I’m going to give you the best guide ever to finding your true eye shape. I probably don’t need to tell you, but your eyebrow shape and eyeshadow application should be largely influenced by your eye shape. When you pay attention to that, the result is you looking fabulous.
In my Youtube tutorials and blog posts, I’m always referring to things like round eyes, hooded eyes, wide set eyes, etc. And it occurred to me that you might not know exactly what that even means or what eye shape you actually have. So this guide will be something that we can continuously refer back to.
âIn my professional opinion, the best looking makeup application is always when you customize it to the person. Seems like common sense, right?
And yet, a lot of us just do what everyone else is doing, and completely miss the personal aspect.
âI mentioned this phenomenon in my blog post Make Your Eye Color Pop, and you’ve probably experienced this same thing. It usually goes something like this:
After purchasing literally every makeup product from your favorite Youtube makeup tutorial, you sit down in front of your computer and mirror. After 15-20 minutes you’ve completed the step-by-step, and you look at your reflection only to think, “Holy smokes, this looks nothing like what the girl in the tutorial did!” You chalk it up to you just being bad at makeup. Maybe you feel discouraged and toss the products in your makeup bag with the other failed attempts.
We’ve all done that! Even I’ve done that.
But the thing is, you probably didn’t take into account the differences in your face shape, eye color, eye shape, complexion… (the list goes on).
So that’s why I started writing blog posts. My goal is for you to know how to make things work for Y-O-U.
I’ve put together a great freebie for you, but make sure that you read the entire blog post, in order to really understand what your eye shape is and needs.
Eye Shapes 101
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There are typically 12 different shapes, but the problem is that you may find your eye matches more than one. (It’s maddening.)
So I am going to blow your mind with this assessment that I’ve made specifically for you.
First thing that you need to understand, is that there are degrees in each of the categories I created. Meaning, if you had to rate your eye shape in the corresponding category then you would rate it from a scale of 1-5 with 1 being least and 5 being most.
The purpose of degree is to help you understand that just because someone’s eyes are more (fill in the blank) than yours, doesn’t mean that you don’t also have (fill in the blank) shaped eyes.
âHere’s an example with almond eyes. All eyes pictured below are considered almond, but some are just a little more almond (aka higher on the scale) I’ve already labeled the degree :
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5 Golden Metrics
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I’m calling them THE FIVE GOLDEN METRICS.
These five characteristics combined define your overall eye shape. And regardless of the combo, there is no best shape. They are all beautiful and unique! Sure, some shapes can be a bit more challenging, but once you know what’s best for your shape it’s a breeze.
Here they are:
Metric #1 Shape: Almond or Round
Metric #2 Size: Large, Small, or Average
Metric #3 Situation: Monolid, Hooded, Crease, Deep Set, or Prominent
Metric #4 Setting: Wide, Close, or Proportional
Metric #5 Position: Upturned, Downturned, or Straight
âLet’s get into the details (you know I love details).
Metric #1 SHAPE – Almond or Round
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Round eyes can be large or small, so just because you have large eyes doesn’t necessarily mean they are round. That drives me nuts when people classify almond eyes as round just because they are large. But I guess they haven’t read my blog, and you need to send them here! (Ok, rant over. haha)
Back to what I was saying… Round eyes are often referred to as “doe eyes”. Of course, round eyes will still have a slight slant, after all, we aren’t cartoon characters.
âThis is how you can figure out the difference:
Stand in front of a mirror. Make sure that your head is straight. Can you see the white of your eyes either above or below your iris’s (aka the colored part of your eye)? If no, then you have an almond eye shape. If yes, then you have a round eye shape.
Don’t be thrown off by the large or protruding eyes characteristics. (We will cover that in another section.) Just pay attention to the iris. And keep in mind that there are going to be degrees âto how almond or how round your eyes are, so don’t discount your shaped solely based off of comparison to others.Â
âGot metric #1? Move on to the next.
Metric #2 SIZE – Large, Average, or Small
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The key is to take a step back and look at your face overall. How do your eyes match up proportionally with your face?
