Makeup for Hooded Eyes

Published March 30, 2026

Open up and lift hooded lids with placement that works whether your eyes are open or closed.

Understanding Hooded Eyes

Hooded eyes have a fold of skin that covers part or all of the mobile lid when the eye is open, so shadow placed only on the lid disappears the moment you look forward. The defining rule is that you must work with the eye open and map color above the natural crease, not in it. Many people with beautiful lids assume eyeshadow does not suit them, when the truth is the placement simply needs to shift upward. Try mapping the look on your selfie in GlowMaxing with eyes open so you can see exactly where shade will actually show.

Find Your New Crease

Look straight ahead in a mirror and notice where the hood casts a shadow, then place your transition and definition shades just above that point so they remain visible. This is often higher than where your physical crease sits. Use a slightly deeper transition shade in a windshield-wiper motion above the hood to create a faux crease that reads when your eyes are open. Building this artificial crease is the foundation of every hooded-eye look.

Lid Color That Stays Put

Because the lid folds and creases easily, a long-wearing cream or a sticky base under powder shadow is essential to stop migration and fading. Reach for shimmer placed only on the inner half of the visible lid to catch light and push the eye forward. Keep heavy dark shades off the center of the lid, since they can make hooded eyes recede. A primer plus a setting step turns a look that smudges by noon into one that lasts all day.

Eyeliner Without the Smudge

Thick liner that sits flat on a hooded lid often transfers onto the upper hood and prints a line across the eye. Use tightlining along the upper lash roots for definition that does not transfer, and keep any visible line thin near the inner corner, thickening only at the outer third. A small winged flick lifted upward, mapped while looking straight ahead, gives lift without disappearing. Always test the wing with your eye open before committing.

Lift With a Wing and Outer V

Concentrate depth at the outer corner in a soft V shape and pull it diagonally up toward the end of the brow to create lift. This outer-corner darkness counteracts any downward heaviness in the hood. Blend the V upward and outward rather than into the center of the lid. The combination of a faux crease and an outer V is the most reliable way to make hooded eyes look bigger and lifted.

Lashes and Brows for Extra Space

Curling lashes and using a lengthening mascara on the outer lashes opens the eye and keeps the lashes from pressing into the hood. A lifted lash line draws the eye upward and creates visual room. Keeping the brow area clean and lightly highlighted under the arch also lifts the whole eye. Avoid heavy lower-lash mascara, which can drag the eye down.

Tying the Look Together

Once your faux crease, outer V, lift, and lashes are in place, open and close your eyes a few times to confirm everything is visible in the open position. Smoky, halo, and soft-glam looks all flatter hooded eyes when the depth lives above the hood. The single biggest mistake is judging the look with eyes closed, so always step back and check the open eye in good light. Adjust the crease higher if any color is swallowed by the fold.