Thread: Eye shape questions...

Okay, so I'm always seeing on makeup blogs, books, etc about eye shape, i.e., round, almond, hooded, deep set, etc. I'm not entirely sure what my eyes are. Basically my lid disappears when my eyes are open. So...what eye shape am I??

I am not a makeup artist but I would say your eyes are deep set and not round. You look to have the kind of eyes that can take lining along the bottom - you could probably pull off the "ringed with kohl" look IMO.

I have to say though that I used to think "deep set" eyes were those eyes with really pronounced, sculpted sockets - the sort every Hollywood woman miraculously develops after 40. But apparently I'm wrong and eyes like mine, where the lids mostly disappear when my eyes are open, are deep set.

When the lid completely disappears I think it is termed "hooded" but more in the sense of the brow actually drooping over the top, as in older people.

Thank you so much. That's kind of what I was thinking. I first thought they were hooded, but like you said, that seems to describe when the eyes get older and the brow starts to droop a bit.

Azhia, Azhia! Over here! :-D

Deep set but still big and round IMO. But I think Azhia's would be the expert opinion here.

I think mine are also deep set. It gets frustrating when I want to show some color, but I don't want to bring the color so far up my brow bone that it overpowers my eye!

Originally Posted by TribalDancer

I think mine are also deep set. It gets frustrating when I want to show some color, but I don't want to bring the color so far up my brow bone that it overpowers my eye!

Exactly!!

Ugh, and sorry it's not the greatest picture...it was the only one that was halfway decent and I wasn't wearing a lot of makeup.

I don't really use terminology; what's more important is...what is your goal? Did you need to know for application purposes? 'coz I can answer that question better...

Originally Posted by Azhia

I don't really use terminology; what's more important is...what is your goal? Did you need to know for application purposes? 'coz I can answer that question better...

Huh...that's a good question! I'm not sure what my goal is...pretty eyes I guess? ..l;, I know that probably doesn't help.

Dude, you already have pretty eyes. So what's your question?? ;op

Just weighing in...to me, deep set means recessed. Sariah's eyes do not look recessed to me.

Awwww, thanks! I guess I'm wondering how to "do" my makeup on my lids. When I do it now, it looks great when my eyes are closed, but when I open them, you can't even really see them. Nothing I've read on eye makeup really addresses this. The more I try to put this into words, the more confused I'm getting. lol

Originally Posted by Azhia

Dude, you already have pretty eyes. So what's your question?? ;op

Just weighing in...to me, deep set means recessed. Sariah's eyes do not look recessed to me.

Azhia, do you have pictures of the different eye types/shapes? I would love to actually KNOW what make up artists etc mean when they describe eye shapes. One person's almond is another person's slanted... I just don't really know!

Ohhhhh...this is such a great topic! I would love to see examples:)

...I never have been great at doing eye make-up. But luckily I have nice big lips-so I usually go bolder on the lips and softer on the eyes.

Eye Shapes.

*Then get the makeup DVD to show you exactly how to do it.

Originally Posted by Azhia

Eye Shapes.

*Then get the makeup DVD to show you exactly how to do it.

..l;, I'm anxiously waiting for it to arrive. I ordered it a couple days ago! ..g.:..g.:

Originally Posted by Azhia

Eye Shapes.

*Then get the makeup DVD to show you exactly how to do it.

That reminds me...you are going to be bringing copies of the dvd when you come to NC, right? :)

Thank you, Sariah! Your questions shall be answered; if not, please ask!

Mahsati...FOR SURE. Yay! I'm gonna meet Masty Jaan!!

So I am deep set eyes, and have always done just what it says. Hrm. I still feel I am not achieving my eye potential!

Originally Posted by TribalDancer

So I am deep set eyes, and have always done just what it says. Hrm. I still feel I am not achieving my eye potential!

Why do you say?

Is it possible to have both deep set and downturned eyes? Mine are a little downturned.

Originally Posted by Sariah

Awwww, thanks! I guess I'm wondering how to "do" my makeup on my lids. When I do it now, it looks great when my eyes are closed, but when I open them, you can't even really see them. Nothing I've read on eye makeup really addresses this. The more I try to put this into words, the more confused I'm getting. lol

my eyes are quite similar to yours. I call them hooded. I always wondered why I had so much trouble with liquid eyeliner transferring onto my eyelids - and duh, finally realized one day that it was because the skin of my upper eyelid touches my lash line when my eyes are open. same thing with winged cat-eyes - the fold of my crease comes down level with the outer corner of my eye, so trying to draw a wing I'd have to cut across a fold of skin.

some things I do with my makeup:
- concentrate your lid color right down close to your lash line, because that is the most visible part of that area when your eye is open.
- I can do a pretty vivid crease color - I take a pointed paintbrush-shaped brush, stick it right into the crease and scribble it back and forth, back and forth. the brush easily falls into the crease between your brow bone and your eyeball and puts the color right where you want it.
- I will do a bright pop of frosty color on the inside corners of my eyes, coming in toward my nose and even down below the lower lash line. I take a fluffy brush, hold it on my lid on the inner corner, and just scrub it around a bit to lay the color down and blend it.
- I rarely bother with any sort of elaborate building of a crease contour - you can't see it when my eye is open, and I have just as much success with just doing the bold swish in the crease, or just a bold lid color from my lash line up into the crease, and a highlight color on my brow bone and down along the inside of my eyebrow to the inner corner of my eye.
- sometimes I mix up the traditional and do a darker color on my lid, and a brighter color in my crease.

it *is* possible to get a winged eyeliner look. best to go to a MAC counter and ask them how to do that and work around the crease at the outer edge of your eye. they taught me how to do a "lemon wedge" line (thicker in the center instead of gradually getting thicker toward the outer corner) with a little flick on the outside.

have fun!