This metric is important because it tells you how much dark eyeshadow you can handle. Large eyes can get away with a little more (and actually benefit from it), where too much dark eyeshadow on small eyes will make them “disappear”.Â
Metric #3 SITUATION – Monolid, Hooded, Crease, Deep Set, or Prominent
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It is possible to have more than one of these situations.
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Monolids are typical for Asians, but I also have to mention that not all Asians have monolids. So if you’re Asian don’t just assume this is what you have. Classify your eye based off of the definition above.
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There’s a slight caveat with hooded eyes. Many people with hooded eyes also have deep set (think Taylor Swift)  or prominent eyes (think Amanda Seyfried) in addition to hooded eyes.Â
There are also different types of hoods. Some are a bit more “puffy”. Â And that’s ok. Just things to make note of, so you know what to do when you are applying makeup.
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With deep set eyes, it’s as if the eyes are further back in the skull. They are often misjudged as hooded. Emma Watson is a poster child for deep set eyes.Â
However, as I mentioned in the hooded section above, deep set eyes can also have a hood. Which means your eyes would be both âhooded and deep set. So just pay attention.
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Also, they typically have the most visible eyelid when compared to the other “situations” – the  hooded prominent eye (think Amanda Seyfried) is an exception for visible eyelids, since the hood hides the lid.Â
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Metric #4 SETTING – Averageâ, Wide, or Close
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Metric #5 Position – Upturned, Downturned or Straight
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The line needs to be drawn just above the inner corner of the eye, and should also sit approximately above the ear canal. We all have a bit of asymmetry, so don’t be surprised if you have a high side and a low side. Also, your ears might be low or high, but I’m not going to get into all of that today.Â
 photo credit: latimesmagazine.com
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Let’s do it together
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Most celebrities have a team of talented makeup artists who know exactly what the celebrity’s eyes need.
âTypically when you see celebrities in pictures or at events, their makeup artist has strategically placed makeup in a way which makes everything look its best. When you see past the illusion the makeup is creating, you may be surprised to find that a celebrity’s natural eyes are quite different from how you see them on the big screen.
âAnd it’s a no-brainer that professional pictures have been airbrushed and perfected, so things like prominent eyes may not look so prominent. Obviously, making you see things differently.
If we had a team of people who paid attention to all these little details, we’d always look just as good too. So in-spite of good makeup and professionally mastered pictures, let’s do a celebrity assessment together!
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Ok, Metric #1 Shape. Are her eyes almond or round?
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âThey’re almond. No white shows above or below her iris when she is looking straight. And the degree to which she has almond eyes I would classify her as a 4 or 5, meaning that hers are quite almond. (Of course cat eye liner is going to give it an even more dramatic almond shape, so that’s why I strongly advise you do this for yourself without makeup.)
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âI’d classify her eyes as small. They tend to get lost when she wears a lot of dark eye makeup, and when looking at her face in totality they definitely seem on the smaller side. I’d give them a 2 in degree as they aren’t super small, but still classified as small none-the-less.
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âShe has hooded eyes. Not very much of a crease is visible, she has a more prominent brow bone with skin that covers the lid on the outer third of the eye. If you look at the inner half of her eyes the brow bone continues to be prominent, so she also has deep set eyes. I’d give the degree of “deep set” a 3.
Her eyes aren’t as deep as Emma Watson’s (a 5 degree) or Cameron Diaz (a 4 degree), but Taylor still qualifies for that category. (See how degrees are helpful?)
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âThey’re average. If you visualize the length of one of her eyes, that looks to be about the same distance between her two eyes. When she looks straight ahead, the outside corners of her lips relatively match up with the center of her pupils.Â
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The outside corners of her eyes are straight.
Now that we’ve finished the assessment this is what Taylor has: small, almond, deep set, hooded, Â and straight eyes set in an average distance.
So what does this all mean?
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This of course doesn’t mean that Taylor can’t pull off a dark smokey eye, it’s merely the difference between a sultry smoked out eye and a dark-n-beady bat eye (but hey, maybe that’s the look you’re after, and now you know what you need to do lol).
