He adds, “It could well be that you have prominent or deep-set eyes – this is identified by the distance from the brow bone to the eyeball. If your eyeball sits in line with your brow bone, your eye shape is probably prominent. If your eyeball sits noticeably further back than your brow bone, then you may have deep-set eyes.”
Shadow, liner and mascara placement can be used to open, lift or balance the appearance of the eyes – concentrating product towards the outer corner can elongate, while upward or outward placement can create a lifted effect. “Depending on the look you are going for, you can play with different techniques to create an optical illusion and make it look like you have a different eye shape,” explains professional make-up artist Claudia Neacsu. “For instance, if you have round eyes and you want to make them seem more elongated, you will only apply eyeliner, eyeshadow and mascara on the outer corners of the eyes, leaving the middle part blank; this way your eyes will apparently change shape. But if you want to keep the doll-looking eyes, you can actually accentuate your round eye shape by applying mascara all the way to the inner corners.”
Below, the experts share the techniques used by the pros to accentuate each eye shape, sharing eyeshadow, mascara and liner designs and finishes to emphasise and flatter.
Before you start
Before tailoring your technique to your eye shape, there are a few principles that apply across the board, from the use of shimmer to applying with your eyes open. No matter your eye type, Neacsu believes her signature lifting technique can be flattering. To get the look, according to the professional makeup artist, “it starts with slowly building the eye shape while contouring the face. I add the cream contour starting from the outer corners of the eyes, going all the way to the temples, connecting it with the face contour. I then love bringing a bit of light on the eyelids and finishing the look with a lifting eyeliner and lots of mascara.”
Díaz-Hellín Hodson recommends using “light layers and build as desired,” while also sharing to “check your eye makeup with your eyes open.” This allows you to better see if the design is symmetrical: “If you can do the majority of your eye makeup with your eyes open, even better! This way you can avoid the pain of your eyeliner looking wonky as soon as you open your eyes or that excruciating moment that you open your eyes and your mascara transfers to your eyelid.”
Get creative with shimmer. “Sometimes a simple pop of shimmer in the inner corner of the eye or underneath the lash line can be far more flattering and effective than using it all over the lid,” Díaz-Hellín Hodson adds. “Don’t be afraid to play around and get to know your eye shape and what suits you. Remember, makeup comes off quicker than it goes on. Making mistakes can sometimes unlock the key to you discovering your perfect eye makeup style.”
