CALLING ALL MY HOODED EYE BRIGADE GUYS AND GALS!
Look straight forward into a mirror. If the skin on your eye lid hangs down, touching or nearly touching your lash line and you can only see your lid space when you close your eye or raise your eyebrows then…welcome to the family!
There are loads of us out there, that either have been born with hooded eyes (like me) or they may have evolved like that over time with gravity.
I hear you. You’ve watched a million tutorials on how its possible to do a feline flick, you know, a ‘wing’ on hooded eyes, but its just not happening for you?!
In the past I've been there too! See, it may not be your technique, just that it simply doesnt work for your eyeshape. All our hoods are different, and some of us have more flaps/folds than others. It also depends how upturned/ downturned the eyes are as well! But for some of us, our sexy hoods are just too darn hoody to get our flick on!
For some of us it takes practice. For others (if like me) you just need to know HOW to make the most out of your sexy peepers! The good news is you CAN still wear liner and some of you may even be able to rock a kitten flick (tiny flick).
So if like me you struggle with lid space for a feline flick or you have simply fallen out of love with your hooded eyes, here are some tips, tools, products, procedure and techniques for you! Please note: all links below are non affiliated.
Skin tags on lids
These little bleeders love a hood! If you arent sure what they are, they’re tiny bits of skin on a stalk! Kind of like having a teeny weeny Rice Krispie stuck to your face . Mine had got a little big so I decided I wanted to have them removed (dont feel like you have to though, just wanted to let you know that it is possible). I had a small procedure to remove them, relatively painless from what I can recall, and just needed a little time to heal.This was done by the lovely and amazing Louise Thomas-Minns based in Norwich. PS Her signature facial is incredible!
Prepping your hood for makeup
Ever noticed that your eye makeup creases and goes patchy after a while? Yeah me too! So a really good tip before applying your eyeshadow is to use a primer. NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base helps with this. Just apply a small amount with a clean finger and then let it dry.
https://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/nars-cosmetics-pro-prime-smudge-proof-eyeshadow-base/10409459.html
Eyeshadow
So maybe you avoid using eye shadow because you're unsure how to use it or you're someone that has spent ages perfecting your eyeshadow only to open your eye, look straight ahead and…its disappeared?!! You cant see it, where has it gone?!! Okay, so heres a tip for you. You will probably need to blend the eyeshadow a little higher than it goes on a regular mobile lid. Go gently with a light hand, as you can always build the depth/colour if you need to. Instead of getting frustrated with powder shadow have you tried cream shadow? They are so quick and effective - use a mixture of your clean finger and brush to blend. Try Trinny London https://trinnylondon.com/uk/products/eye-contact or Charlotte Tilbury https://www.charlottetilbury.com/uk/products/makeup/eyes/eyeshadow/cream-shadow for a little more shimmer.
Line your upper waterline
If like me your hooded eye just doesn't suit a wing/ thick liner at the lash line (and can actually make my eye look smaller if incorrectly applied) then line your upperwater line using a Kohl pencil. If black looks too harsh or you're not sure, go with brown! https://www.charlottetilbury.com/uk/product/rock-n-kohl-barbarella-brown. Once you've mastered this, try going in between the lashes too for more depth. This may feel a bit weird if you havent done it before and be careful not to poke yourself in the eye. However, when you’ve mastered it your gonna see what a difference it makes. Go gently too if you wear contact lenses. If the pencil transfers to your lower waterline, just gently remove with something like a cotton bud or a clean finger.
Curl your lashes
Lash curlers can look intimitating but will become your best friend! My favourites are the Kevyn Aucoin https://www.spacenk.com/uk/accessories/tools/makeup-tools/the-eyelash-curler-MUS300022985.html. (Once youve done your skincare use these on mascara free lashes). You dont want to damage your lashes/ break them when you have dry mascara on them! Clamp down on your lashes gently and give them a squeeze say 10 times per eye. You will notice that this makes your eye look more lifted having your lashes pushed up and is great for anyone with hooded eyes and very straight lashes. You can thank me later!
Mascara
Once you've curled your lashes, lets lock them in place with mascara! Look into the mirror again, raise your chin, lift your brow bone and wiggle that mascara wand at the base of your top lashes. Dont worry if you accidentally get some mascara on your face instead of lashes. Wait for it to dry and flick/tease it off with a clean dry spoolie.
False Lashes
These are amazing for hooded eyes but can equally make your eyes look ‘sad’, as in downturned and more droopy if they are too big, long or positioned incorrectly. My preference would be to use individual lashes as these are what give the most natural look. (This is where a magnifying mirror comes in handy and tweezers!).
Remember, your hooded eyes can be your Superpower! They CAN look soooo sexy and sultry you just need to know how.
So in short… prime your lid, experiment with a cream shadow and blend up a little higher (do this by looking straight forward in to the mirror), add a kohl pencil to the upper waterline, curl your lashes and then get your mascara on. If you already do this, then add some lashes to help lift and elongate the eye more.
Perhaps its not necessarily that feline flick that you initially thought you were after but you know what, it looks a darn sight better than trying to fit a square peg in a round hole!! Give it a try, let me know how you get on, send me some pics and I’ll happily give you some pointers!
Sian x