Makeup For Small Eyes

Put away your favorite black or brown pencil liner and get yourself a white one instead. Applying more makeup to your eye may seem like a great way to draw focus to them and therefore make them appear larger but a darker liner is not the way to do it. By applying a white or nude colored liner to the waterline of your eye makes the sclera (the white part of your eye) look like it extends further down than it actually does, causing your eye to look bigger. A darker liner, though dramatic and striking, creates a cut off point that highlights where your eye stops causing them to look even smaller. Just think of how we use nude or light colored heels to make our legs look longer, wearing a black heel draws the eye to where your legs stop, same with a black liner!

Extending your natural lashes is a great way to make your eyes look bigger. Longer looking lashes make your eyes look more open, therefore larger. Before you grab your curlers and clamp them straight down on your lashes, however, make sure you have done the following. Ensure your lashes are clean and dry before you start, damp lashes straight from the shower won’t hold a curl and mascara remnants from the day before are a friend to no-one. Once they are clean and dry, go ahead and tilt your head back slightly, lightly clamping the curler towards the base of your lashes but not right on the lid. Clamping too close to the lash line with be painful and cause your lashes to weaken. Draw the curlers forward ever so slightly before you clamp down. Hold for around 15 seconds, release the curler, then hold for another 15 seconds to avoid any breakage. Once you have your lashes nicely curled, slick on your favorite black mascara and you’re done!

Defining your upper lid with a gorgeous Audrey Hepburn style flick draws attention to your lashes and makes your upper lash line look much longer and thicker giving the impression of bigger eyes. Use a liquid liner and with your eye closed, draw along the lash line. Create a flick following up from where your lower lash line would flick to if it continued upwards. This technique follows the natural shape of your eye and enhances it rather than creating a false “drawn on” effect. Finish by curling your lashes and applying mascara.

When it comes to mascara, selecting one with excellent lengthening qualities can work wonders when you’re trying to exaggerate the size of your eyes. Similar to the effect of false lashes, drawing your lashes upwards automatically enhances your eye size. It makes the areas surrounding the eye itself appear larger, therefore projecting a wider, more open appearance.

Although it’s tempting to go for a smokey makeup look if you have eyes that are naturally on the smaller side you may want to steer away from this trend. Dark colors will ultimately make your eyes look smaller, similar to the way we wear black to make ourselves appear slimmer. Using lighter, more neutral shades is a much better way of making your eyes look bigger as it creates no stopping points around the eye. Therefore it makes the edges of the eye appear as if they extend out further than they naturally do.

Just between your tear ducts and where the brow bone starts, reach for your highlighter and use it to lighten this area. The shadow caused by the top of our nose and the brow bone can make the eyes look smaller and hidden. Highlighting this area will instantly open up the eye by eliminating the shadow.

Once again, using your highlighter, highlighting above your eyelid on the brow bone eliminates any shadow that may be making your eye look smaller. It also creates a reflective appearance that with aid your eye in looking a lot brighter and therefore larger and more open.

Dark circles around the eyes aren’t good for anybody. Whether you have large or small eyes, dark circles will steal away from the brightness of the eye and make them look dull and tired. If we want our eyes to look brighter and more reflective we’re going to need to conceal those circles! Try a concealer with a yellow base color. Yellow is great for concealing dark circles as it naturally balances out the darker, brown pigment. If you have redness around the eyes however, try a concealer with a light green base.

False lashes are great for making your eyes appear larger as they create a wonderful fan effect around the eye that draws focus towards them and enhances the shape. However, we would really only suggest using them for occasions when you’re going out or have a special event to go to. Applying glue every day can be distressing for your lashes and you can easily end up pulling some out, not great for making the eyes appear bigger. Learn to make the most of your own lashes with lash curlers and lengthening mascaras rather than relying solely on false ones.

For this one, you’ll want to look to the natural color of your iris (the colored part). Using the color as your starting point, select a crayon liner in the same or a similar shade. Next, apply this underneath the bottom lash line up until just before you reach the tear duct. Now, blend out the sides. We use a crayon liner as a liquid is much too harsh for this technique and a pencil liner can be too dry to apply evenly when you don’t have the added moisture from the waterline. The color you apply here will act as a continuation of your eye color and each will highlight the other. The wider space covered will make your eye appear bigger whilst beautifully enhancing your natural eye color.

Using a darker colors is usually a mistake when applying makeup to smaller eyes, however, used in this particular way it’s a brilliant trick in making your eyes look bigger. Select an eyeshadow that is a couple of shades darker than your nude base color. Once your base color is applied, using a very fluffy brush, gently sweep the darker color into the crease of the very top of your eyelid just below the brow bone. If you apply a little pressure you can feel where it is. This won’t cover the lid or take away from the brightness of your eye, it will simply serve to highlight your lid and create dimensions that make the eye look more defined and prominent.

Well groomed brows will really open up the eye by bringing attention to its presence like a good frame does for a picture. Overly tweezed, thin brows won’t act as much of a frame at all so invest in a good brow comb and pencil to make sure your brows are visible and well kept.

Applying liquid eyeliner to your upper lash line in the middle where it’s at it’s thickest will create a sense of height making your eyes look a lot wider. Once you have applied the liner, ensure that you blend out the sides or that the line appears to thin out merging with your natural lash line. Leaving the sides blunt will look harsh and like you forgot to apply the rest of your liner! Appointing the right shadows on and around your lids like this is a great way to promote your eyes as your key feature.

We’ve talked a lot about curling our lashes, lash extensions and various ways to use them to open up the eye but we mustn’t forget about our lower lashes! Applying mascara all the way along the bottom lashes can have the opposite effect of making our eyes look bigger as it once again creates a firm line that accentuates where our eye stops. Instead of doing that, apply mascara on your lower lashes just towards the outside of the eye. This way it highlights your lashes on the outside making the eye appear larger but it doesn’t create a definitive line. Try using a specially designed mascara for your lower lashes, the brushes are a great deal smaller and therefore much easier to apply.

Reflective surfaces, much like a mirror, will always create the illusion that things are more spacious than they really are. With that in mind, try using a light colored, glitter shadow on your lids to create a mirror effect. The way it reflects the light will make your eyes shine and appear as a more prominent feature.