The most effective makeup tips for hooded eyes focus on creating a new crease slightly above your natural fold and keeping most of the color visible with your eyes open. This works because hooded lids hide product placed too low. Here’s exactly how to do your eye makeup so your hooded eyes look bigger, lifted, and defined.
I have mildly hooded eyes myself, and once I stopped following "standard" eyeshadow diagrams and started doing makeup with my eyes open, everything finally made sense. So let’s walk through the best, science-backed and pro-artist-approved ways to make hooded eyes pop.
Quick Takeaways
- Apply eyeshadow with your eyes open so you can see where the hood actually sits
- Fake a higher crease: blend your medium shade slightly above your natural fold
- Use thin, tight eyeliner and focus on the outer third to avoid closing off the eye
- Curl lashes and use lifting mascara to open up hooded eyes instantly
- Keep shimmers on the lid and matte shades in the crease to avoid emphasizing heaviness
How To Tell If You Have Hooded Eyes
Before getting into makeup tips for hooded eyes, it helps to be sure this is your eye shape.
You likely have hooded eyes if:
- The skin from your brow bone folds down over your natural crease
- Your lid space looks smaller when your eyes are open than when they’re closed
- Eyeliner and shadow disappear or transfer into the crease when you blink
Honestly, I didn’t realize I had hooded eyes until I noticed my carefully blended crease shade was totally hidden once I looked straight ahead. If that sounds familiar, these tips are for you.
Best Eyeshadow Placement For Hooded Eyes
The biggest shift with makeup for hooded eyes is forgetting the “traditional” crease and creating a visual crease instead.
Start with an eye primer
A thin layer of eyeshadow primer or a long-wear concealer prevents transfer into the hood and keeps everything in place. Use the tiniest amount, tap it in, and set lightly with a skin-toned powder or a matte shadow.
Apply shadow with your eyes open
Look straight into a mirror at eye level. This is how people actually see your makeup, and it shows you what’s getting hidden under the hood.
Create a fake crease above your natural fold
Use a small, fluffy brush and a matte, medium-toned shade (think soft taupe, light brown, or mauve). Place this shade slightly above where your lid disappears, not inside the fold.
You’re literally drawing on a new crease that sits on the lower part of your brow bone. Blend it up and out, not down.
Keep the lid lighter and more reflective
For hooded eyes, you want the mobile lid (the part that moves when you blink) to catch light.
- Use a light matte or soft shimmer on the lid
- Focus shimmers closest to the lash line and center of the lid
- Avoid chunky glitter right in the crease—it can emphasize the fold
Lift the outer corner
Concentrate your deepest shade on the outer third of the eye, slightly above your natural crease and pulled toward the tail of your brow. This creates a lifted, almost cat-eye effect without harsh lines.
I’ve found that if I keep the darkest color too low, my eyes look droopy. Placing it a touch higher makes a huge difference.
Eyeliner Tricks For Hooded Eyes
Eyeliner can be tricky with hooded eyes because a thick line can eat up your lid space. The goal is definition without closing off the eye.
Tightline instead of thick lining
Use a pencil or gel to line inside the upper waterline (right under the lashes). This makes lashes look fuller and eyes more defined, without taking up visible lid space.Keep the top liner thin at the inner corner
Start with a super thin line near the inner third of the eye, then gradually thicken it as you reach the outer third. This keeps the eye open and lifted.Focus on the outer third
For hooded eyes, heavy liner all the way across can look harsh. Instead, concentrate most of your liner and depth on the outer third to outer half of the lash line.Try a small, strategic wing
Look straight ahead and map your wing with your eyes open:- Aim the wing toward the end of your brow, not straight out
- Keep it short and sharp; long wings can droop into the hood
- Fill in any gaps where the fold cuts through the wing (this is the “bat wing” technique)
Use softer colors for a more natural look
Deep brown or charcoal can be more forgiving than black, especially if your hood sits low. You’ll still get definition without the harsh contrast.
Eyeshadow Looks That Flatter Hooded Eyes
You don’t have to stick to one look, but certain layouts just love hooded eyes.
