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How to Make Eyes Look Bigger with Makeup

How to Make Eyes Look Bigger with Makeup
Josie Wilkins
Writer and expert2 years ago
View Josie Wilkins's profile

Large, bright eyes give the impression of someone who is well-rested, hydrated, and ready to take on the day. However, often life's demands make it difficult to juggle exercise, eight hours of sleep, home-made meals and everything else that comes with alert, vivid eyes. Is it possible to achieve those bigger, rounder eyes on a realistic day-to-day schedule? The answer is yes, and we have makeup to thank. Plus, as the eyes are one of the first features that people notice, it makes sense to want them to stand out.

Keep reading to discover how to make your eyes look bigger with makeup.

Use a light eyeliner to make your eyes look bigger

The first tip to make your eyes look bigger with makeup is to extend the whites of your eyes. Rather than using a white eyeliner for the waterline, we want to use a cream one. A stark white eyeliner on the waterline can appear too harsh whereas a nude eyeliner is softer and makes the eyes look bigger more naturally.

When using an eyeliner to enlarge the eyes, always go for a long-lasting, waterproof pencil, such as the Eyeko Limitless Long-Wear Pencil Eyeliner.

  1. To prep, dab the waterline with a cotton bud before lining.
  2. Follow up with your sharpened pencil, tracing the bottom.
  3. Do the same with the top waterline, holding up your eyelid as you make the gentle strokes.
  4. To seal the liner in place, dab a nude eyeshadow such as the 'Drape' shade in the Limitless Eyeshadow Palette 1 over it using an angled brush.

Contouring your eyes with eyeshadow

If you once thought contouring was just for cheekbones, we're here to tell you otherwise. Contouring can be used to sculpt and redefine any part of the face, including the eyes. Use a light brown eyeshadow such as the 'Stark' shade in the Eyeko Limitless Eyeshadow Palette 2 to mimic the natural shadows of your eye.

The Eyeko Tip: To make the eyes look bigger with makeup, contour with lighter rather than darker shades. Dark shades can make the eyes look smaller.

  1. Lightly brush the brown shadow a little bit higher than your crease to give the illusion that the eyelid extends higher.
  2. Blend upwards to add dimension.
  3. Apply the same colour on the lower lash using the angled brush.
  4. When tracing the lower lash line, stick to the outer third of your eye and just below the waterline to elongate the eyes.

 

How to curl eyelashes to make your eyes look wider

Next, the simplest beauty hack that many overlook: how to curl your lashes properly.

woman curling eyelashes with eyelash curler

There's a way how to curl eyelashes to make your eyes look even wider.

  1. Use a cushioned eyelash curler to get as close to the roots as possible without touching the skin.
  2. Tightly squeeze and close the curler onto eyelashes, holding tight for 5 seconds.
  3. Pump at least four times.
  4. Now, move the curler along your lashes, continuously pumping until you reach the tips for a final curl.
eyeko's eyelash curling tip

Highlight your inner eye corner

To look like you get eight hours of sleep every night, simply highlight the inner eye corner.

highlight on the inner corner of eye

Applying a shimmery highlight to the inner eye corner brightens the whites and instantly makes the eye look bigger. Use a cool tone, such as 'Celestial' from Eyeko Limitless Eyeshadow Palette 1. This frosty pigment instantly wakes your eyes up.

Use your brows to frame your eyes

You've probably heard that your brows frame your face, but did you know they can frame your eyes too? The 'straight brow' works particularly well for giving an instant eye-lift as the eyebrows are tapered towards your temples. To learn more about how to achieve this style read our eyebrow guide.

Once you've mastered the hairs, raise the brow by highlighting the inner corners just below the brow's arch with the Eyeko Spotlight Highlighter Pencil.

Use a lengthening mascara

Mascara is a product that no make-up bag is without. Unlike bronzers and blushes, the makeup world has universally agreed upon the fact that a look is truly incomplete without a coat on the lashes. The right lengthening mascara can play a particularly important part in making the eye look bigger with makeup. Eyeko Lash Alert Mascara gives lashes instant energy thanks to caffeine and biotin. This lengthening mascara lifts the sleepiest of lashes and perks up the eye.

How to apply eyeliner to make eyes look bigger

Lastly, we have eyeliner. A winged finish is the liner style that instantly make the eyes look bigger. As mentioned previously, dark colours can make the eyes look smaller, so it's best to avoid a heavy line on the upper lid. The way to apply eyeliner to make the eyes look bigger is by drawing a very thin line, black or brown, just above your lashes. Once you reach the last third of the lashes, taper the eyeliner outwards in a straight line and draw back in to create a flick.

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Josie Wilkins
Writer and expert
View Josie Wilkins's profile
Josie is an Online Beauty Editor with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism. Her passions involve all things skincare and beauty and in her free time she likes to travel, read and get her beauty sleep.
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