You hooded eye gals already know that poor eyeshadow placement can make your eyes look downturned or even more hooded. Ultra thick lashes will overshadow the already shadowed eyes, and a brow that curves around a hood is a big no-no. Because Taylor (and her makeup artist) get that, her eye makeup typically looks nothing short of stunning.
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âHow do your eyes stack up?
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If you want to get my help personally, I offer personalized video makeup tutorials. Simply choose which one works best for you.
stay lovely.
âxoxo
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This was crazy detailed. I spent the whole time I was reading it looking into the mirror. I loved all your examples! I have large, prominent, almond, strait, even set eyes. YAY!!!
me too! đ
So I have #1 almond, #2 small, #3 Idk, I think it’s hooded, but then again it’s not it’s my small eyes? #4 average, #5 straight. Can you give some tips, and I can send a picture of my eyes for you. I really want to enhance my eyes, sometimes it looks good and sometimes it’s a MASSIVE NO.
Hello! Sounds like you’ve done a great job so far on figuring out your metrics. I don’t know if you got a chance to grab the freebie but it’s full of great tips for every metric. And I think it will help you a lot. Luckily, small and hooded eyes have to play by many of the same “rules”, so if you can get the technique down for one you may find success! I’d love to help you out, so if you message me through the contact page I will send you an email and help you find metric #3. đ
I have also studied my eyes and I can figure out if I am hooded I have almond I am really struggling I can send u a picture of mine as well if you could tell me my eye shape
This is by far the most detailed and helpful guide I’ve found yet. Thank you!!
I have so much trouble differentiating from some of these.
ALMOND VS ROUND
In some pictures, Taylor Hill (the model) has irises that have no white space, and in others, her left eye (our right) clearly has white space. All pictures are while looking straight forward. In some she is smiling with closed lips and in others her face is neutral but her eye shape seeming varies from picture to picture.
MY GUESS:
If I had to guess, I would say her eyes are almond shaped, large (enough that they almost appear round), prominent, an average distance apart, and straight. I have no idea if that’s right though.
UP/DOWN/STRAIGHT:
I have no idea which part of the eye you’re supposed to draw the line through. I have very asymmetrical eyes so I can get a different answer depending on which eye I draw through the center of.
Thank you for the guide though as this is by far the most in depth one. Most say you either have only hooded, round, almond, ect eyes and they don’t help you figure out the combination.
Hi Megan! I’m glad that you enjoyed this post! I know I put A LOT of info in it, but sounds like you’re actually doing pretty well with identifying the metrics! (Great job)
Celebrity assessments can be challenging since it’s typically hard to find pictures of them without makeup, AND their face & head in the perfect straight position (just like how we can see our own faces in the mirror).
But let’s see if I can give you some more clarity đ
> ALMOND v. ROUND: While Taylor could be looking straight-on, she tilts her head down A LOT (models are all about those angles). So I definitely see what you saw. However, if you find a shot of her where she is looking straight and her head is not tilted you will see that she has almond eyes.
It’s also true that she has some asymmetry (we all do), but it’s not so drastic that she would need to play by completely different makeup rules on each eye.
So, yes you have her metrics pretty spot on! I think the “roundness” you sometimes see is actually coming from her slightly tilting her chin (even if she is looking straight) vs the size of her eyes.
Remember I talked briefly about degrees (1-5), and while I agree that she has large eyes they are like a 2. Meaning she could also classify as being on the very edge of average eyes at a 5 (does that make sense?). Either way, those both tell us that she can handle darker eyeshadow on her lids without losing/closing her eyes in too much.
> UP/DOWN/STRAIGHT
“The line needs to be drawn just above the inner corner of the eye… We all have a bit of asymmetry, so don’t be surprised if you have a high side and a low side.” So the line goes just above the lacrimal caruncle. Be sure to extend the line past the eye, and that your head is not tilted.
If you do happen to have one straight eye and one upturned, that’s ok! It just means the makeup on your straight eye will need a bit of an upwards angle to match better with your upturned eye. đ
So brava! You really did a great job!
