One measurement tells you whether this applies to you. The gap between your inner corners should be roughly one eye-width. Noticeably less, and your eyes are close-set — which changes where every product goes. Makeup for close-set eyes follows a single rule: light at the inner corner, weight at the outer.
Why standard tutorials fail here
Most eyeshadow instructions assume an average gap and tell you to blend a mid-tone across the whole lid, then wing the liner from the tear duct. Both instructions pull attention inward, toward the nose, which is precisely the direction you want to avoid.
The placement map
| Zone | What goes there |
|---|---|
| Inner third of lid | Nothing dark. A matte shade close to skin tone |
| Middle third | Where colour starts, blended outward |
| Outer third and crease | The deepest shade, extended toward the temple |
| Lower lash line | Outer third only |
| Waterline | Nude or bare, never dark all the way across |
The instinct to balance the eye by mirroring everything symmetrically is the thing to resist. Asymmetry — outward-heavy — is what creates space.
Eyeliner that widens rather than narrows
Start the line about halfway along the lid. Keep it hair-thin where it begins, thicken it through the outer third, and take the flick further out than you normally would — aiming at the tail of the brow rather than the outer corner. A long, low wing stretches the eye horizontally.
If a full wing feels like too much, tightline the outer half only. It defines the lash line without planting a dark mark next to the nose.
Brows and the rest of the face
Leave a little more space between the brows than you think you need. Tweezing right up to the bridge of the nose narrows the whole centre of the face, and a hard pencil mark at the brow head does the same. Start each brow softly and build definition toward the arch.
Highlighter belongs on the outer cheekbone and temple. A strong strip down the nose bridge draws the eye back to the middle — the opposite of the effect you are after.
Test it in two minutes
Do one eye with the inner corner left pale and the wing starting mid-lid, and the other your usual way. Look straight ahead in a mirror at arm's length. The difference is usually obvious enough that you will not go back.
More shape-specific placement guides live in the makeup section, and current matte shadow and pencil formats are listed in the catalogue on faberlic.com.