Hooded Eyes Makeup: Eyeshadow, Eyeliner and Easy Looks That Work
The best hooded eyes makeup works with your eyelid fold, not against it. Apply eyeshadow with your eyes open, place it above your natural crease so the color stays visible, keep liner thin and smudge-proof, and curl your lashes.
Hooded eyes have a skin fold that covers part of the eyelid or crease when your eyes are open. That's why shadow on the lid can disappear and liner can transfer onto the fold. Here's how hooded eyes are defined and how to tell them apart from deep-set eyes if you're not sure which you have.
Makeup changes how the eye area looks, not the eyelid itself. For the bigger picture of how your eyes fit the rest of your face, you can take the attractiveness test. Below: eyeshadow, eyeliner, lashes, easy looks and the mistakes to skip.
How to Tell If You Have Hooded Eyes
You have hooded eyes if skin from under your brow covers part or most of your upper eyelid crease while your eyes are open and relaxed. Look in a mirror with your head level and your brows relaxed. Don't lift them, because that changes the result.
How much hooding you have decides where the makeup goes:
What you see with eyes open | Hooding level | What to adjust |
|---|---|---|
A strip of lid, crease partly visible | Mild | Standard placement works; shadow just above the crease |
Little lid, crease mostly hidden | Moderate | Shadow above the fold, thin liner |
No lid visible, fold reaches the lashes | Very hooded (also called extremely hooded) | Shadow above the fold, tightlining, curled lashes |
This is a practical makeup grading, not a medical scale. Hooding can differ between your two eyes, so check each one. If your eyes are also deep-set, our makeup for deep set eyes guide covers where to place color.
The Number One Trick for Hooded Eyes
The number one trick for hooded eyes is to put eyeshadow above your natural crease and blend it up and out, so the color is still visible when your eyes are open. Shadow kept only on the lid tends to disappear under the fold. Apply with your eyes open, then check the result with your eyes relaxed.
Who What Wear's eyeshadow guide and L'Oréal Paris describe the same idea: work past the crease, blend upward and outward, and apply with your eyes open.
Eyes Open or Eyes Relaxed?
Beauty guides word this differently, but it comes down to two steps:
While applying: keep your eyes open and look straight ahead. Don't raise your brows or stretch the lid.
While checking: let your eyes rest and look again. This is how the look appears most of the time.
For eyeliner, makeup artist Amalie Russell advises relaxing the eye while drawing, since pulling the skin or looking down changes where the line ends up (Who What Wear).
Prep: Primer, Concealer and Setting
To stop makeup from creasing on a hooded lid, apply an eyeshadow primer or a skin-tone concealer first, then set it with a light layer of translucent powder. The fold presses against the lid all day, so unprepped shadow and liner tend to transfer onto it.
Prime the lid. Use an eyeshadow primer or a concealer close to your skin tone. Who What Wear lists primer as the step that helps shadow last and resist creasing.
Set it. Press a thin layer of translucent or matte powder over the primer.
Choose long-wear formulas. Waterproof or smudge-resistant liner and mascara transfer less (L'Oréal Paris' hooded eyes tutorial).
Eyeshadow for Hooded Eyes
The most reliable eyeshadow for hooded eyes is a matte neutral (beige, taupe or brown) blended above the crease, with a small amount of shimmer only on the inner corner. Heavy shimmer and dark shades across the whole lid tend to make the eye look heavier or smaller, according to makeup guides.
Best Eyeshadow Finishes and Colors
Finish: matte on the lid and above the fold. MasterClass recommends matte over shimmer, and Who What Wear suggests keeping heavy shimmer away from the fold.
Colors: warm nudes, taupes and soft browns are the safest base. Deeper shades go on the outer corner and above the fold, not on the center of the lid.
Highlight: a light shimmer dotted on the inner corner brightens the eye. On the brow bone, keep it to the arch.
Bold colors: they work when blended above the fold. Flat color on the lid mostly disappears when your eyes are open.