This post is a God send. I believe I have prominent eyes and have no idea how to apply eye shadow to them. I really struggle to accept my eye shape and have even considered surgery. Is there any way to confirm that my eyeshape is prominent snd to get a few pointers. Maybe I could email a photo or something. Also I’m wondering what eyebrow shape works best. Gee I have so many quetions like my head shape and my undertone too. I’m really wanting to embrace who I am and enhance what I have. Thanks so much for this post.
Hi Ren! I’m glad that you loved this post! I know that having prominent eyes might indeed feel like a challenge, but it’s unlikely that you actually need surgery (unless you have some sort of medical condition that requires it). Because the truth is, if it’s a mindset thing, surgery won’t make that go away. Like I always say, it’s our uniqueness, differences that make the world a beautiful place. And I’m sure you have your own natural beauty! You just need to embrace it. I would love to help you figure out some makeup techniques that will enhance that natural beauty of yours. If you head over to my contact page, and send me a request, I can email you back and we’ll chat. đ
Hi Kendra, I’ve read through the post as well as your quiz, you have given me a wonderfu insight on this topic, thank you so much.
I’m only a little confused. My eyes have a straight, average sized and spaced almond shape (not very, maybe degree 1 or 2, but definitely not rounded), that are hooded and deep set. However the booklet states I should go with darker shades over the hood, but I should also avoid darker shade if I have deep set eyes. True enough, my eyes look scary with dark shades while the lighter ones emphasize my puffy, crinkled hood.
My personal style is more simple and natural, so I don’t use heavy makeup. I hope you could help me with this.
Love you lots and a big thank you for all the awesome tips.
Aish.
Hey Aish! Wonderful job at finding your metrics! I’m super excited to hear that it helped you! It can definitely be a little tricky when you have 2 metrics that oppose each other. But that usually means you have to find some sort of in-between.
Taylor swift has both the hooded and deep set eyes, so you may also be able to turn to google images and find pictures that might help you with eyeshadow placement ideas (like the picture of her above with bright blonde hair, on the left side in “open vs. closed”).
Otherwise, I would use medium shades (don’t go too dark) and keep them in the outer 3rd of your eye. In my hooded eye makeup tutorial I show you how to do this (http://www.kendrapowell.com/makeup-tutorial-for-hooded-eyes-video). If you can follow that I think it will give you the natural look you are going for.
If you feel up to the challenge, read my blog post about making your eye color pop and choose colors that will help emphasis your eye color. By doing this, it will draw attention to the iris’s of your eyes (even though they are trying to hide! lol) and people will seemingly suddenly notice the color of your eyes. đ
Remember, practice is what it’s all about!
Thank you very much for this detailed guidance. Most of the other information that I have found is a lot less nuanced and helpful! I have low-key almond shaped eyes (a 1?) with somewhat prominent lids (can give them kind of a heavy-lidded, sleepy, Marlene Dietrich vibe, even though they are not downturned). Are prominent lids always or most often found with prominent/protruding eyes? I have a fairly prominent brow bone, or I think I do, though there is quite a bit of space between brow bone and lash line. I had just assumed that my eyes are deep set, but I am increasingly unsure one way or the other. Recently I noticed that Sophie Dahl’s brow bone/socket/lid area reminds me more of my own than the examples in most makeup tutorials, even though I definitely do not have her big, round doe eyes :). Would you be willing to share any examples of celebrities with prominent eyes that you would place on the 1-2 end of the spectrum? I could totally be wrong, but I’m thinking Nicole Richie would be maybe a 4-5?
Hi Kristi!
I’m super happy to hear that you got a lot of helpful information from this post. đ In regards to your questions: Prominent lids are typically found with Prominent eyes (which also have a “lower lid”), or eyes with a Crease. However, as mentioned in the Situation section it is possible to have MORE than one situation at a time. So you could have a visible eyelid with deep set eyes (like Marlene Dietrich). One way to check if your eyes are deep set is to close an eye, place a pencil gently & vertically across the center of your eye. Does your eye touch the pencil? If so, you likely do not have deep set eyes…. And I agree with you, I would say Nicole Richie is like a 4 with prominent eyes. Sophie Dahl looks more like a 1-2 Prominent eye (she seems to have a lower lid), but she also has deep set eyes. Taylor Hill is another example of a 1-2 prominent eyes, that are also deep set. As is Penelope Cruz. Mila Kunis I’d probably say is a 2-3…. I hope that helps! It seems like you grasped the concept really well though, so I feel like you’re capable of making pretty accurate assessments on your own!
