I Have Hooded Eyes—And These Are the Eye Makeup Looks That Work for Me

My love of beauty began at a young age, which should come as no surprise given the career I perused, but one of the earliest memories I have is noticing how eye makeup would appear dramatically different on my hooded eyes.

When I first started experimenting with makeup in my early teens, it was usually after school at a friend's house. We would dig out our makeup bags full of Miss Sporty and Maybelline products and give each other (rather dreadful) makeovers. One day, we decided to give a strong, winged eyeliner look a go. As we drew a slick of black eyeliner on our upper eyelids, I noticed that it looked great on my friends' eyes, but on mine, it looked a little bit off. And I couldn't place why. The same went for false eyelashes, which completely overwhelmed my eyes but seemed to suit my friends' eye shapes.

I have a slightly hooded and deep-set eye shape, but I've found eye makeup looks that work.

It was only when I began to understand different eye shapes that everything clicked. I soon learned that I have hooded eyes. This means that less of my lid space is visible, so I have less eyelid "real estate" to play with when it comes to eyeshadows and eyeliner. So if I were to apply an eye shadow colour all over my eyelid, you wouldn't really be able to see it when my eyes are open. This is because when my eyes are rested (and looking straight on), my upper lid hides behind and brow bone. The same goes for eyeliner on my upper lash line. Trying to do a sleek, flicked-out wing can prove difficult as it has to go over the folds of my eyelids and it can look a little off.

But in saying that, I really do love my eye shape, and as I've learned over the years, there's certain tricks and techniques that enhance these natural contours. If you're someone who, like me, might've strived to keep up with the latest makeup trend, but struggled to actually make it work, scroll on below for everything you need to know about perfecting eye makeup for hooded eyes.

How to Apply Eye Makeup for Hooded Eyes?

Hooded eyes are usually down to your genetics, but you may find your eyes become more hooded with age, too. In fact, hooded eyes come in lots of different shapes and sizes. You may have more of your lid visible in the inner or outer corners of your eyes, and you might find that your eyelids look more hooded at different angles, or it may depend on how well you have slept on any given day.

Whichever type of hooded eyes you have, however, there are so many eye makeup looks that can suit your eye shape. "You can do any makeup for hooded eyes, but it's just about adapting it to your eye shape," says Dominic Skinner, global senior makeup artist for MAC Cosmetics.

There are so many eye makeup looks that suit hooded eyes.

I used to feel frustrated that certain eye makeup looks wouldn't suit my hooded eyes. However, in my time as a beauty journalist, I've come to embrace and even play up my hooded eyes with different makeup looks. It's just about finding looks that work for you.

The secret is to work with and not against the shape you're born with. Still, there are some insider and industry hacks to complementing hooded eyes through eye makeup. No, you don't have to swear of liquid eyeliner or powdery palettes for good. Makeup artists have shared tips and tricks with me over the years, so, I've decided to share what I've learned, as well as some great eye makeup looks for hooded eyes. Uncover them all, ahead.

Which Makeup Looks are Suited to Hooded Eyes?

With that in mind, I've rounded up the specific eye-makeup looks that flatter hooded eyes, along with the expert-approved products and tips for achieving them at home. (No messy wings here!)

1. Waterline Eyeliner

If you find liquid eyeliner overwhelms your eyes, try tight-lining—AKA, applying a soft kohl eyeliner, like the Victoria Beckham Beauty eyeliner, to your upper waterline only. "With a hooded eye, you have a very little amount of eyelid space," says Skinner. "So you don't want to cover that amount of space up. "What you want to do is bring your eyeliner underneath onto the waterline, so you're going underneath at the root of your eyelashes," he says. You can still get that liquid-eyeliner look by winging it outwards at the outer corner of the eye, but it's much softer on hooded eyes.

Shop the Look:

2. Reverse Eyeliner

When I recently sat down with celebrity makeup artist Lan Nguyen-Grealis, I was convinced that liner wouldn't work for my eye shape. But she showed me otherwise when I sat in the makeup chair and talked me through the common makeup mistakes. If eyeliner looks too heavy on your upper eyelid, try "reverse eyeliner" by applying your eyeliner on your lower lash line, like Bella Hadid is wearing here. You can make a statement with bright eyeliner colours, but this works equally well with wearable everyday shades like black or brown.

If you struggle to do a winged-eyeliner look, you can try winging your eyeliner out from the lower lash line instead. "Draw along the lower lash line and wing out," says Nguyen-Grealis. "Then, diffuse the line with an eye shadow brush while connecting it to the very edge of your upper lash line." She explained that this helps to add definition while lifting and elongating your eyes. Set with an eyeshadow for a long-lasting finish.

Shop the Look:

3. The Socket Smoke

When creating socket definition, it might feel odd bringing your eye shadow so high onto the brow bone, but that's exactly what you should be doing, says Skinner. "What a lot of people do is that they try to hide their lid by covering it and smoking it out, but you want to apply your eye shadow in the socket," he says. "Look straight ahead in the mirror and imagine where that shadow should go. Then, tip your head back, and you’ll see that actually where you want it to go is where your brow bone is. This lifts and opens the eye."

Shop the Look:

4. Mini Eyeliner Wing

I rely on this eye makeup a lot for my hooded eyes. If you want to do a liquid-eyeliner look with a wing, then avoid applying liquid eyeliner all the way along your upper lash line. Instead, you can apply it from the very outer corner only, winging out to lengthen and elongate the eyes.