How to Apply Eyeshadow on Hooded Eyes, Step by Step
Prep the lid with primer or concealer and set it (see above).
Find your fold. With your eyes open and looking straight ahead, note where the lid skin disappears under the fold. Your shadow goes above that line.
Add a medium matte shade above the fold. Use a fluffy blending brush and blend in a side-to-side motion, up and out toward the tail of your brow.
Deepen the outer corner. Place a darker matte shade there and blend it upward and outward. It lifts the eye and keeps the center of the lid light.
Brighten the inner corner. Dot your lightest shade there. Who What Wear suggests a small C-shaped motion.
Balance the lower lash line. Use a little of the same shade along the lower lashes and blend well.
Check with eyes relaxed. Adjust anything that disappears or looks heavy.
Tip from Who What Wear: tilt your chin up and look down into the mirror to see the whole lid, then check the result with your eyes at rest.
Eyeshadow for Very Hooded Eyes
With very hooded or extremely hooded eyes, most of the lid is hidden, so color on the lid itself is wasted. Place your shadow on the visible edge of the fold and above it, and draw an arched line slightly higher than your natural crease to create a "fake crease" (L'Oréal Paris). Then rely on tightlining and curled lashes to open the eye.
Easy Hooded Eyes Makeup in 5 Minutes
Dab on primer or concealer and set it.
Blend one matte medium-brown shade above the fold, up and out.
Tightline the upper lashes with a brown or black waterproof pencil.
Curl your lashes and add mascara.
Dot a light shade on the inner corner.
Eyeliner for Hooded Eyes
Yes, hooded eyes can wear eyeliner. The best approach is a thin, smudge-proof line close to the lashes, with any wing drawn slightly longer and angled upward, because the fold hides part of the line when your eyes are open.
Best Type of Eyeliner for Hooded Eyes
Gel or soft pencil: easiest for beginners. Who What Wear's makeup artist suggests starting with a soft brown pencil or gel liner.
Long-wear liquid: good for a defined wing once you're comfortable.
Waterproof or smudge-resistant formulas: the main requirement, since the fold presses on the line (L'Oréal Paris).
Tightlining
Tightlining means lining the upper waterline, between the lashes and the eye. It adds definition without a visible line on the lid, so nothing gets hidden under the fold. Woman & Home notes that a tightlined look needs no wing. L'Oréal Paris adds that a darker liner makes lashes look fuller, while white or nude liner on the lower waterline can make the eyes look more open.
How to Do Winged Eyeliner on Hooded Eyes
Prime and set the lid first so the liner doesn't slide into the fold.
Sit straight and relax. Look straight ahead. Don't pull the lid taut or lift your brows (Who What Wear).
Draw a thin line along the upper lashes, as close to the lash line as you can.
Mark the end of the wing. Aim toward the tail of your brow and go slightly further than feels natural. The wing looks shorter once your eyes are at rest, which is why Who What Wear's makeup artist says to wing it out.
Connect and fill. Join the end point back to your outer lashes and fill in the gap. One eye at a time, so you can compare.
Check at rest and fix with a cotton swab or a little concealer.
Charlotte Tilbury also recommends patting a matte black shadow over the liner to cut transfer (Charlotte Tilbury).
Eyeliner for Beginners
Start with a brown pencil, not liquid black.
Keep the line thin. A thick line mostly hides in the fold and can make the eye look smaller.
Practice the wing on one eye first and match the other to it.
Lashes and Mascara for Hooded Eyes
Curl your lashes before mascara. Curled lashes lift away from the fold, which makes hooded eyes look more open, and a lengthening mascara keeps them visible when your eyes are relaxed (Who What Wear).
Choose waterproof or smudge-resistant mascara. Regular formulas tend to transfer onto the fold.
Go light, not clumpy. L'Oréal Paris advises against very heavy lashes, which can look droopy on hooded eyes.
False lashes: thinner strips, trimmed and placed mostly at the outer corner, sit better under the fold (L'Oréal Paris).
Hooded Eyes Makeup Ideas and Looks
These looks all follow the same rules: color above the fold, thin liner, curled lashes.
