How to Determine Eye Shape

Co-authored by Alana Schober

Last Updated: April 11, 2024 Fact Checked

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It’s pretty easy to determine your eye shape—just find a mirror and a few spare minutes! Look for different characteristics to determine if your eyes are creased, hooded, upturned or downturned, round or almond, close- or wide-set, prominent or deep-set. All eye shapes are beautiful, and once you know yours, you’ll be able to accentuate the natural shape of your eyes with the right kind of eye makeup.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Checking for Different Characteristics

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1
Note that you have monolid eyes if your eyelid doesn’t have a crease. Check your eye in the mirror if you’re not sure. Look for a crease in the center of your upper eyelid. If you don't have a crease, you have monolid eyes. You may also have flatter eyelids and less prominent brow bones than people with creases in their lids.^{[1]
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- Monolid eyes are most common in people of Asian descent.
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Figure out if you have hooded eyes by examining the crease, if you have one. In hooded eyes, skin hangs down over the crease, making your upper eyelid look smaller. If you can’t see the crease in your eye when your eyes are open, then you have hooded eyes.^{[2]
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- Many people are born with hooded eyes, and also people’s eyes often become hooded as they age.^{[3]
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Study the tilt of your eyes to figure out if they are upturned or downturned. Imagine that there is a straight, horizontal line extending through the centers of both eyes. Ask yourself if the outer corners of your eyes lie above or below this center line.^{[4]
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- If the outer corners are above this line, you have "upturned" eyes.
- If the outer corners are below this line, you have "downturned" eyes.
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Note that you have almond eyes if you can’t see white around the iris. Keep your eyes relaxed as you look into the mirror. In almond eyes, both the top and bottom of the iris and slightly covered by the eyelid. Almond eyes tend to be oval shaped with narrow corners.^{[5]
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- The outside corners of your eyes might turn up slightly.^{[6]
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Recognize that you have round eyes if you can see white below your iris. Look straight ahead at a mirror. If you can see any white around the top or bottom of your iris in this position, you have "round" eyes. Round eyes are less tapered than almond eyes and appear more open.^{[7]
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- There doesn’t have to be a lot of white under your iris, even a thin sliver counts as round eyes.
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Measure the gap between your eyes to determine if they are wide- or close-set. Measure your eye with your thumb and index finger, and then hold that same space between your eyes. If the space between your eye is less than one eye length in size, you have close-set eyes, but if the gap is larger than one eye length, you have wide-set eyes.^{[8]
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- If the gap between your eyes is the same width as your eyes, then you have an average spacing.
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Examine the depth of your eyes to determine if they are deep-set or prominent. Deep-set eyes are tucked further back into the socket, causing the upper eyelid to appear short and small. Protruding eyes, on the other hand, stick outward from the socket and toward the upper lash line.^{[9]
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- Monolid eyes are usually not deep-set.
- In deep-set eyes, it might look like your brow bone is bigger, simply because your eyes are further back.^{[10]
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Compare your eyes with your nose and mouth size to figure out your eye size. Eyes that are "average" in size are similar to that of your mouth or nose, if not a little smaller. If your eyes are significantly smaller, though, you have small eyes. If they are larger than your other features, you have large eyes.^{[11]
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- Many people have one eye that’s slightly larger than the other, which is totally normal.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Applying Makeup for Your Eye Shape

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1
Create a gradient of eye-shadow for monolid eyes. Prep your eyes with eyeshadow primer by rubbing it over the top lids. Brush on a dark color close to the lash line, a soft neutral toward the middle, and a shiny color near the brow. Put your eyeshadow on with your eyes still open, so you can see how it will look.^{[12]
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- Winged or cat-eye eyeliner is also a great look for monolid eyes.
- You can also create floating eyeliner by drawing the line at your lid line, rather than your lash line.^{[13]
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Extend eye shadow beyond the crease for hooded eyes. Before you put on your eyeshadow, prime your eyelids with eyeshadow primer and or a light concealer. Then, using a medium shade, brush the shadow on from your lashes up onto the hooded part of your eye, beyond the crease. Elongate the eyeshadow in the outer corner to create an eyeshadow wing to open up the appearance of your eye.^{[14]
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- Tightline your eyes with a kohl eyeliner to make your upper eyelashes look thicker.
- Wing-tipped eyeliner doesn’t always work on hooded eyes, because the flicked part can be hidden by the hood.^{[15]
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  Research source} Try keeping the wing really thin, and do the lid first.^{[16]
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  Expert Source
  