Wow, thanks a ton for your response! I do have a âlower lidâ and failed the pencil test, so that cleared things up a lot for me. If you donât mind me asking, I wonder how you would classify Adeleâs eyes?
Instead of an âouter vâ, I have a really rounded crease that extends almost to the outer corner of my eye. I notice that Adele has a pretty rounded outer third too. Would that be related to any of the five metrics? I canât quite figure out if itâs something I should be trying to correct with makeup.
Great article. Like everybody, I would love to have you assess my eyes. đ. Let me know if I can send a picture because I would appreciate make up tips too.
Hi! This was very helpful and did lead me to FINALLY discover my true eye shape which is almond, average, prominent/deep set, close set, and straight. I am having a really hard time finding any information on how to best do my make up with the deep set/prominent combination as it does not seem to be considered very often.
Finally a great step by step tutorial. Been struggling to do my eye makeup in any sort of flattering way, whatever I do I can’t seem to enhance my features and considering I do not wear lipstick and focus on eye make up only it’s a bit frustrating. According to your guide I got average almond straight (or slightly downturned) eyes within an average distance which are also hooded and deepset, BINGO. Would seriously love to get some tip on what to do with this sort of combination, I’ve checked a gazillion tutorials and tried a lot of stuff but nothing worked so far :/
This is very helpful. Now that I have figured out my shape do you have a manual telling you where to place your eye makeup for the different shapes? Also, with different makeup looks?
This article validated what I’ve noticed for years when applying eye makeup. My eye brow shapes are different. The crease shape is different. I need to go back and read the article to rate each eye per type. Is it possible to do eye makeup differently for each eye to make them look the same? Id love for you to view a photo. Im 52 years old recently divorced, and need of a makeover. I have been watching utube videos without having much success in achieving an attractive look. Im 5’10” 170lbs with light brown/greenish eyes and fair skin with mismatched eyes. I feel like im attractive, but in photos, I look like a scary person. Im now wondering if its because of the difference in the shape of my eyes affecting my appearance in “still” shots. Thank you for any help you can give me. I am really feeling down.
Hi Ora! Please go to the contact page and send me a message. I’d love to help you. I do get a lot of messages and requests so thank you in advance for your patience!
Hello, this article is super helpful but I am having a hard time figuring our whether I fall into prominent or just crease. I know for sure I have a ton of eyelid space like a prominent but (unlike the prominent eyes) I dont have that little bulge at the bottom? Would I fall under both or just crease?
Hey Keren!
Typically Prominent eyes will have that “lower lid”. So if you don’t have that you most likely have just a crease. Even if you have, let’s say a level 1-2 prominent eye, or like a 4-5 Crease, if you don’t get it exactly right there won’t be that big of a difference in makeup application. Obviously, the whole point of the assessment is to guide you to which color/application “rules” you need to follow.. but both a level 5 Crease and a level 1-2 Prominent play by pretty much by the same rules. They can handle darker shades on the lid, and you’d need to be aware that doing too dark in the crease (without doing dark on the lids) will make the lid more prominent. đ If you downloaded the freebie go to pg 12 & 13 to find some makeup tips.
Wow this is the best info on eye shapes on the internet!
What metrics would you give Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia? My eyes are exactly the same as hers.
Hi Elena! I’m glad that you enjoyed this. đ For Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia (I’m guessing she’s the one from 1899-1918), it’s hard to find really clear up-close pictures of her face. So keeping that in mind, this is what I see: almond (Degree 2), average, deep set with a slight hood (Degree 1 or 2), proportional, and straight. What do you see?
Hey Kendra. Thanks so much for replying!
It is a bit difficult to find pictures but my friends say I look like her and I think it’s because of our eyes đ
There are a few good images on this page I found – https://urlzs.com/6ofrW
I think her eyes are on the border between almond and round, slightly larger than average, wide-set and straight. I’m not sure about the deep-set, I’ve never been able to tell on anyone!
