How to Apply Eyeliner for Hooded Eyes

Have you ever followed an eyeliner tutorial flawlessly just to realize your end result looks nothing like the model’s end result? Does your eyeliner always sink into your upper eye crease?

You might just have hooded eyes, which means you have skin under the brow that covers most of your eyelid. Keep reading to learn a few tricks on how to apply eyeliner to your hooded eyes!

Choose the Right Liner

People have different preferences when it comes to eyeliner, and you may already have one you love. But if you have hooded eyes, you’ll want to find one that’s not going to smear off easily.

That’s because your eyeliner will constantly be under siege by the hood of your eye. It needs to be nontransferable. That way, you don’t end up with a shadow of eyeliner under the hood.

Find an eyeliner with an ultra-thin brush tip or a very precise marker tip. You’ll see why this is important in the next few steps.

Start With a Base

Don’t try to put eyeliner on a completely naked eyelid. Without primer of some kind, it’ll most likely just rub off.

Use primer that’s silicone based so the eyeliner sticks. Skipping primer will result in your favorite eyeliner (and all that hard work to apply it) going to waste. Apply your primer to the whole eyelid.

Use a Light Hand

Before you start drawing, understand the preferred technique. Use small brushing motions and very thin strokes to create the perfect line for hooded eyes.

Try to avoid drawing a thick, black line all the way across the top of your lid with a heavy hand. That might work for other eye types, but not for you!

Apply Eyeliner as Close to the Lash Line as Possible

Hug the eyeliner to the lash line as much as you can. This tactic will help you avoid having an eye that appears droopy, which happens if the liner melts into the hood.

Plus, it works because it maximizes the thickness of your lash line. That’s exactly what people with hooded eyes need to make their eyes pop!

how to do eyeliner on hooded eyes

Don’t Start at the Inside Eye Corner

When you start drawing your eyeliner, start right at the middle of your lash line. It’ll give your eye a wider look and avoid emphasizing the shape or the hood.

The effect will also make your eye looked winged, especially if you pull the eyeliner out from the outside corner. It’ll create a wider-looking eye overall.

Have Fun With the Lower Lash Line

Want to add some eyeliner to the lower lash line? Be careful with this trick, because if done wrong, it could seriously make your eye look squished!

Only add lower lash liner to the outside corner, not even halfway in. Start at the outside corner with tiny strokes and work your way toward the middle. This method is effective because you can check your progress along the way to ensure you haven’t pull the liner to far to the inside corner.

Highlight Your Brow Bone

Once you’ve popped your eyeliner on, enhance your hooded eyes more by highlighting your brow bone. This technique will open up space in your hooded eye, making them appear larger.

Simply use a light-colored, shimmery eyeshadow or highlighter and dab just a little on your brow bone right under the brow. You’ll notice an immediate difference in your look!

Experiment With Different Colors

Tired of boring old black eyeliner? You don’t have to stick with it! Choose other colors like different shades of brown or gray.

The lighter look of brown or gray eyeliner can help your eyes pop even more if you have hooded eyelids. Have fun with choosing eyeliner colors and put your personality into it!

End With Mascara

Now that you put all that eyeliner right up against your lash line, make your lashes pop with some mascara. Unless your eyelashes are already curly, we recommend curling them, too.

One of the best mascaras out there is Thrive mascara – doesn’t rub off which can be a problem if you’ve got hooded eyes, but comes off with just soap and water.

Hooded eyes benefit from the dimension and depth that thick, black lashes add. Applying mascara is the final step in the process of making your hooded eye pop. Of course, if you’re familiar with fake lashes, you can put those on for even more glam.

The Takeaway: Eyeliner for Hooded Eyes

With a few helpful techniques, you can transform how your eyes look. No more thick eyeliner that smears onto your hooded eyelid. No more questioning wear to put the eyeliner. Just use these tips and watch how easy it is to make eyeliner finally work for your hooded eyes!

how to apply eyeliner for hooded eyes