3 Eye-Opening Tutorials for Hooded Lids

Create a Cat-Eye That Stays Front and Center

Following the usual cat-eye advice on hooded lids will look fine when youre looking downbut once you look straight ahead, youre left with uneven or droopy wings. Follow Sam Chapman of Pixiwoos lead and start with a primer like Smashbox's Photo Finish Lid Primer, then create your wing with waterproof liner. Instead of tracing closely along your upper lashline to meet the flick, look down and draw a diagonal line from your inner corner straight up to the tip of your wing. Look straight ahead and fill in any gaps with more liner. When looking down, your liner will have a zig-zag shape, but looking straight ahead, youll have a visible cat eye.

Open Up Your Eyes with Matte Shadow

Stephanie Lang has perfected a foolproof shadow application technique that opens up small and hooded eyes: Apply a neutral shadow all over the lid from inner to outer corner, slowly building into a dome shape that extends beyond your natural crease. Softly blend it just around the outer edges so the color gradually disappears. Swipe the same shadow under your lower lashline to create some balance. The key is to stick with matte shadows like MAKE's Matte Finish Eyeshadow (shimmery formulas will highlight your hoods, making them even more noticeable) and to get comfortable with bringing your shadow up higher above the crease than what feels right.

Contour to Create the Illusion of a Crease

Instead of trying to fake a dramatic crease on top of a hood with layers of makeup, vlogger Emily Quak adds dimension by focusing on the outer corners of her eyes. Watch as she creates a contoured smoky look by blending a matte, chocolate-y shadow (we like INIKAs Coco Motion) at the outer corners followed by a black shadow wing, blending it outward for some lift. Finally, she adds a very light application of a warm orange shadow at the crease to make everything mesh.