Eyes that are bigger usually appear to make you look younger and awake.
All eye shapes are beautiful, don’t get me wrong! I have small almond shaped eyes myself and I don’t want to toot my own horn, but quite a few people have complimented me for them! Not all of us have big eyes. However, we can always create an illusion by using clever make-up techniques.
If you follow the steps above, you’ll immediately see an improvement in your eye makeup and create the illusion of bigger, wider, more awake eyes. However, without the right contrast and shadowing, you won’t be able to make your small eyes appear bigger.
Here are my makeup tips for small eyes, that will make you look perfect for a casual, daytime look:
1. Apply lighter eye shadows
If you have small eyes, the most important makeup tip you must follow is to forgo dark shades and stick to lighter and brighter eye shadows. That being said, the standard makeup application of 1/3rd lighter shade in the inner corners and 2/3rds darker shades on the entire lid will not apply to you.I recommend that you apply the lighter shade of your choosing on the entire lid. What works best for small eyes are shimmery, pearly light or neutral hues. Depending on your skin tone and undertone, as well as your eye color, you have a wide array of eye shadows that enhance your eye color and make your eyes the focus of attention.
2. All that shimmers is gold
Although neutral, matte eye shadows are great for small eyes, an even better option are eye shadows with a little shimmer. Frosty, pearly or metallic eye shadows will catch the light and make your small eyes appear bigger and brighter.
If you are not too keen on using shimmery eye shadows on the entire lid, place some on the inner corners of the eyes, on the center of the lid, just above the pupil and on the brow bone, just under the brow arch. This attracts light to your eyes and makes them stand out more.
3. Make your small eyes appear bigger
One of the best makeup products for small eyes is a neutral beige eye pencil that you can use to line the inner rims of your eyes and make them appear bigger and really stand out. While you can still use white pencil to do this, I find it looks more natural and thus more believable when you use a beige pencil.
Besides, no one has perfectly white eyeballs, so the beige pencil would counteract any broken capillaries and camouflage injected eyes caused by sleep deprivation or late night parties that you’ve attended.
I’m not against white eyeliner, I just find it more suitable for a glamorous party look or a 60s makeup inspired look, rather than a daytime use. The choice is up to you!
4. Apply darker shades at the outer corner
For a daytime look, the best way to make your eyes look bigger and brighter is to subtly shade the outer corner of the eye using a fine line. If you want to use a pencil eyeliner, avoid contouring the entire lash line and carefully use back and forth motions to push the color between the lashes. Draw a wing at the outer corners of the eyes and gently smudge it to make the look softer. This will elongate the eyes and make them more beautiful and defined.
5, Mascara for small eyes
No eye makeup for small eyes is complete without mascara and naturally, there are some suggestions I have if you want your eyes to appear bigger. First off, use an eyelash curler before you finish your daytime look with mascara.
Once you’ve given your lashes a good curl, start at the base of your eyelashes and wiggle the mascara wand as you move up to the tips. The trick to avoiding clumpy eyelashes is to apply the second coat before the first coat dries. That way there are no clumps and no flakes.
For small eyes, I recommend concentrating your mascara on the middle and outer corners of your eyes, as to elongate them and make small eyes look bigger. You should use two layers – a lengthening mascara first and a voluminous mascara on top of that, to make your lashes really stand out.
6. Use false lashes
For a party look, don’t be shy to use false lashes, to make your eyes look bigger and doll-like. Different false lash strips can create different looks, so choose one that you find suits you best. I recommend you apply false lashes only on the outer corner of the eyes, to make your small eyes appear bigger.