How to Apply Makeup to Hooded Eyes, According to Makeup Artists (2025)

• Makeup
• Eyes

Mastering makeup for hooded eyes poses a unique set of challenges. Hooded eyes, which are characterized by excess skin that droops over the crease, can often make eyeshadow and some eyeliner looks, like winged liner, more difficult to execute. If you find yourself nodding in agreement, trust that you're not alone. In this article, we're here to guide you through the best makeup tips and tricks tailored for hooded eyes. Enter: makeup artists Jaleesa Jaikaran and Samreen Arshad who are here to share their tips for mastering eye makeup for hooded eyes. Keep reading to learn the best makeup tips for hooded eyes.

What Makeup Is Best for Hooded Eyes?

When you have hooded eyes, you don't want your makeup to accentuate the extra skin on your lid because that will, ultimately, make your eyes look heavy. A couple things to keep in mind according to Arshad: "Blending is key—when applying the shadows, blend them upwards and outwards. This helps give the illusion of bigger, wider eyes." She also recommends being mindful of the colors you select, as dark shadows can overpower the lids and make your eyes look smaller. "One can use dark shadows sparingly towards the corner of the eyes to give a smoky eye effect."

Brows

"I like a brow pencil that has a really fine tip because it gives me the precision that I'm looking for," says Jaikaran, recommending Maybelline's Brow Ultra Slim Defining Pencil. She suggests filling in your desired shape using quick, flick motions that will replicate the appearance of natural brow hairs, then using the spoolie end to blend and fluff your brows.

Eyeshadow

1. Use a Primer: Both Arshad and Jaikaran recommends starting with a gripping eyeshadow primer, like the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Priming Potion. "This is an important step to prevent creasing due to the folds of the eyelids," Arshad says.
2. Go in with Eyeshadow: "Now that we have our primer blended, we're going to go in with eyeshadow," Jaikaran begins. "I'm going to be using the Anastasia Beverly Hills Norvina Pro Pigment Palette. For me, I always start with a crease color because I really want to give myself a crease to work with. So I'm going to go in with this shade, and buff this into the crease of the eye. With hooded eyes, you tend to not really be able to see what's going on on the lid. So you want to go a little past your natural crease." Arshad adds "the trick is to apply the shadow or liner with your eyes open."
3. Get Pigmented: "You want to look forward when you're doing eyeshadow for hooded eyes because if you look down or if you do anything else, you're really not going to see the effect when the eyes are open. So try to always look forward." Finish the look off the lid by pressing pigment onto the rest of the lid (not just the crease) using a flat brush, then buff away any harsh lines of indication with a fluffy, dome-shaped eyeshadow brush.
4. Create Your Own Crease: With hooded eye shapes, Jaikaran recommends going back into your crease with more pigment after you've buffed your initial eyeshadow layer. "This is the trick: you really have to create your own crease. If I were to go into my [natural] crease, it's all the way down here and no one is going to see it," she says. "So I'm going to have to fake a crease and carry the color a bit higher."
5. Add a Pop Of Color in the Inner Corner: Finally, add a pop of a lighter, brighter eyeshadow to the inner corners of the eyes, which will help lift the appearance of the lid (hooded eye shapes tend to have the appearance of a "heavier" lid) and open up the eyes.

Eyeliner

1. Look down and brace: "I like to take a really fine-tipped, liquid eyeliner, and you want to look down into a mirror," Jaikaran begins. "I like to use my pinky finger as a little brace. Rest it on top of the cheek bone, and use that to anchor yourself into creating the perfect liner."
2. Apply liner: "Now when I'm applying liner, I'm not trying to do everything at the same time. I'm really taking my time, and going as close to the lash line as possible. And if you want, you can create a tiny bit of a wing line. The thing is with hooded eyes and winged liner, is sometimes you might need to create an extra dip in order to see it. So what you can do is create a really small line and connect the tip of that line to the top of your lashes." Arshad adds "don't stretch your eyelids when applying liner—a common mistake. Apply your eyeliner with your eye relaxed otherwise the wings won't be balanced between the eyes."
3. Clean up: Then use a cotton round or cotton swab dipped in makeup remover to sharpen up the wing. Clean up under the eyes as well, where eyeshadow fallout may have occurred during application.

Concealer

To sharpen up your eye look, Jaikaran recommends applying concealer under your eyes, just be careful not to smudge your eyeliner or eyeshadow. Blend into the shadowy areas under your eyes, then set your concealer with your favorite setting powder.

Mascara

To complete your look, gives your lashes some love with a volumizing mascara. "I'm going to go in with Nars Climax Mascara, and we're going to go to the top and pack as many layers as we can," says Jaikaran. "If you wanted to add a little bit more fun to this look, I would take a tiny bit of loose glitter or glitter eyeshadow and tap it lightly where we have this lighter color on the inner eyes."

Navigating makeup for hooded eyes can be a learning curve, but armed with the right techniques, tools, and a little practice, you can master it in no time.