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You may have heard of the term “hooded eyes” in the beauty world–but what the heck does that mean? Hooded eyes, or bedroom eyes as those of us who have them like to affectionately call them, are mysterious and sexy. They are characterized by a “prominent brow bone that causes the crease of the eye, and often part of the eyelid, to be covered,” says Dr. Alain Michon, medical director of Ottawa Skin Clinic.
And turns out, they’re also an eye shape that doesn’t benefit from many popular hooded eye makeup tutorials.
Young celebs like Emma Stone, Jennifer Lawrence, and Taylor Swift were born with pretty hooded eyes but Dr. Brett Kotlus, a New York City cosmetic and reconstructive oculoplastic surgeon and the author of Pause and Reverse: How to Look Younger Than Your Age With or Without Cosmetic Surgery, says less-than-flattering hooded eyelids can begin to appear in your late 30s and early 40s. “The eyelids are the first parts of the face to show aging,” Kotlus says. “There are two main causes: the upper eyelid skin is the thinnest skin in the body so it is prone to stretching [and] the brows descent and deflate, causing crowding and hooding below.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bdmgo8zHfwp/?hl=en&taken-by=jenniferlawrencepx
You can tell if your eyelids are hooded if you used to see more eyelid platform (the space above the eyelashes and below the eyelid fold), but now your platform is disappearing, Kotlus says. “You’ll also notice there is less place to put your eyeliner,” he adds.
Treatments like Botox can help raise the eyebrows and in turn, reveal more eyelid platform and minimize early, mild hooding. More severe hooding can benefit from an eyelid lift or blepharoplasty for a long-lasting correction.
But for those women who actually want play up their hooded eyes and make the most of them, a few YouTubers are here to help. For hooded eye makeup tutorials, beauty vlogger Casey Holmes offers step by step videos to help you apply eyeshadow to hooded eyes.
Sarah Conley, another beauty vlogger and founder of MKUP with Sarah, offers the following great tips:
1. Rethink where you apply eyeshadow.
Beauty “The best thing you can do when applying eyeshadow to hooded eyes is to go up on to the edge of your brow bone,” Conley says. “People with upward or almond eyes generally will apply a dark eyeshadow shade in their crease to add depth to their eyes, but for people with hooded eyes, their crease will disappear when their eyes are open. By applying shadow up on to the brow bone, it gives the illusion that the eye is more open and larger.”
2. Get creative with your tools.
“One tip for applying shadow up on the brow bone is to place scotch tape (stick it on the back of your hand a few of times before putting it on your face) from the corner of your eye up to the outer edge of your eyebrow,” Conley says. “Then apply shadow from the center of your lid outward in a straight horizontal line. Remove the tape and reveal a fierce smokey eye.”
3. Know thy enemy.
All makeup tricks and products simply don’t work for all eye shapes. Conley gave us four no-no’s when it comes to applying makeup to hooded eyes.
The makeup rules for hooded eyes are:
— Stay away from shimmer. Matte shadows are your best friend.
— Always prime your eyes with an eye primer or concealer and set it with a powder before applying shadow. This will make sure the shadow stays in place and doesn’t transfer. Try Urban Decay’s eyeshadow primer.
Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion ($28)
— Avoid applying eyeliner and not setting it with a powder (same color as the liner) because most likely it will transfer to your brow bone when your eyes are open.
— Lining the upper waterline of the eyes is perfect for people with hooded eyes because the liner will define the eyes and will not disappear when your eyes are open.
For more eye makeup tips, check out these makeup tips for small eyes and these genius makeup tricks for hooded eyes on SHEfinds.
