow bone creates a sticky base that locks shadow in place. For your liner, ensure you are using a transfer-resistant formula (like a tubing mascara or a highly durable liquid eyeliner) and allow it to completely dry before opening your eyes fully.
Q4: Should I use a thick or thin eyeliner line on my hooded eyes?
You should aim for the thinnest line possible along your upper lash line to preserve lid space. The focus of the line should be on tightlining the waterline. If you want a dramatic look, achieve it with the wing (using the Bat Wing technique), not by thickening the line across the main part of the lid, which will visually shrink your eyes.
