Whether eye makeup is your best friend or a constant foe, these incredibly easy-to-follow (and fast!) tips from YouBeauty beauty expert Amy Marturana, will take you eye game up a notch.
Apply kohl eyeliner directly on your lash line, not in the water line. Applying in the water line, therefore lining the inner rims, will make your eyes look smaller and kind of like you’re squinting; lining further out will open up your eyes and give the illusion of wideness.
Try this: Smashbox Always Sharp Waterproof Kohl Liner ($20)
Keep the line thin. A thick, dark line will make eyes look darker and smaller.
Don’t line the bottom all the way into the inner corner—it’s best to stop about a half-inch before. Closing off your eyes completely with eyeliner will make them look tinier.
Dark, heavy shadow can make eyes appear smaller. Instead, apply light, iridescent shadow on your lids and smudge it into the inner corners. Highlighting in this way will also make your eyes appear brighter.
Smudge your shadow out a bit past your outer corners and up toward the outer ends of your eyebrows—especially when using a darker color. This helps to reshape your eye and draw out the borders, making them appear larger.
Conquer the cat’s-eye. There’s a reason cat’s-eyes are so popular: They make eyes appear wider, like—you guessed it—a cat’s. Use liquid eyeliner to draw a line as close to the upper lash line as possible, starting close to the inner corner. As you move toward the outer corner, start to make the line slightly thicker. Draw the line out a little bit past the end of your eyelid, flicking it up diagonally. The shape will elongate your eyes and make them look larger.
Try this: Make Up For Ever Graphic Liner ($24)
Curl your lashes. If you have lashes that naturally point out, or even a little down, simply curling them can open them up.
Try this: Tarte Neon Lights Limited-Edition Picture Perfect Eyelash Curler ($19)
Mascara can be a total miracle-worker for making eyes look better. One of our latest don’t-skip steps for making it work even better? An eyelash primer packed with conditioning peptides and thickening microfibers, which acts as almost a pre-treatment to mascara.
Try This: GrandePRIMER Lash Boosting Pre-Mascara Lengthen & Thickener ($25)
