Best Makeup Ideas for Hooded Eyes
Last updated on March 19th, 2025 at 04:24 pm
- What are Hooded Eyelids?
- How to Get Rid of Hooded Eyelids
- What Makeup is Best for Hooded Eyes?
- Hollywood Movie Stars with Hooded Eyelids
- Step By Step Makeup Tutorial for Hooded Eyes
- Best Eyeshadow for Hooded Eyelids
- I sincerely hope you enjoyed this post and found my tips useful.
Pro Makeup Ideas for Hooded Eyes that Work!
In this post, I would like to share with you, useful tips and tricks for applying makeup on hooded eyes that will help enhance their natural beauty. From choosing the right eyeshadow shades to creating the perfect eyeliner flick, I’ll cover all the best makeup ideas that flatter hooded eyes.
I know a couple of celebrity makeup artists, and I thought about getting them involved in creating makeup looks specifically for this post. And then it hit me, how many of you have a professional makeup artist friend who can come over in the morning to do your makeup?
Wouldn’t that be wonderful but let’s leave the professionals for a red-carpet event. For everyday makeup, we have to count on ourselves.
Without further ado, here are my favourite makeup ideas for hooded eyes in 2024.
What are Hooded Eyelids?
Hooded eyelids or ‘hooded eyes’ are characterised by excess skin that folds down from the line brow. The amount of extra skin can be small, moderate or in some cases so extreme that it covers the entire eyelid and makes it difficult to fully open the eyes.
How to Get Rid of Hooded Eyelids
FAQ
The answer is yes! Blepharoplasty is a surgical procedure where the doctor removes the excess sagging skin that folds under the brow bone. The surgery takes 45 minutes and is usually performed under local anaesthesia.
Since I’m tired of my tired look and struggle to keep my right eye open, I can say with all certainty that blepharoplasty is for me.
Until I have the funds to cater to my vanity, however, I must rely on the makeup skills I gained over the years from friends who are experts in the beauty industry.
And yes, if everything else fails, you can always lift your eyebrow with a makeup brush.
Absolutely! All you need are; mascara, eyeliner, dark eyeshadow and a little bit of practice.
Just to clarify, I’ve never had cosmetic surgery or as much as fillers, but if it changes in the future, I shall write about it in great detail. For now, I rely 100% on my favourite cosmetics from Dr Irena Eris and Shiseido to keep me young. You can read about my top 10 Shiseido products here.
The ScientiVist line from Dr Irena Eris is the reason why I don’t need to succumb to Botox treatment as yet. And yes, it’s one of the earliest editions of The Picture of Dorian Gray that you see in the photograph. Dorian had a portrait that kept him forever young. I, on the other hand, have my magic creams.
DISCLOSURE: I’m part of an affiliate program, and I get a small commission when you purchase a product through the links in this post. That’s how I keep my website alive, for which I’m very grateful to you. Shopping via my affiliate links comes at no additional cost to you. All opinions expressed here are mine, and I only recommend products I love. All Dr Irena Eris products in this post were provided by the brand.
What Makeup is Best for Hooded Eyes?
What make-up is best for hooded eyes?
When you have hooded eyes, you may feel that traditional makeup techniques do not work for you. However, with the right tricks, you can enhance your eyes and make them stand out. Here are some of the best makeup ideas for hooded eyes.
If you have hooded eyes, you might think that eyeliner is not for you. But with the right techniques and products, you can still achieve stunning eye makeup looks. In fact, some makeup ideas work particularly well with hooded eyes and can help enhance your natural beauty. So don’t give up on eyeliner just yet! Let’s explore some of the best makeup ideas and tips for hooded eyes together.
- Shu Uemura or Laura Mercier eyelash curler is a must-have for hooded eyes. I’ve been using the iconic eyelash curler for over 16 years and therefore highly recommend it to anyone who wants the perfect and long-lasting curl.
- Eyeshadow primer. All of my professional makeup artist friends use a primer on eyelids before applying eyeshadow or eyeliner.
- Liquid or pencil eyeliner is your best friend when you have hooded eyes. I use two brands. Dr Irena Eris Automatic Eye Pencil and Pat McGrath Perma Precision Liquid Eyeliner.
- A lengthening mascara in any colour you like. I’m a big fan of the Polish brand Dr Irena Eris and I used their mascara for this tutorial. If you are based in the US, I recommend that you buy the FetishEYES mascara from Pat McGrath.
