On hooded eyes the upper lid folds over the crease, so anything applied to the lid with the eye closed vanishes when it opens. Every adjustment below follows from that one fact.

Work with your eyes open

The single most important change. Look straight ahead into a mirror and place colour where you can actually see it — usually above your natural crease.

Shadow placed in the anatomical crease is invisible on a hooded eye. Placing it slightly higher creates a visible crease line where the fold would otherwise hide it.

Check your work with the eye open, always. Closed-eye results are misleading.

Where to put each shade

  • Light shade on the visible part of the lid, and the inner corner
  • Mid shade above the natural crease, blended upward rather than outward
  • Dark shade at the outer corner, pulled slightly up toward the tail of the brow rather than out or down
  • Under-brow highlight used sparingly — too much emphasises the hood

Blend upward. The instinct is to blend outward, which on a hooded eye pushes colour into the fold.

Eyeliner

Thin along the lash line, thickening slightly toward the outer third. A thick line disappears entirely under the fold and can make the eye look smaller.

For a wing, angle it upward toward the end of the brow, and draw it with the eye open. Wings drawn closed almost always end up pointing in an unexpected direction once the eye opens.

If liner transfers onto the upper lid through the day, that is the fold touching it — a thinner line and setting the lid with powder both help.

Lashes

Curling matters more here than on any other eye shape. Lifted lashes open up the eye and stop the hood from dominating.

A lengthening or curling mascara on the top lashes, concentrated toward the outer half, does more than any amount of shadow. Go lightly on the lower lashes.

What to avoid

  • Heavy dark shadow across the whole lid, which closes the eye
  • Thick liner
  • Shimmer directly on the hood, which draws light exactly where you want less attention

The general principle

Lift, do not deepen. Everything angled upward and outward, checked with the eye open.

More eye technique in the makeup section.