Originally Posted by Azhia

Thank you, Sariah! Your questions shall be answered; if not, please ask!

Woohoo! It arrived today and I plan on watching it tonight!

Originally Posted by elisagamal

my eyes are quite similar to yours. I call them hooded. I always wondered why I had so much trouble with liquid eyeliner transferring onto my eyelids - and duh, finally realized one day that it was because the skin of my upper eyelid touches my lash line when my eyes are open. same thing with winged cat-eyes - the fold of my crease comes down level with the outer corner of my eye, so trying to draw a wing I'd have to cut across a fold of skin.

some things I do with my makeup:
- concentrate your lid color right down close to your lash line, because that is the most visible part of that area when your eye is open.
- I can do a pretty vivid crease color - I take a pointed paintbrush-shaped brush, stick it right into the crease and scribble it back and forth, back and forth. the brush easily falls into the crease between your brow bone and your eyeball and puts the color right where you want it.
- I will do a bright pop of frosty color on the inside corners of my eyes, coming in toward my nose and even down below the lower lash line. I take a fluffy brush, hold it on my lid on the inner corner, and just scrub it around a bit to lay the color down and blend it.
- I rarely bother with any sort of elaborate building of a crease contour - you can't see it when my eye is open, and I have just as much success with just doing the bold swish in the crease, or just a bold lid color from my lash line up into the crease, and a highlight color on my brow bone and down along the inside of my eyebrow to the inner corner of my eye.
- sometimes I mix up the traditional and do a darker color on my lid, and a brighter color in my crease.

it *is* possible to get a winged eyeliner look. best to go to a MAC counter and ask them how to do that and work around the crease at the outer edge of your eye. they taught me how to do a "lemon wedge" line (thicker in the center instead of gradually getting thicker toward the outer corner) with a little flick on the outside.

have fun!

Thank you! I will try these ideas and see how they work out.

Originally Posted by Azhia

Why do you say?

I often feel like in order to get vivid color to show, I have to go further up onto my brow than is feasible without making it weigh too heavily and darken my eye too much! SO I am left with not showing much color at all, or showing color and making my eyes look smaller.

Huh. I can't make sense of the eye drawings, though I have eyelids that have at least five times in my life caused someone to ask me if I'm of Asian descent, and I'm not (at least that I know of). I guess almond and hooded?

I find that I transfer my upper eyeliner unless I use a eye shadow over my liner plus a light dusting of powder. If I want to flash intense eye makeup colors I save it for my eyeliner (and matching shadow to go over)---anything on the lid and crease doesn't show that well so I go neutral there.

Originally Posted by Doozer

Huh. I can't make sense of the eye drawings, though I have eyelids that have at least five times in my life caused someone to ask me if I'm of Asian descent, and I'm not (at least that I know of). I guess almond and hooded?

I find that I transfer my upper eyeliner unless I use a eye shadow over my liner plus a light dusting of powder. If I want to flash intense eye makeup colors I save it for my eyeliner (and matching shadow to go over)---anything on the lid and crease doesn't show that well so I go neutral there.

oh, my! I love your tag line - it's so sassy!

don't forget that while you dance, sometimes you look down, or hold a blink for a dramatic second. people WILL see the color on your lid, if you choose to put it there. you can experiment with something really intense - say, a lid full of eye kandy glitter - it can really give some drama in those split-second moments. it's also fun to play with lashes that have jewels or glitter dots or sequins on them. they show, and flash nicely when you blink.

Originally Posted by elisagamal

oh, my! I love your tag line - it's so sassy!

don't forget that while you dance, sometimes you look down, or hold a blink for a dramatic second. people WILL see the color on your lid, if you choose to put it there. you can experiment with something really intense - say, a lid full of eye kandy glitter - it can really give some drama in those split-second moments. it's also fun to play with lashes that have jewels or glitter dots or sequins on them. they show, and flash nicely when you blink.

This is what I was going to say. When you look in the mirror, you're staring straight ahead, and you don't see yourself at all when you blink. In real life and onstage, you'll blink, lower your lashes, etc. and your lid color WILL be seen.

My eyes are becoming hooded already. ,f:: so I have some of the same issues. Using a bright colorful liner UNDER the eye helps bring a pop of brightness from a distance, and I'm using deep colors (heavy greens or plums) above my crease these days. For a quick smokey look, I sometimes use a thin line of VERY dark green (almost black) all around, with a thicker line of bright forest green outside that, then just deep brown shadow from the lashline all the way up over my crease, with some highlighter under the brow.

My eyes are downturned - and that's the first time I've ever seen that eye shape addressed *ever*, yay! I have always used colour up and out to compensate, so I was obviously doing the right thing. The one thing I can't abide is curling my lashes, which are straight. It makes me feel sick, and to be honest, I don't think the effect is that different.