- Eyeshadow in brown, gold or purple. I use; Pat McGrath Labs or Charlotte Tilbury Walk of No Shame Lux Palette, as well as the beautiful Pillow Talk Dreams Palette. It will work wonders on hooded eyelids.
- Brow gel. Enhanced eyebrows can ‘lift’ the entire eye, but I bleach mine and only occasionally use a brow gel to create the high-arched brow look. I leave the choice to you.
- Faux corner eyelashes. I’ve tried so many faux lashes over the years, I can’t even name them all, but I love the Charlotte Tilbury Fashion Cat-Eye Corner Lash as well as all of her other faux eyelashes.
- P.S. Faux corner eyelashes that are very long towards the outer corners of the eye are perfect for hooded eyes!
Hollywood Movie Stars with Hooded Eyelids
One of my favourite actresses, Katharine Hepburn, had hooded eyelids but as you can see in the picture, the very long eyelashes helped to “lift and open” the eyes.
Dr Irena Eris Perfect Lashes Mascara and Eye Pencil in brown. Best Makeup Ideas for Hooded Eyes
Step By Step Makeup Tutorial for Hooded Eyes
For hooded eyes, it’s important to accentuate the eyelids to make them appear more open. You can try using eyeshadows in neutral tones, and apply a slightly darker shade on the crease to create dimension. Winged eyeliner can also help lift the eyes, and curling your lashes and using mascara can make your eyes look more awake. Additionally, highlighting the inner corners of the eyes can help brighten up the overall look. Here are my top makeup ideas for hooded eyes with detailed tutorials.
6 10 minutes
Makeup ideas for hooded eyes and why eyeliner is your best friend
- For the feline look, that’s perfect for hooded eyes, you need a liquid or pencil eyeliner of your choice.
I recommend Dr Irena Eris and Pat McGrath. You will also need a flat hair clip or masking tape that you will use as a guide.
Pencil eyeliner will give you a smudged look, whereas liquid eyeliner will help you create a precise line.
Place a flat object from the outer corner of your eye to your brow.
Draw a line with the eyeliner. It doesn’t have to be as long as mine, but in the case of hooded eyes, the longer the line, the better.
Draw a second line, starting at the top, but make sure it doesn’t cross the crease on your eyelid.
- How to do a bat wing eyeliner on hooded eyelids!
Draw a line downwards, starting from the middle of your eyelid and fill the batwings with eyeliner.
This is a dramatic version of the bat wing, but that’s how I like it. If you worry about smudging your eyeliner, use a translucent setting powder. I can’t recommend one, because I have never used it. - Hooded eyes? Eyeliner is your best friend!
I find that eyeliner used right under the brow bone, or on top of it, gives the illusion of an eye lift.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different colours. I’ve tried brown, purple and green pencil eyeliner, and they all looked great. - Curl your lashes when you have hooded eyelids!
Long, luscious eyelashes help “open” the eye and deflect from hooded eyelids. Can you see how short and straight are my natural lashes?
- Use lengthening mascara and faux corner eyelashes because long lashes will deflect from your hooded eyes.
The longer your eyelashes, the less visible the excess skin on your eyelids. For this tutorial, I used Dr Irena Eris Perfect Lashes Mascara which makes the additional use of faux lashes unnecessary.
Best Eyeshadow for Hooded Eyelids
If like me, you have hooded eyelids, finding the right eyeshadow can be a challenge. Hooded eyelids have a fold of skin that covers the eyelid crease, making it difficult to apply makeup. To enhance your eyes and make them look more prominent, you need to find the right eyeshadow that flatters your eye shape and creates an illusion of depth.
I don’t use foundation or powder, but you will never see me without red lipstick and mascara. I also love dark eyeshadow that covers up my hooded eyes. All I need is to apply brown or gold eyeshadow on the brow bone, and I’m good to go. Don’t let anyone tell you that a sparkly eyeshadow is a no-no for hooded eyes because I find the opposite is true. If you want a more natural look, use light gold eyeshadow.
I like to add eyeshadow under my eyes for the 1920s/1930s look, but you can skip the step if you think it might be too much. One thing to note is that I always use my finger instead of a brush to apply the eyeshadow under my eyes because I find it easier to blend.
For the evening version of the same look, I mixed two colours from the Pat McGrath palette. Dark brown and gold work well together, but you can try brown with dark purple or green. I call it the Joan Crawford meets Marlene Dietrich look.
Red lipstick will go perfectly with any little black dress.
One of the most beautiful shades of red nail polish by Manucurist!
I sincerely hope you enjoyed this post and found my tips useful.