Shop the Look:

5. Lower Lash Line Smoke

If I really want my eyes to pop for an evening look, I take a darker eye shadow along my lower lid, which makes the eyes appear larger. I love this look on Karlie Kloss here, who wears a burnt orange smoked out on her lower lash line and ties her smokey-eye look together.

Shop the Look:

6. Eyelid Highlight

"You want to maximise any amount of skin that you can see between the crease and the lash line," says Skinner. The best way to make your eyelids pop is to opt for a highlighting product. "That could be an iridescent eye shadow that's perhaps the same shade as your skin tone or even one shade lighter. Apply just above the iris in the centre of your lid. That amount of highlight will give the illusion of there being more lid space than there actually is," he says. This look really makes your eyes pop and works well worn alone or combined with other eye makeup looks.

"Avoid using bright and reflective eye shadows on the prominent part of the lid [such as above the socket crease or brow bone], as this will emphasise the hoods of the eyes," says Dior pro international makeup artist Jamie Coombes. "Instead, keep these shades to the mobile parts of the lid, as this will provide flashes of colour when you blink. Alternatively, add a fine touch of highlighter along the arch of the brow to lift."

Shop the Look:

7. The Smokey Eye

If you want to go for a smokey eye, then good news—your eye shape makes it easier to achieve this sultry look, as Sarah Jessica Parker shows. Try applying an eye shadow shade all over your lid, buffing it upwards onto the brow bone and out towards the outer edge of your eyes. Run the same eye shadow along your bottom lid, and add mascara to finish. You might find that false eyelashes look too intense on your eye shape, but a lengthening mascara can make your eyes appear more open.

8. Straight Eye Shadow

Notice that the shape is quite graphic and follows the natural lid of Samira Wiley's lid, but the wing itself runs parallel for a graphic shape. In fact, following a straight line when applying eye shadow is key for hooded eyes, says Coombes, and the same goes with more subtle and softer eyeshadow looks too. "Familiarise yourself with the straight-line technique, blending your eye shadow in a straight horizontal line and not blending out too far," he says. "A tip for this is to place the edge of a sheet of paper from the corner of the nose to the end of your brow and keep the blend within that space."

9. Negative-Space '60s Eye

I always turn to Taylor Swift for hooded-eye makeup looks, and this look quite literally took my breath away. While it's not an everyday look (but trust that I'm saving this for my NYE party makeup look), I'm taking note of placement on the crystals on the brown bone in this '60s-inspired look, which creates the illusion of a socket crease and really opens the eyes. You could re-create this look with softly diffused eye shadow or eyeliner for a bold look.

10. Hooded Eyeliner Wing

Depending on your lid shape, you might find that your upper eyelid covers where an eyeliner wing might go. This might be the case if you raise your brows to apply winged eyeliner, only to find when you rest your eyes, the wing doesn't look quite the same. The best protocol is to mark out where you want the lower part of wing to go and draw outwards. Then, when connecting it to the upper edge, you'll want to stop when you meet your natural eyelid create and fill in your outer triangle section of the wing. It should look a little like a bat wing when your eyes are open, but when they are rested your wing will look more flattering.

11. Soft Smoke

This is such a pretty and soft makeup look that works for any occasion. Simply run eyeliner underneath your eyelashes and smoke outwards for a simple eye makeup look. As for eyebrows, you'll want to go for soft definition, says Coombes. "Try not to overdraw brows, as this gives a heavier look and closes the eye," he says. "Instead, lightly define brows with two shades lighter than your usual colour, and brush the brow hair upward to open and lift the eye shape."

12. Bold Eyelashes 

When in doubt, leave your lids bare and go for a lashing of mascara. A good pair of eyelash curlers will ensure an eye-opening effect and a curling mascara will give all-day hold.

13. Tight-lining

If you find eyeliner on your upper lid is too heavy, try tight-lining. This technique involves applying a kohl pencil on the upper waterline so that it adds subtle definition to your eyelashes without taking up space on your upper eyelids.

How to Put Mascara on Hooded Eyes?

After consulting with the professionals, I've learnt over time that the best way to put mascara on hooded eyes it to begin with gently curling the lashes from the root. This will give a beautifully lifted effect that will also help the product from transfering to your eyelid. You'll want to concentrate on applying the mascara to your outer corner and really coating the entirety of the lash—not just focusing on the base or ends. Finally, gently take a cotton bud soaked with a splash of micellar water to clear any fall out.

Where Do You Put Eyeliner on Hooded Eyes?

One of the biggest questions I'm asked is where to place eyeliner on hooded eyes. The only caveat I would give is that the fold through the eyeliner is obviously the biggest barrier as it can sometimes look disruptive and cover the makeup look if you've traced it over your lash liner. So, I always advise either tight-lining your water line or sticking to a baby flick at the very outer edge of eye to ensure the look is perfect from the get go.

Why Trust Us

At Who What Wear UK, we know that beauty isn’t one-size-fits-all. Our editors have tested thousands of products, including skincare, makeup, hair and nails, over the years and work closely with trusted experts—dermatologists, make-up artists and leading industry insiders—to ensure every guide is well-researched, inclusive and relevant to you.

We focus on formulas that deliver, whether they’re affordable favourites or luxury investments. Our product selection is based on tangible results, ingredient know-how and what we’d truly recommend to a friend.