How to Put Eyeliner on Small Eyes

Last Updated: May 31, 2020 References

As the “windows of your soul,” your eyes might be considered the most important part of your face. Enhance small eyes with eyeliner, which can brighten your eyes and make them seem bigger. Start by applying eyeliner to your upper lids. Experiment with ways to use less heavy liner on your lower lids so your eyes look bigger. You can also try lining your eyes with different colors that can really open up your eyes.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Lining Your Upper Lid

1
Apply taupe eye shadow along your upper lash line. Extend it to the crease in your eyelid. Draw a line from the middle of your upper eyelid to the outer corner with your eyeliner. Make the line a little thicker at the outer edge of your lid and have it taper in toward the center.^{[1]
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- Make your eyes seem larger by only lining the outer ½ to ⅔ of your upper lid.
2
Smudge your liner. Blend and smudge the liner with your fingertip. Clean up any extra color with a clean fingertip or a quick wipe of concealer. Do this so your eyes look bigger than they would with a tight, well-defined line.

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3
Set your eyeliner with brown eye shadow. Use an angled eyeliner brush to draw a line of shadow on top of your smudged eyeliner. Sweep a light pink eye shadow along the outer edges of your lid. Extend the pink shadow from the crease in your lid up to your brow bone. This will open up your eye and make it appear larger.
4
Blend your liner into your lashes for a more minimal look. Start in the inner corner of your eye. Make short strokes along the roots of your lashes with a creamy, dark-colored pencil. Keep the line thin and extend it across the entire upper lid of your eye. Doing this will make your lashes look fuller and your eyes seem bigger.^{[2]
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5
Try lining your lids with eye shadow instead of a pencil. Wet the tip of an angled eyeliner brush and dip it into your eye shadow. Sweep this across your upper lids. Only line the outer two-thirds of your eyelids. Then, smudge the line a little.^{[3]
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- You could also use liquid liner or gel liner instead of a pencil liner, as well. To apply gel eyeliner, dip a small angled brush into the pot and use it to apply the liner. Liquid eyeliner is great if you're on the go, because it has the applicator in the container.^{[4]
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  Devorah Kuperland. Makeup Artist. Personal interview. 7 May 2020.}

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Applying Liner to Your Lower Lids

1
Only line a quarter to half of your lower lid. Don’t line your entire lower lid, which will make your eyes look smaller and closer together. Start under your iris and draw a thin line out to the end of your eyes. Extend the liner a little beyond the ends of your eye to make it look elongated.^{[5]
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2
Apply liner right at the lash line. Draw light strokes of liner directly in your lash line. Try working the liner into roots of your lashes. You’ll look like you’re barely wearing any liner, which will make your eyes look bigger.
3
Smudge the liner in the outer corners of your eyes. Use a soft pencil to make smudging easier. Smudge it with your fingertip. This will extend the liner and make your eyes look wider.
4
Leave the liner on your upper and lower lids disconnected. Apply a dab of light-colored shimmery eyeshadow to the gap between the two lines at the outer corners of your eyes. This will make your eyes appear larger.^{[6]
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- Try lining your lower lid with a thin line of eye shadow, which will look lighter than the liner on your upper lid.
- Never use dark colored eyeliner under your lower lid without also lining your upper lid. This will make your eyes will look smaller and droopy. Also, avoid using dark colored eyeliner on your water line.^{[7]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Different Colors

1
Start with a very light color on your waterline. Gently pull down your lid. Apply a white or flesh-toned liner to your inner waterline to make your eyes look bigger. This will also make you look more awake.^{[8]
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- Wear a light line on your waterline together with any other liner technique.
- You can also just line your waterline with a light pencil and add mascara to your lashes to make your eyes look bigger.
2
Choose a shade that brings out the color of your eyes. Try choosing a color that's the opposite of your eye color on the color wheel, since the contrast will really make your eyes stand out. Start lining your upper lid a third of the way out from the inside corner. Make short, soft strokes as you move to the end of your eye. Keep your liner close to the lash line to define your eyes well. Extend the liner slightly beyond the outer edge of your lid to make your eyes look bigger.
- If you have brown or hazel eyes, use purple and greens to accentuate your eyes and make your eye color pop. For example, you could use a really deep plum color in place of brown or black eyeliner.^{[9]
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  Devorah Kuperland. Makeup Artist. Personal interview. 7 May 2020.}
- If you have green eyes, purple and green eyeliners will also look great on you, but you can play around with browns, as well. Even just a subtle hint of color in the inner rim of your eye can bring out the green in your eyes.
- If you have blue eyes, use a rich brown color to accentuate your eyes.
3
Line your lower lid with colored eye shadow. Use eye shadow for a soft look that draws attention to your eyes and makes them look wide open. Brush your eye shadow under your lower lid with a smudge brush or an angled eyeliner brush. Start in the inside corner and work your line to the end of your lashes. Keep the line as close to your lid as you can, even if you need to smudge your lashes.^{[10]
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- Make a thin line in a light shade, like lavender, white, gold, silver, light blue, or light green to highlight your eyes.
- Create a more dramatic look with a thicker line in a slightly darker, vibrant shade of blue, purple, or green. You can also try metallics like dark silver or copper.
4
Create a cat eye with contrasting colors. Line the upper lid with a smoky colored eyeliner. Smudge it a little with your fingertip. Next apply the same smoky shade along the bottom ⅔ of your lower lid, under your lash line. Connect the corners and draw a little wing upward towards your brow. Sweep a little light, pearly shadow in the inner corner of your eye to create a contrast that will widen your eye.^{[11]
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Community Q&A

Question

Will this work for hooded eyes?

Xochitl Martinez

Community Answer

Most likely, no. Adding more makeup under the eye on the lower lash line and the top will only intensify the size of the eye, which is small. A thin eyeliner from the inner corner of the eye and only slightly thickening it towards a wing makes a statement on its own. Adding eye shadow or more liner under the eye will only make the eye appear smaller. Try using a shimmery/light eye shadow color on your inner corner of the eye to brighten it up. Avoiding using dark, harsh eye shadow colors, go for browns.
Question

When I apply an eyeliner pencil, it tends to smear on the upper lid of my eyebrow. Do I have droopy eyelids?

Community Answer

To stop the eyeliner from transferring, put a similarly colored powder over the eyeliner to set it - like you would do to foundation with skin-colored powder.