As a beauty editor, one of the first lessons I ever learnt as I embarked into makeup is that your eye shape will determine your entire approach to doing eyeshadow—or any eye makeup for hooded eyes, for that matter. I remember the first time I ever tried eyeliner in my teens. I couldn't understand why an eyeliner wing looked totally crisp and seamless on my friend's eyes, but on mine, it looked a bit off.
After watching multiple YouTube makeup tutorials and poring over makeup-artist books, I realised that I have hooded eyes. And, like every eye shape, they require a different approach when it comes to eye makeup, but especially with eyeshadow application. Eye makeup for eye shapes can vary a lot.
If you've landed here, the chances are you're also looking for some tips on how to do eyeshadow for hooded eyes. So, I enlisted the help of one of the world's most iconic makeup artists, Charlotte Tilbury MBE, to personally talk me through all the tips, tricks and mistakes to avoid when doing eyeshadow for hooded eyes. But firstly, what are hooded eyes, and how do you know if you have them?
What Are Hooded Eyes?
Hooded eyes are an eye shape where the skin of your upper lid or brow bone covers the natural crease of your eyes. "People with hooded eyes often have a smaller visible eyelid when looking straight on, meaning some of the eyeshadow you apply can get hidden," explains Tilbury. If you've ever artfully applied eyeshadow all over your lid, only to relax your eyelids and eyebrows and look straight in the mirror and see it totally disappear, the chances are you may have hooded eyes too.
Hooded eyes are often down to genetics and heritage, but our eyes can also become more hooded with time as our eye area matures. They can also vary in how hooded they are (for example mine are more hooded towards the middle and outside corners of my eyes, but my lid is more visible towards the inside corners). Like other eye shapes, hooded eyes are really beautiful and striking, with many celebrities, actresses and models, such as Zendaya and Adriana Lima, having naturally hooded eyes.
Thankfully, there are plenty of tips, tricks and techniques you can use when applying eyeshadow on hooded eyes to enhance your eye shape. "Different eyeshadow styles are flattering on different eye shapes, so knowing your eye shape helps you to create easy, effortless eye looks that enhance and illuminate the look of your natural features," says Tilbury. Scroll on ahead for the expert-approved tips to applying eyeshadow on hooded eye shapes.
How To Apply Eyeshadow for Hooded Eyes
Choose Matte Eyeshadows
For hooded eyes, matte eyeshadows are your friend, Tilbury tells me. Especially neutral tones of beiges and browns, which will add natural definition to your eyes while making them look bigger. Anything too shimmery or glitzy on your lids can sometimes look too heavy. To start, you'll want to choose an eyeshadow that's a similar colour to your skin tone and apply over your lid as a base to give any other products you're applying on top "grip". Next, you want to define the crease of your eyes.
Define the Crease
"People with hooded eyes often have a smaller visible eyelid when looking straight on, meaning some of the eyeshadow you apply can get hidden, so the secret is always up-and-out," says Tilbury. "My tip is to apply eyeshadow a little past the eyelid, up into and past the crease, then blend upwards and outwards," she says, which may mean you'll be applying it above your natural crease or even onto your brow bone. It might feel a bit unnatural at first, but this means even when your eyes are resting, you can still see the eyeshadow, and it creates a wide-eyed effect.
"Using my Eye Blender Brush (£26), apply your eyeshadow from side to side on the lid like a windscreen wiper," says Tilbury, "and blend it up and out past the eyelid for that lifted effect." This helps to define the crease and frame your eyes. Next, she recommends balancing the look by applying a little eyeshadow along the bottom lid too. "Remember it is important to not be heavy-handed. Using the same shade you have applied on your upper eyelid, use my Eye Smudger Brush (£26) to bring the colour along your lower lash line, and don’t forget to blend."
Tilt Your Head as You Apply
"When applying eyeshadow to your eyelids, lift your chin up and look down into your mirror so you can see your full eyelid, and if you are working on the bottom of your eyes, tilt your chin down," says Tilbury. "This technique will help you apply eyeshadow with precision on the largest surface area of your eyes without smudging!" Additionally, try to avoid raising your brows too much as you apply and check in on how it looks as your eyes are rested, as this is what it will look like most of the time. "No matter what shape of eye you have, you always want to draw the product up and out to create that illusion of brighter, bigger eyes," she says.
Accentuate the Inner Corners
This is a classic red carpet trick to open up the eyes. "To make hooded eyes look instantly bigger and brighter, apply the lightest shade in one of my Palettes of Beautifying Eye Trends (£49) to the inner corners of your eyes, dotting with my Eye Smudger brush and moving in a tiny ‘C’ motion," says Tilbury. "This is such a quick and easy way to make hooded eyes pop."
Best Eyeshadow Looks for Hooded Eyes
I love this look on Bella Hadid, as you can see so many hooded eye makeup tips at play. You can see that her makeup artist has taken a slightly darker eyeshadow colour above her natural crease, which opens up the eyes, as well as tight-lining the upper lashes which defines the eyes without looking too much.
Note the neutral tones and inner corner highlight that make Zendaya's hooded eyes smoulder.
How pretty is Selena Gomez's softly diffused eyeshadow wing?
Just a touch of tight-lining and mascara is enough to subtly define hooded eyes.
How beautiful is this hooded eyeshadow look on Jennifer Lawrence?
Chanel Iman proves you can still wear winged liner—just wing it out lower for a smooth line.
Best Eyeshadow Products for Hooded Eyes
Price shown is member cost.
An eyeshadow primer will make all the difference in your eyeshadow application. It will prevent creasing and smudging, as well as ensuring it stays put all day. I really rate this one.
The cool, neutral tones in this nude eyeshadow palette are perfect for hooded eyes, and will see you through so many eyeshadow looks. They're mostly matte, but feature a couple of shimmers which are helpful for tapping into the inner corners to open up your eyes.
This palette is a dream for hooded eyes. It features a whole range of neutral tones all in a matte finish, which perfectly complement and define hooded eyes.
Whether I'm tight-lining or creating a soft, smoked out look on the lower lash line, a day doesn't pass where I don't use this Victoria Beckham Beauty eyeliner. Its the best kohl liner out there that also comes with a smudging tool on the other end to diffuse the product. Go for the shape Cocoa, a matte brown that suits everyone.
I've gotten all my friends with hooded eyes onto this mascara. It's tubing formula, which means it's basically smudge-proof (if you have hooded eyes, you'll know the daily drama of mascara smudging onto your lids) and it removes with just warm water at the end of the day. The lengthening formula completes all of my eye makeup look and opens up the eyes so well.
A good pair of lash curlers are an instant way to make hooded eyes look bigger before applying mascara. I've had these ones for years and they really help to curl my stubbornly straight eyelashes while holding them in place all day.