How you place eyeshadow can make a big difference in how your eyes and their shape look, and knowing what you're doing is the best way to do exactly what you intend. Hooded eyes or eyes with a heavy crease fold have a tricky way of definitely not accepting eyeshadow shapes the way they look on big or non-hooded eyes; this is one of the main reasons people get frustrated trying to copy looks they see in photos online or tutorials. It may not be you, it just might be your eye shape! A girl with big, round eyes with tons of mobile eyelid space is definitely going to be able to do different looks than smaller, hooded, or monolid eyes. Neither way is wrong- it's just a matter of knowing what suits your eye shape, just like face shapes and body types. You might do a super clean, sharp cat eye then open your eye and look straight on and it looks awful and droopy- see? Not always an error in skill.
Also, sometimes people have eyes that aren't totally symmetrical- most commonly they have hooded eyes that are drooped slightly different, and monolids can have the same problem. The best way to help even them out is through tactfully done eyeshadow.
I've collected some images of my eye looks and categorized them into different shapes. I hope that my hooded/heavy lidded eyes can serve as a better reference point for those with similar eyes.
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| Using a mid-tone eyeshadow; on the top, blended past my crease. On the bottom, blended under my crease. |
First of all, how you layer eyeshadows is very important. When applying your last dark shade to your lid, try to make sure it ends just above your crease, so that it can be seen and make your crease less heavy-looking. Very dark eyeshadows of course do the best job, because they can make that area and your hood look less distinct, hiding it.
I personally still struggle daily with making sure I use this trick, and often every angle looks different once I do it as my eyelids move, but I'm not super worried about making my hoods look less distinct.
Another tip is to not apply a shimmery white or cream color anywhere on the lid or above the crease, unless you're doing a highlight on the inner corners and just a touch under the eyebrow. The light shimmer will make whatever you put it on come forward and be most noticeable. A lot of people tell hooded eye people not to wear shimmer eyeshadow at all, but to those sirs I bite my thumb at. You can absolutely wear shimmery and metallic eyeshadows! It's a matter of choosing the right colors and placing them well.
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