It’s unfortunate that there aren’t clearer pictures, but I still believe my original assessment is pretty spot on. I don’t see any white above or below the iris so she definitely has almond shape. I supposed in some pictures her eyes seem slightly large but I’d say that in a majority of the pictures that her eyes are average. The semi-profile pic on the page you linked (last pic on the page) shows that she does have slightly deep set eyes (they are back in her skull a bit more), and the fact that the outer third of her eye is a tad puffy with barely any visible eyelid is definitely the characteristics of a hooded eye. And I think that might be why you’re also seeing her eyes as wide-set. I personally wouldn’t do any corrective contouring for wide-set eyes on her, which is really the point of the classifications – to help guide us in makeup placement. đ So, if your eyes are like hers what we’ve learned is to be careful of dark eyeshadow. There’s not much to do in terms of balance/correction, but definitely follow the rules that hooded-eye gals play by. And once you master that, you’ll be amazed by what you’ll be able to do with your eye makeup! (P.S. there is a post all about hooded eyes and there’s a bonus because it comes with a video how-to)
Hi again Kendra.
I can definitely see what you mean. Would you be able to confirm my eye shape? Here are some pics of me: https://imgur.com/a/gA4O29g
Thanks so much!
Hi Elena. Sure thing! Here’s what I see: almond, average, deep-set & slightly hooded, proportional, and straight. Which means that you don’t have much “correction” to do (yay!). Just be careful of putting super dark colors only on your eyelid, thick eyeliner, and large heavy lashes. Master hooded eye shadow placement & stick with medium level tones. You’ve got a GORGEOUS canvas, so rock it girl! —- In fact, if you’re in the Los Angeles area & willing to be my model for a makeup tutorial I’d love to work with you! Simply fill out my contact form.
I have read this over and over and I would gladly pay to have you analyze my eye shape. I think I subconsciously make âadjustmentsâ when looking in the mirror. I so want my eyes to be like Amanda Seyfried. đ€Ł
LOL isn’t it funny how we do that?! haha I’m actually beginning to create an online course where I teach people all about stuff like this. It’s going to be a beast to create but I think it will really help a lot of people. If that sounds like something you’d be interested in, please fill out my contact form! đ
Hi, what about if you have a large amount of space between eyes and eyebrow and naturally very high eyebrows and prominent lids and dark skin? I can’t seem to find good makeup techniques. My eyes are round, downturned and prominent eyelids. Nicole Richie seems most like me but my eyebrows are thinner, higher and arched. I always look surprised in photos. I also seem to have a deep brow like the deepset eyed people so I’m confused whether deepset prominent eyes exist.
Hi Vanessa! Yes, deep set and prominent can exist. And sometimes they “cancel” each other out nicely. Other times, one is a little more dominant. So you just need to pay attention to what each one is needing. Deep set eyes can make someone’s eyes seem sunk in. Prominent eyes can sometimes look bulgy. But maybe your eyes have struck a nice balance. Just see what each metric is bringing to the table…. it does sound like you might have to do a little work on your eyebrows if you’re looking surprised. And it sounds like you need to bring that arch down a bit. I know that eyebrows are sometimes outside of our control (meaning they won’t grow anymore) but you can fill them in differently. I suppose once you find a shape that really works for you, you could even get them microbladed so you don’t always have to do so much work. Check out my post all about eyebrows because I think it will help you: http://www.kendrapowell.com/blog/everything-about-eyebrows
Thank you. That’s helpful.
Thanks a lot. I may not wear make up a lot but this will really help. Now I know, I have almond ( I thought mine were round before), small(?) or average (?), hooded ( thought it was deep set), wide, straight eyes. As you may have noticed, my previous beliefs were mostly shut down, lol. Anyways, I think the thing about the size wether small, average or large should have more comparisons or basis. Am I right to think that small eyes are those near slits or slightly more open than that? and that large eyes are around Allison from ANTM or a bit smaller than that. If you could please give a more details on proportions as compared to other facial feature with regards to that, that would be wonderful.