  Alana Schober
  Pout Pro Makeup Artist
  
  Expert Interview. 15 June 2021.}
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Emphasize the tilt of upturned eyes with smokey eyeshadow. Apply an eyeshadow primer first, if you want this look to last all day. Then apply a light shade of eyeliner to the inner half of your eyelid and a medium-tinted eyeshadow to the outer half. Blend the two shades together slightly in the middle, and you’ll have your smokey look.^{[17]
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- Use a dark eyeliner and line the outer corners of your eyes, both the top and bottom.
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Try a cat-eye look for downturned eyes. You can do many different eyeliner techniques with a downturned eye, but a cat eye will enhance the outer corner of your eye. Line the entire upper lashline with a dark eyeliner, and diffuse it upwards at the outer corner. You don’t need to line your bottom lashes.^{[18]
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- Many different eyeshadow techniques look good with cat-eye liner, so experiment to see what you like.
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Add length to round, small, or deep-set eyes with a gradient of eyeshadow. Place the lightest shade of eyeliner closest to the inner corner, and darken the shadow as you move outwards. Play up the corners of your eyeliner by pulling it slightly out and up. Smudge the eyeliner a bit if you want the look to seem a little softer.^{[19]
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- Use a clean brush to blend the different shades together to create a smooth, cohesive look.
- Apply mascara to all your upper lashes, or focus on the outer corner.
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Extend close-set eyes with smokey shadow to emphasize the outer corners. Apply light eyeshadow over the entire eyelid, then add medium shadow to the outer third. Add dark eyeshadow to the outer corner to create a dark shape that lifts at the corner. Line the outer corner with eyeliner and put a little bit of mascara in the outer corner.^{[20]
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- Any dark color on the inner part of your eyes will make them seem closer together.
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Try a halo look for almond eyes. Almond eyes pair well with many different eye makeup formations, but a halo look will help mix things up a bit. First, apply a light transition color to the crease of your eye. Then, put a mid-toned color on the inner and outer thirds, and apply a light color to the center of the lid. Repeat this process on the lower lash line and highlight the inner corner.^{[21]
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- Add liner and lashes for a more defined look.
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Put dark eyeshadow and liner on the inner corners of wide set eyes. First, apply your eyeshadow primer by rubbing it on with a finger over your upper eyelid. Apply a darker shade closer to your tear duct and on the edge of your nose, to create the illusion that your eyes are closer together. Then, highlight the outer corner with a light shade of eyeshadow. Make sure you blend the shades together. Apply eyeliner in a straight line, as thick as you would like, with no wing.^{[22]
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- You can also try extending your brows inwards by letting them grow out or filling them in with brow makeup.^{[23]
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Use darker shadow for large or protruding eyes. Prime your eyelid with eyeshadow primer or a neutral color of eyeshadow. Then, apply a coat of dark eyeshadow on your top lid under the crease. Blend out the dark color with a medium color above the crease. Apply a black liner to your waterline.^{[24]
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- A layer of black eyeliner all around the eyes will also help close off your eye’s appearance.^{[25]
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Expert Q&A

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Question

How do you apply winged eyeliner for different eye shapes?

Alana Schober
Makeup Artist
Alana Schober is a Professional Makeup Artist at Pout by Lipsticknick, an inclusive beauty bar in Los Angeles, California. With over a decade of experience, Alana specializes in hair and makeup. As a Licensed Comselotologist, she has worked for both MAC Cosmetics and Paul Mitchell. Alana's celebrity clientele includes Iggy Azalea, Solange, YG, and ASAP Nast. She has worked on campaigns with Nike, Adidas, Morphe, Jaclyn Hill Cosmetics, and Quay. Alana has also worked on countless music videos and photoshoots and her work has been featured on two billboards in Los Angeles.

Alana Schober

Makeup Artist

Expert Answer

With almond and round eyes, you can get away with a thicker wing. With hooded eyes, you should make the wing thinner.

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Question

Is it possible for my eye to be in between almond and round shaped?

Community Answer

Yes, it's possible. If that is the case, take both make-up techniques into consideration.

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Is it possible to have two different eye shapes? I think my left one is hooded and the other almond.

Community Answer

Yes, it is. Some people even have one double-eyelid on one eye and a mono-lid on the other.

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Tips

It’s possible to have more than one descriptor for your eyes. For example, you could have deep-set, almond, downturned eyes.

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Helpful 21 Not Helpful 4
Once you know your eye shape, you can look up tips for eye make-up that will work best for you.

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If you want your eyeshadow to last longer, use an eyeshadow primer first.

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