The ultimate makeup trick for hooded & deep set eyes

hooded and deep set eyes eyeshadow

 

Guys, I have breaking news.

It’s about eyeshadow application. I finally learned the trick on how to apply eyeshadow to my deep set/hooded eyes. My eyes have a very little of visible lid space. Just a small gap. So applying the dark eyeshadows on the ‘crease’, as typical, has never worked for me. Actually, the typical rules in general haven’t really worked for me. With deep set or hooded eyes – you have to do things a little differently.

And even though I’m a professional I’ve struggled with my own eye shape. Getting it sometimes right, but most of the time just kind of shooting in the dark, not understanding the logic behind my actions. Okay, I made it sound super serious. But it is! It’s life and death here – eyeshadow, life and death.

So let’s get to the visual part of it. I’m gonna teach you exactly how to apply eyeshadow for hooded eyes, deep set eyes, monolids or just for eyes, that have a little of visible lid space. This trick is also a bit universal, so it works for anyone, who wants to make her/his eyes appear bigger.

And might I just add, humbly of course, that this is the best eye shadow trick I have shared on my blog so far.

makeup blog hooded eyes

The ultimate makeup trick for deep set or hooded eyes

Forget about the crease

As you can see, with my eye shape, my crease is super low. Those grey dots in the first picture show you my crease. I’ve parted ways with it a long time ago – deepening my actual crease just makes my eyes look smaller and even though my eyes are just the right size, I don’t want them to be any smaller. So, forget about the crease.

eyeshadow trick for hooded deep set eyes eyeshadow trick for hooded deep set eyes

Follow your natural bone structure

How to apply eyeshadow for any eye shape? Follow your natural bone structure – just like you do with contour and highlight. It’s no different from that really! It’s all about playing with the natural contours of your eye and putting the shadow where it naturally occurs. Which, in this case, forms right below my brow bone. These photos are a bit dark on purpose, because I wanted to show you the natural shadows that occur on my eyes. I marked it with grey dots in the second picture.

find your brow bone

Find your natural shadow – it’s right below your brow bone

To get this absolutely right, you need to find the exact spot. You can find it with your finger – you can feel where the bone ends and the eye sinks a little. Or you can go to a room, where the lighting is a bit dim and see, where that shadow forms on your eye. You can see it super clearly that way, as you can see from these pictures. Lately I’ve actually taken my makeup brush, walked to our hallway (where it’s that dim lighting) and drew on that eyeshadow exactly where that shadow hits me. Then I’ve just gotten back to my makeup table – it makes the eyeshadow application so much easier, once I have those ‘boundaries’ on.

The reason this makes any eyeshadow look better, is because it looks more natural. Since we’ve been following our natural bone structure, the makeup kind of looks as if it belongs there. Right? Even the blending looks softer this way – almost as if the bone structure would give it an extra boost (spoiler alert: it does).

ultimate eyeshadow trick

Here is a close up to show you exactly the trick. See how high you can actually pull up the eyeshadow? It’s nowhere near that natural crease or fold.

ultimate makeup trick for hooded eyes

Now here is a very simple eye shadow tutorial using this trick.

Simple eye shadow tutorial for deep set & hooded eyes

hooded eyes makeup trick tutorial

  1. Contour the eye by following your natural bone structure. Use a matte shade. Create the ‘crease’ where a natural shadow occurs. That is where your color should be the darkest. Fill in the color in the outer corner and blend well, so that the contour looks soft and nice. Apply some color to your lower lashline as well, but it keep it subtle (unless you like the drama).
  2. Apply the lid color all over the lid all the way to the fake crease. Blend the edges carefully, so that, again, it looks soft and nice. But don’t let the shimmery color (if used) get to your crease area, because that color should be matte.
  3. Apply the inner corner highlight, liner, and mascara. I did a soft blended liner with black eyeshadow.

hooded and deep set eyes eyeshadow hooded and deep set eyes eyeshadow

 

The best eyeshadow palettes
*Norvina palettes
*Urban Decay Naked Palettes
*Too Faced palettes

The base for my eyeshadow is always*Urban Decay Primer Potion. It keeps the eyeshadow locked in place all day.