Look | Good for | How to do it |
|---|---|---|
Natural | Everyday | One matte medium-brown shade above the fold, curled lashes, mascara |
Tightlined | Minimal, no visible liner | Brown or black waterproof pencil on the upper waterline, curled lashes |
Soft smoky | Evening | Light brown base, deeper brown on the outer corner, smudged upward |
Winged | Going out | Thin line, wing drawn slightly longer and angled up |
Colorful | Standing out | Colored shade blended above the fold, neutral on the lid |
For a smoky look, L'Oréal Paris starts with a light brown base and smudges gel liner upward (L'Oréal Paris).
Common Hooded Eyes Makeup Mistakes
Dark shade across the whole lid. It makes the eye look heavier. Keep the lid light and put depth on the outer corner.
Heavy shimmer on the lid. It draws attention to the fold. Use matte, with shimmer only on the inner corner.
Thick liner. The fold hides most of it. Go thin and close to the lashes.
Skipping primer. Shadow and liner end up on the fold. Prime and set.
Lifting your brows or stretching the lid while applying. The wing or shadow shifts when your eyes relax.
A short wing. It looks shorter at rest. Draw it slightly longer than feels natural.
Heavy, clumpy lashes. They weigh the eye down. Curl and use a light formula.
What Makeup Can and Can't Change
Makeup changes how open your eyes look by moving color and lines above the fold. It doesn't change your eyelid, your crease or the amount of skin on it. In looksmaxxing terms, it's a temporary, reversible way to change how the eye area reads.
Can do: make the fold less noticeable, define the lash line, brighten the inner corner.
Can't do: remove extra skin, move the crease, or change how hooded your eyes are.
Do Hooded Eyes Change With Age?
They can. Excess upper eyelid skin (dermatochalasis) is common in middle-aged and older adults and is mostly age-related, but genetics is the strongest predisposing factor, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology's EyeWiki. So hooded eyes can be there from a young age and get stronger later. Hooding alone doesn't make you look older.
If heavy upper lids block part of your vision, or the lids droop, see an eye-care professional. EyeWiki notes that excess upper-lid skin can reduce side vision. More on the causes and what goes beyond makeup is in our guide to hooded eyes.
FAQ
What eyeshadow is best for hooded eyes?
Matte neutral shades in beige, taupe or brown, blended above the crease. Add a little shimmer on the inner corner only.
What eyeshadow colors look best on hooded eyes?
Warm nudes, soft browns and taupes are the safest. Deeper or brighter colors work when they're blended above the fold, not flat on the lid.
Should hooded eyes wear eyeshadow?
Yes. Place it above the fold so it stays visible when your eyes are open.
Should hooded eyes wear eyeliner?
Yes. Keep it thin and close to the lashes, use a smudge-proof formula, and tightline if you don't want a visible line.
What is the best eyeliner for hooded eyes?
A waterproof gel or soft pencil is easiest to start with. Long-wear liquid liner suits a defined wing.
How do I do eyeliner on hooded eyes as a beginner?
Relax your eye, look straight ahead, draw a thin line near the lashes, and extend the wing slightly past where it feels natural. Do one eye at a time.
Do hooded eyes make you look older or younger?
Not by themselves. Hooded eyes can be present from a young age. Age-related excess eyelid skin can make hooding stronger over time (EyeWiki).
How do I do makeup for very hooded eyes?
Place shadow on the visible edge of the fold and above it, tightline, and curl your lashes. Color on the lid itself is mostly hidden.
Sources
American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dermatochalasis. EyeWiki.
Who What Wear. Eyeshadow for hooded eyes.
Who What Wear. Eyeliner for hooded eyes, with makeup artist Amalie Russell.
L'Oréal Paris. 8-Step Eye Makeup Tutorial for Hooded Eyes.
Woman & Home. Makeup for hooded eyes.
MasterClass. Eyeshadow for hooded eyes.
Charlotte Tilbury. Eye makeup and eyeliner for hooded eyes.
