Makeup tips for hooded eyes

Many Filipinas have hooded eyes. An eye is considered hooded when there is excess skin that droops over the crease from the brow bone to the lash line, causing the lid to appear smaller or even non-existent. Some people are born with hooded eyes while some acquire them as they mature. Foreign celebrities with hooded eyes include Taylor Swift, Blake Lively, Jennifer Lawrence, Renee Zellweger and Emma Stone.

Women with hooded eyes may have difficulty applying makeup because the mobile lids (the lids that move when we blink) are barely (if at all) seen. Uptown/Downtown offers its readers some tips on making hooded eyes look their very best.

It’s best to apply makeup with your eyes open and looking straight at the mirror. Many ladies make the mistake of looking down when applying their eyeshadow. This results in color being applied only on the mobile lids (which cannot be seen when one is facing forward).

Make sure to always apply the eyeshadow just above your mobile lids. Always look straight at the mirror to check if the eyeshadow you applied can be seen when looking forward.

Choose matte shades of shimmer. Shimmery shades tend to reflect light and make things look bigger than they are. Applying shimmer makes your hooded lids even more hooded while matte shades absorb light, thus making the lids look less puffy.

Avoid using dark eyeshadow over the lids, as this makes the lids appear heavier and will create the illusion of small, closed eyes.

Highlight brow bone in a subtle fashion. Overdoing it makes the bone look as though it is protruding and adds to the heaviness of the lids.

Avoid winged liner or “cats’ eyes” look (unless you are a makeup pro and know special techniques to get around this). Depending on the degree of “hoodedness,” winged liners or “cats’ eyes” define the droopiness of the lids. Instead, tight line the upper waterline of your eyes to add definition to the eyes.

Thick, lush and long eyelashes are hooded eyes’ best friend as they hide the hood effectively. By all means, pack on the mascara and if you (as in the case of most Asians) have sparse eyelashes, coat them with mascara anyway and add on some fabulous falsies. False eyelashes are readily available in many department stores, are relatively inexpensive (it is possible to use falsies up to five times before throwing them away) and come in a variety of shapes and lash length/thickness.

If you wish to learn more about applying makeup on hooded eyes, this columnist recommends that you watch Stephanie Lange’s video tutorials on YouTube. She is by far the best makeup guru on the subject.