Soft everyday contour eye
- Matte medium shade above the crease (your fake crease)
- Light matte or satin on the lid
- Slightly deeper matte on the outer third
- Tightlined upper lash line
Smoky liner eye
Instead of a full smoky lid (which can get lost under the hood), try this:- Use a pencil or cream shadow along the upper lash line
- Smudge it upward slightly with a small brush
- Keep the lid itself lighter
- Optional: repeat along the outer third of the lower lash line and blend
Halo eye for hooded eyes
Classic halo looks can disappear on hooded lids, but you can cheat it:- Deeper matte shade on inner and outer corners (slightly above the fold)
- Bright shimmer or metallic on the center of the lid, placed a bit higher than usual
- Blend edges softly so the brightness is still visible when your eyes are open
I’ve tested all of these on my own slightly hooded lids, and the common theme is always the same: keep the interest and light where it’s still visible when you’re looking straight ahead.
Mascara And Lash Tips To Open Hooded Eyes
If you do nothing else, curling your lashes is a must for hooded eyes. Lashes that point straight out will just hit the hood; lifted lashes show off your lid and eye color.
Use an eyelash curler correctly
- Start at the base of the lashes, pulse gently
- Move slightly outward and curl again for a natural bend, not a sharp kink
Choose a lifting or lengthening mascara
A lengthening or lifting mascara is usually better than a super volumizing one that can clump and weigh lashes down.Concentrate mascara in the center and outer lashes
This subtly opens the eyes and gives that elongated effect that works so well with hooded eyes.Waterproof formulas for stubborn hoods
If your lashes droop quickly or smear onto the hood, a waterproof mascara can help them hold a curl and prevent transfer.
I’m very prone to mascara smudging onto my brow bone, so I always do a quick test: blink normally after mascara, wait a minute, and check if there’s any transfer. A tiny bit of translucent powder on the brow bone can also help.
Common Mistakes To Avoid With Hooded Eyes
When you’re learning makeup tips for hooded eyes, avoiding a few classic pitfalls will save you a lot of frustration.
Putting your darkest shade only in your natural crease
It’ll disappear the second you open your eyes. Move it above the crease.Over-highlighting the brow bone
A super shimmery or frosty brow bone can make the hood look heavier. Use a matte or satin highlight instead.Thick, heavy eyeliner across the entire lid
This can make the eyes look smaller. Keep the line thin and focus on the outer third.Shimmer in the wrong place
Sparkly shadow right in the crease or on the hood emphasizes texture and folds. Keep shimmer low on the lid and inner corner.Ignoring your lower lash line completely
A tiny bit of soft shadow on the outer half of the lower lash line can balance the top and make the eye look rounder and more awake.
Product Types That Work Best For Hooded Eyes
You don’t need a whole new makeup bag, but some product types do play nicer with hooded lids.
Long-wear eyeshadow sticks or creams
These are great as a base or a one-and-done shadow. Look for crease-resistant or long-wear formulas.Matte and satin powder shadows
Mattes are your best friends for creating that fake crease and contour. Satins (soft sheen, not glitter) are lovely on the lid.Gel or waterproof pencil eyeliner
These tend to transfer less onto the upper lid and waterline. They’re also easier to smudge for that smoky liner look.Lengthening or lifting mascara
As mentioned above, this helps show off your eye shape instead of dragging it down.
I’ve found that mixing textures works well: a cream shadow as a base for longevity, then a matte powder to sculpt and set.
Simple Step-By-Step Eye Look For Hooded Eyes
Here’s a quick routine you can try today using these makeup tips for hooded eyes.
- Apply eye primer all over the lid up to the brow and set lightly with powder.
- With eyes open, use a fluffy brush and a matte medium shade to draw a new crease slightly above your natural fold; blend up and out.
- Apply a light matte or satin shade on the mobile lid, keeping it below that new crease.
- Add a slightly deeper matte shade to the outer third of the eye, blending it upward and outward toward the tail of your brow.
- Tightline your upper waterline with a pencil or gel liner; add a thin line along the upper lashes, thickening only at the outer third.
- Curl your lashes and apply a lifting or lengthening mascara, focusing on the center and outer lashes.
- Optional: Smudge a bit of your crease shade along the outer half of the lower lash line for balance.
This whole thing takes me about five to seven minutes on a weekday, and it makes my hooded eyes look way more awake on Zoom calls.
The Bottom Line
Makeup tips for hooded eyes all come down to one idea: place your color where it’s still visible when your eyes are open. Fake a higher crease with matte shades, keep liner thin and strategic, and use lash lift and light placement to open everything up.
Once you stop fighting your hood and start working with it, your eye looks become so much less frustrating—and honestly, way more fun.
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