The best eyeshadow brushes
*Zoeva
Zoeva is my absolute favorite brand for brushes. They’re high quality and make blending so easy!
*Coastal Scents 22 brush set
There are also affordable brushes, that are great. This set is what I bought for myself as my very first brush set and I still use it a lot.

I hope this post was as helpful to you, as it was for me to figure out this thing. Let me know in the comments! 

And hey – happy Valentines’s day! I’m gonna do a little date night thing with Risto, eating dinner at home in a candle light. So cheesy, but so lovely.

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40 Comments

  1. Amy
    2018-02-14

    I have the same problems with my eye shape so I think this will work really well for me. I’m going to try it! I apply above the crease to give the illusion of it being higher but I think following the bone structure will make it look a lot more natural!

    http://ambeautyedit.com – Amy X

    Reply
    1. Charlotta Takkula
      2018-02-15

      Yeah, do try it and let me know if it works for you! <3

      Reply
  2. Ms Via
    2018-02-14

    I have small eyes and I want them to look a little open. I will definitely try this trick that you have shared. Thanks a lot. 🙂

    Reply
    1. Charlotta Takkula
      2018-02-15

      Glad you found it useful :>

      Reply
    2. Penny
      2021-06-02

      The best tutorial I’ve seen so far. Thabks for this!

      Reply
      1. Charlotta Takkula
        2021-06-02

        Happy to hear it, thank you!

        Reply
  3. Siiri Kiviharju
    2018-02-16

    Hyvä vinkki ja itsekin oon kokenut tuon toimivaksi, sillä olen paininut samojen ongelmien kanssa. 😀

    http://www.siirikiviharju.com

    Reply
    1. Charlotta Takkula
      2018-02-17

      Kiitos 🙂

      Reply
  4. Geena
    2018-06-18

    I wish you had used slightly less neutral colors in the tutorial to make it a bit more easy to see (what’s flattering isn’t always the best teaching tool…), but I’m definitely going to give it a shot! My current eyeshadow game has been needing some help on these seriously hooded eyes.

    Reply
    1. Charlotta Takkula
      2018-06-18

      Yeah, me too. I’m thinking of updating this tutorial with darker colors! I hope this helps you x

      Reply
      1. Jennifer
        2022-06-22

        Hi- can you tell me what eye shadows you used for this look?

        Reply
        1. Charlotta Takkula
          2022-06-30

          Hi! Yeah, I used Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette.

          Reply
  5. Wendi
    2018-09-02

    Thanks for sharing this! I found it helpful. I have almost no visible lid when my eyes are open, so I have been frustrated trying to figure out how to have fun with all these cool eyeshadows I see people using!

    Reply
    1. Charlotta Takkula
      2018-09-02

      So glad it worked for you!

      Reply
  6. Elise
    2018-09-22

    I’m going to try this. I have very hooded eyes with no lid space. Do you have a video where you demonstrate this technique?

    Reply
    1. Charlotta Takkula
      2018-09-22

      Not yet, but I’m thinking of doing one. 🙂

      Reply
  7. Eva Lilje
    2019-01-05

    Thank you, this was indeed helpful. 🙂
    But as a very critical person I want to tell you that your eyes are beautiful and your lids have just the right size, bigger would be too much. 🙂

    Reply
    1. Charlotta Takkula
      2019-01-07

      Glad you found it helpful! Yeah I think all eye shapes are beautiful. Thank you. 🙂

      Reply
  8. Iréne King
    2019-01-11

    Fantastic! I will give it a try this weekend:) And if you are ever in Luxembourg, I would gladly pay for a makeup lesson from you.

    Reply
    1. Charlotta Takkula
      2019-01-14

      Thank you so much! Hopefully it works for you. And thanks for the offer, that’s a huge compliment! 🙂

      Reply
  9. Charlene Chapman
    2019-01-21

    This is the single most helpful eyeshadow tutorial for hooded eyes I’ve ever found. THANK YOU! I’ve seen so many people creating beautiful looks, and the way you’ve found to adapt them to those of us with hooded eyes is kind of life-changing. I can’t wait to play with my eye shadow palettes again!

    Reply
    1. Charlotta Takkula
      2019-01-21

      This comment just made my day. Thank you! I’m so glad you found it useful.

