Makeup School: Day 4 - Eyes

Visual diary page of eye shapes

A balanced face and features should be 3 down, 5 across.
3 down: Forehead to top of nose (1/3), top of nose to bottom of nose (1/3), bottom of nose to end of chin (1/3).
5 across: There should be 5 equal eye widths across the face.

Almonds are to the 'ideal' eye shape what ovals are to the 'ideal' face shape. In other words, a balanced eye that's rounded at the outer corners and tapered towards inner corners. As usual, shading and contouring is used to 'correct' the eyes to best resemble an almond shape.

The most common eye shapes and the best fixes:

Areas of the Eye

Protruding
Shade eyelids up to socket with a matte, dark colour with dark eyelines around the eyes. Minimise light, bright and shimmery colours as this will tend to bring out the eyes further. Only highlight browbone and finish with mascara on outer edges of eyes.

Deep Set
Do the opposite for protruding eyes with highlight and shimmer on mobile eyelid, stopping just before the browbone. Darken socket line and blend to the brows but don't cover browbones. Line the eyes with a light colour and use mascara or lashes on the outer corners of the eye.

Wide Set
Concentrate colours and highlight on the outer corners, estending the socket line towards the inner corner. Line eyeliner all the way into inner corners, but fade out on outer edges. Mascara can be applied all the way around eyes. Bring brows inwards towards the nose and contour down the sides of the nose to add to the illusion.

Close Set
Again, do the exact opposite to wide set eyes. Focus dark colours on outer corners and highlight on inner corners to create space (Asians <i>love</i> this look!). Exagerate through the sockets and extend shadow up and outwards. Don't forget to apply mascara and lashes on outer corners only.

Downturned
Another eye shape that's Asians are fond of as it gives a 'dolly' look. But if that's not your preference, it can be adjusted by shading eyeshadow up and out from sockets with a flick of eyeliner. Top lashes should be curled with false lash application on top outer corners. There should be no dark lines on lower eyesline but can be slightly highlighted

Small
I love going all out on small eyes. Just remember to stick to bright, shimmery colours to open up the eyes (although I use some medium shadows on outter corners) and accenturate top and lower lashes with mascara or false lashies. Don't close off the eyes with dark liner all around, but pick a light pencil to rim the eyes and dab on some highlight on inner corners

Eye contouring techniques

Round
Lengthen the eyes by extending shadow past outer edges. Eyeliner can be drawn thicker at the centre of eyeliner and taper off towards the two ends. Brush mascara or apply false eyelashes on outer corners of the eye.

Heavy Lidded (Protruding browbone)
Use medium or dark, matte shadow colours (nothing shimmery). With this type of eye, the socket is barely visible, so just brush a wash of colour on eyelids. Mascara and lashes can be applied all around the eyes.

Hooded
I tend to get this type confused with heavy lidded, but this is when the eyelid hangs lower (not the browbone), and is typical of Asian eyes. Smokey-eye effect works well with this, coupled with nose contouring and individual false lashes.

As with face shapes, some eyes may be a slight mix of a few shapes, and people can even have mis-matched eyeshapes! But all eyes can be beautiful so use highlights and shadow to create your perfect shape.

Next lesson: Lips - Dare to go red!

xxEva