Here are some great techniques to use when applying makeup to
hooded eyes. To help you remember what to do, follow this simple rule:
darken what you see and highlight what you don't. I hope that's easy
enough for you to remember. However, since we all like details, here is
what I mean.
First, before I get to that, you must be able to
determine what hooded eyes look like. Most typically, oriental people
have hooded eyes, but lots of other races do as well. A hooded eye is
sometimes referred to as "sleepy eyes" because the lids look partly
closed. This is where most of the eyelid looks heavy, is more fleshy,
tends to protrude, and even can cover the eye itself. It is where some
people like to get an eye lift so that a natural eyelid is restored by
pulling up the fleshy portion that tends to sag over the eye.
To
reverse this appearance without needing some drastic surgery, here is
what you'll do. You will darken the fleshy eye lid area, helping push
that prominent part of your eye away. This creates the appearance of
opening up your eye and making your eyes more prominent than the eyelid.
Although
you are using dark colors to push back the fleshy part, too dark of a
color over the entire eyelid area will make your eyelids look too heavy
and actually make your eyes look more closed.
Second, you will
only need to highlight the browbone a little. Due to the nature of
hooded eyes, your browbone is naturally highlighted.
Lastly, be
sure to have great, shapely eyebrows. If they are too light or thin, you
can fill them in with an eyebrow pencil that matches your eyebrow
color. By fixing your eyebrows, you will draw attention upwards from the
hooded eye.
To get started, you will use at least three shades of
eyeshadow. The lightest color is the highlight shade. The medium color
is the midtone. And the darkest color is the accent.
So here is how you apply the three shades of eye shadow:
1.
Highlight the browbone area - this is located just below your brow,
concentrate the lightest color from the arch and outwards. Then
highlight the area along your upper lashline - but not the whole eyelid!
2.
Apply your midtone shade as follows: start at your upper lash line and
sweep the color up and over the entire hooded area. Make sure that as
you sweep it close to the highlighted area (along the brow bone) and
blend well so you don't see a line or a distinction between the
highlight shade and the midtone shade.
3. You will use the accent
shade (darkest color) similarly to the midtone shade. Start at the base
of the lash line and sweep the color up and over the hooded area. To
really make the hooded area recede, also sweep the color in towards your
nose a little (not going past the eye, of course). Be sure to sweep the
accent color underneath the entire lower lashline to completely accent
your eyes. Follow up with plenty of mascara and you will have achieved
your eye-popping goal!
Having hooded eyes is probably one of the
trickiest eye shapes to have. Remember that as you experiment and
practice, you will get better. Don't worry if you don't apply your eye
shadow exactly like what is described here. You will find that if your
hooded eyes are close-set, you will sweep the accent shade outwards,
instead of inwards towards your nose. Perhaps you have a different
eyebrow shape which will affect where you will apply the highlight
color. The best thing you can do is to try!
Here are some final
essential tips: One of the greatest secrets to eye makeup application is
to use brushes designed for that purpose! You will find blending is so
much easier to achieve than if you use sponge-tip applicators or (heaven
forbid!) your fingers. Next, be sure you are using a good skin care
program. A correctly matched foundation applied correctly will do
wonders as it evens out your skin tone and makes you look younger. By
Kaelyn Hales