      Reply
  10. S Fleet
    2019-02-12

    This is the best tutorial I’ve seen. I’ve been intuitively doing mine above my crease my whole life and lately I was trying to put it IN the crease because that’s how everyone does it and it never looks right. Now, I’m gonna stick with above like you said. Hey, do you do video tutorials? I’d def follow you!

    Reply
    1. Charlotta Takkula
      2019-02-13

      Thank you so much! Videos are something I’m constantly thinking about, but it just doesn’t feel natural to me… But I could do a few and see how it goes. 😀 Thank you for the support!

      Reply
      1. Charlotta Takkula
        2021-08-23

        Edit: I do videos quite often on Instagram – > @charlottaeve 🙂

        Reply
  11. Ischalyn Hansen
    2019-02-20

    Looooooved this tutorial! I have struggled forever with my hooded deep set eyes! You are a God send!

    Reply
    1. Charlotta Takkula
      2019-02-20

      Thank you, happy to hear it!

      Reply
  12. Mónika
    2019-08-04

    I have a bit hooded and really deepset eyes. It’s a great tutorial, I want to try it. But above my crease immediately there is my brow bone. Should I do something different?

    Reply
    1. Charlotta Takkula
      2019-08-12

      Try and leave the tiniest gap between your eyebrow and the eyeshadow, so that the color doesn’t start straight from the brow. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  13. Beth
    2019-10-04

    Thank you so much! I have deep-set eyes and have never been able to figure out eye makeup. Even when I’ve gotten it done by pros for weddings and such, the dark colors or where they put the eye shadow just kind of over crowds my eyes. And whenever I do my own, it looks like someone punched me 😛 Can’t wait to try this tutorial.

    My lids are a little wider on the inside corner of my eyes than on the outside, which also makes it tricky for eyeliner. Any suggestions for that?

    Reply
    1. Charlotta Takkula
      2019-10-07

      Glad you found it useful! 🙂 I would try balancing out the lid by making the liner a little thicker on the inside corner? Or contour the lid from above to make it match with the rest of the lid.

      Reply
  14. kim forbes
    2020-01-16

    Great!! What colors did you use in the palette? Looks beautiful!

    Reply
    1. Charlotta Takkula
      2020-01-20

      Pretty sure I used at least Coconut Creme, Mousse, Butter Pecan, Truffled and Pink Sugar. But my palette is the Semi Sweet version, which is no longer sold. Similar options can be found on the original palette though 🙂

      Reply
  15. Beth C
    2021-05-07

    Thanks! I’ve been watching a lot of videos on YouTube about hooded lids, but this is more helpful since I think my eyes are really deep set too. I was already trying to go above the crease, but now I realize I have to take this even further (dear lid crease – I’m breaking up with you!). I wear glasses as well, so any added tips you have for that would be much appreciated. 🙂

    Reply
    1. Charlotta Takkula
      2021-05-07

      So happy to hear that you found it helpful. My mentality is that all makeup is suitable for glasses. Though I understand that glasses can hide the makeup a bit.. I will try and come up with some more makeup tips for glasses.
      Currently I have these posts:
      3 simple makeup tips for glasses wearers
      Classic makeup for glasses wearers
      Thank you for commenting! 🙂

      Reply
  16. Melissa Cox
    2021-12-22

    This tutorial was very helpful. Merry Christmas to you! x

    Reply
    1. Charlotta Takkula
      2021-12-22

      So happy to hear that, thank you! Merry Christmas 🙂

      Reply
  17. […] my eyes are deeper set, I follow a specific technique of applying eyeshadow. Essentially, put a lighter color on the inner half of your eyelids, and a […]

    Reply
  18. Erin Moore
    2024-01-18

    Your posts are a godsend… I am 28 years old and after years of thinking eye makeup just didn’t look good on me, found out I have deep-set eyes thanks to your posts and now the way I am doing my makeup…. it finally looks good! Thank you so much for sharing, your techniques are unlike anything else I’ve been able to find online.

    Reply
    1. Charlotta Takkula
      2024-01-26

      Wow, thank you! This comment literally made my day <3

      Reply

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