Hi JB! I am glad that you found this post helpful! As far as figuring out the size of your eyes you do have to account for them in relation to the totality of your face. Meaning if you were to take small eyes and put them on a smaller face they would become average. Or average eyes on a larger face would become small. Does that make sense? So it is both the horizontal AND vertical measurement of the eye but there isn’t a specific measurement/number since the person’s face also needs to be taken into account. It would be more like a ratio, if anything, and there’s a lot to account for….. so I always go back to the purpose of knowing the metric and that is to help us know if there’s anything that we need to be careful about or if there’s anything that we need to “correct”. With small eyes, if we chose dark colors and keep the makeup too close to the eye then we are effectively doing 2 things that would make the eye appear even smaller. And unless a small eyed person wanted even smaller eyes, those would not be good makeup techniques for that person. So the metric is giving us the information on what we should do with our makeup placement. As far as some examples of celebrities with smaller eyes to varying degrees you’ll find: Taylor Swift, Jennifer Aniston, Daryl Hannah. And I would say that Allison from ANTM does have large eyes, so it seems like you have a good handle on identifying the size. Remember, there are degrees to the size of the eyes so just use it to get as close as possible to where your eyes fall. You’ll know if you got it right when you apply makeup in a way that compliments the 5 Metrics that you have. đ
Hi,
Thank you so much for this guide, itâs really helpful!! I have always been confused about my eyes as some people call them very large and almond while other say they are kind of small. At least I know I have deep set eyes now. I was wondering if you could help me classify Caitlin Staseyâs eyes, everyone tells me we have the same face (even eyes). In some pics they look round but itâs probably photoshop because in other make up free pics they look more almond. Iâd say they are big or average? I am not sure. Iâd like to post a pic of my eyes but I am not able to.
Hi Kate! I’m glad that you found this helpful. This is how I would classify Caitlin Stasey’s eye shape: Almond (no white above or below when looking straight), Average or large (higher degree for average like a 4 or 5, and a lower degree of large like a 1 or 2; either way it’s telling us that she could handle a darker shade of eyeshadow when compared to what a small eye could handle), Deep Set, Proportional, & straight. With this information, we know that we don’t need to do any “corrections”. She’s lucky to have a little natural balance by having larger eyes with deep set eyesâmeaning her eyes won’t get lost with darker shadows. So, Caitlin could simply follow the guide for deep set eyes as that would be the only metric she needs to be “careful” with. If you’ve downloaded my free guide refer to page 12. đ
Great post!
Can I ask you how youâd classify Emma Watson, Keira knightly and Winona ryderâs eyes?
Iâd say Emma has almond, average(sometimes they seem small), deep set, straight eyes? While I really donât understand wether Winonaâs eyes are almond or round?
Hi Lisa! You’re spot on with Emma Watson (almond, average, deep set, proportional, & straight). As far as almond vs round, remember it’s about the iris: when looking straight is there any white above or below the iris? If not, they are almond eyes. The degrees remind us why there could be some almond eyes that are a close call… So Winona has almond (degree1), large, proportional, & slightly upturned (degree 1). For Keira she has almond, deep set (degree 1 or 2) & slightly hooded (right eye seems to be more hooded),proportional, and straight… When there’s asymmetry or the degree is a 1 or 2 it can definitely throw you off. lol But I hope that helps!
Great! Thanks,
I was wondering, although I have noticed lots of people who have both almond shaped and large eyes, I really struggle to find someone who has round and small eyes. Is it true that usually round eyes are on the larger side? thatâs maybe why people get confused?
HI! I would love if you helped me out to understand these metrics more with examples, can you tell me how u would apply these to girl such as Angelina Jolie and Cindy Kimberly? That would be so helpful for me! thank you SO much, sending much love <3
Hi Ana. Of course! For Angelina she has almond, average, crease, proportional, & straight. For Cindy Kimberly she has a very interesting combo which I think is: almond, either Average(like a 5 degree) OR Large (1 degree), prominent & slightly hooded (like maybe a 1-2 degree), slightly close-set, and straight. Makeup and professionally edited pictures definitely can make it challenging when trying to identify celebrity eye shapes. BUT if you can find them without makeup it does help you see things more clearly…. I hope those answers help you have a better understanding of eye shapes! đ
thank you so much for replying! What do you think of Mila Kunis? I see a lot of elements in my own eyes on them so I’m trying to compare and contrast, thank you so much for the help!
Hello Kendra, I hope that you are well. This blog post was incredibly helpful but I would love if you could help me with this. I have very similar eyes to @nlydiss on instagram and I was wondering if you kinda review my metrics on her so: 1. Shape: almond degree of 1/round degree of 1 (this one im confused about haha)
2. Size: Large degree of 2
3. Situation: Crease degree of 5 / Prominent degree of 1 (this one I am also confused about)
4. Setting: Maybe a little Close Set degree of 1?
5. Position: Upturned degree of 2
I would appreciate it so much if I got help with this. Please be honest and correct me with anything I assessed wrong. I hope you have a lovely day, thank you.
Hi Nesby. I am so happy that you found this post helpful. And it seems like you’ve grasped the concept really well because your assessment is pretty spot on!
For @nlydiss I agree with the metrics you’ve listed. I see how it can be challenging to do an assessment when there’s no pictures without makeup and head completely straight. The only 2 metrics that I would label slightly differently are: #1. I would say almond not round. Because, when her head is straight there is no white above or below the iris. And I’d give her a degree of 2 or 3 because she does have a more elongated eye. #3 I would say she has a Crease. Sometimes it looks like she has a lower eyelid, but not really. So maybe you could say prominent degree of 1. But when we look at her facial profile the eye ball doesn’t seem to be “outside” of the socket area IMO. So I personally would not contour the same way I would for a prominent eye. Thus, I say Crease….. but we’re talking such slight differences. lol
So really great job on identifying her eye shape metrics!
What an informative post! According to this, my eyes are almond, upturned, large with a crease and set quite average apart. I was wondering if you knew what kind of eyebrow shape goes best with that? Also I have quite a long angular face and because my eyes are so big they donât rlly fit đ do you have any makeup tips to make my face look wider?
Yay! Great job at finding all your metrics. Those are really great questions and since a lot of people asked me about eyebrows and contouring for their face shape, I wrote two detailed posts on those topics. I think they will be super helpful for you. Go check them out: http://www.kendrapowell.com/blog/how-to-contour-for-your-features-face-shape
http://www.kendrapowell.com/blog/everything-about-eyebrows
Hi Kendra!
I figured that I have almond, small and wide , and then Iâm not sure if I am hooded or creased. Then the setting of my eyes is averaged and the position of my eyes are straight. Most of the time I do my makeup my eyes look very small and doesnât look good because of my cheeks. What can I do to make them look bigger even though they are wide and small?? I could send you a picture of my eyes for more reference. Could you please help me to make them look bigger and my face more proportional. Also I have in one eye one crĂ©ese and in the other eye two creases so I need help to make them look better. Thank you Kendra!
Hey Maria.
Great job at finding your eye metrics. When it comes to figuring out if you have a hood or not, a good general rule of thumb is to ask if you can see your eyelid when your eyes are open. If the skin from the brow bone sits on top of your lid, and you can’t really see your lids, you probably have hooded eyes. When it comes to enlarging eyes, some good general guidelines are: use lighter colors, get lengthening mascara or use false eyelashes to open that eye area up, and any medium shade eyeshadows could be extended in order to make your eye area seem larger. Of course, if you want to get my help personally on your specifics simply click “Shop” on the menu bar and choose the option that works best for you. đ
Wow this post is DETAILED! Thank you! So so crazy helpful. I really thought you could only belong to one category. So I followed along with this and I have small, round, average set, straight, hooded and deep set eyes. I was always somewhat confused with this. Each time I see Emma Watson I think about how just like her, I don’t have much space below the brows, but her lids are visible. That’s when I think okay maybe Jennifer Lawrence, our lids disappear when open, but I don’t have that much space between the brows and the eyes. Didn’t think have both was possible. Your pictures, examples, and step-by-steps helped a lot.
Hi
When I look at the mirror, my eyes are almond, average, straight for both eyes. But when I look at photos, my eyes are almond, small, upturned, and oddly unproportional.