"So we’ve all heard of dressing for our body shape and what haircut will best suit our face shape, but eye shape? How on earth do you figure that one out?"
Determining your eye shape can be a complete game-changer when it comes to how you apply your make-up and what eyelashes you should choose to best accentuate your eyes. But with so many different types it can seem like a daunting task, to say the least!
Luckily, it’s not as scary as it seems, in fact, it’s actually pretty simple! All you need is your reflection, a little bit of time, and this handy guide!
Now, of course, every eye is completely unique and individual, but to narrow the search a little, we’ll focus on the six most common shapes that your eye could fall into!
ROUND
Round eyes tend to be larger and more prominent than other eye shapes but are not limited to this. It’s entirely possible to have small, round-shaped eyes!
The most definitive test for assessing whether you have round eyes or not is to check if, when looking in the mirror, you are able to see a portion of white surrounding your entire iris (the coloured part of your eye). You can?
Then you’ve got round eyes! Keep reading to find out more about your shape or check out lashes suitable for round eyes.
ALMOND
As you can probably tell, almond eyes get their name from being similar in shape to an actual almond - wider in the middle and more tapered at the ends with a defined crease.
Determining whether you have almond eyes is similar to that of round eyes.
If, as you look in the mirror with relaxed eyes, you can see no white around the top and bottom of your iris then you have almond-shaped eyes!
Keep reading to find out more about your shape or check out lashes suitable for almond eyes.
MONOLID
With this eye shape, the eyelids appear characteristically flat and creaseless. It is also commonly accompanied by a subtle brow bone.
Deciding whether or not you have mono-lid eyes is pretty straight forward. As you look at your eyes can you see a crease? No? Then mission complete. Mono-lid it is!
Keep reading to find out more about your shape or check out lashes suitable for almond eyes.
HOODED
This eye shape commonly features a fold of skin that covers the crease when the eyes are open creating a smaller looking lid. It is also common to have a more prominent brow bone with this eye shape.
As you look in the mirror does the crease of your eye appear hidden, maybe under a fold of skin coming down from the brow bone? Do your eyelids appear smaller? If yes, then you have hooded eyes!
Keep reading to find out more about your shape or check out lashes suitable for hooded eyes.
UP-TURNED EYES
With this eye shape, the outer corners will appear to be directed vertically upward towards the temples. Think cat-like in appearance!
To check if you fit the mould, imagine drawing a horizontal line directly through the centre of both your eyes. Now, if the outer corners of your eyes are above this imaginary horizontal line, then you’ve got yourself a set of upturned eyes!
Keep reading to find out more about your shape or check out lashes suitable for up-turned eyes.
DOWN-TURNED EYES
With downturned eyes, the upper lash line travels downwards to meet the bottom lash, creating the appearance of a larger lid.
Now, again imagine that horizontal line, if your outer corners appear to fall below the line then congratulations, you have down-turned eyes!
Tip: Instead of imagining a line try grabbing a pencil or a thin makeup brush and holding it horizontally across your eyes!
Now that we’ve got the general shape of our eyes sorted, we can move onto the size and position relative to the rest of our face. Don’t panic, this bit is pretty simple too!
Keep reading to find out more about your shape or check out lashes suitable for down-turned eyes.
SIZE
Being aware of the size of our eyes in comparison to the rest of our facial features can be super beneficial when it comes to applying make-up.
If your facial features (think nose and mouth) seem much larger in comparison to your eyes then you probably have small eyes. On the contrast, if your eyes seem larger, then big eyes it is!
POSITION
In terms of position, we have average, close-set, and wide-set.
Using your finger and thumb - or maybe a ruler if you’d like to be professional about it - roughly measure the width of one of your eyes. Now, take that measurement and place it in between your eyes, at the top of your nose. If it fits perfectly then your eyes are averagely spaced. If it is too big, then you have close-set eyes. If it fits and you still have a little room to spare, then you’ve got wide-set eyes!
Keep reading to find out more about your shape or check out which lashes will be suitable for you:
Finally, let’s talk deep-set and prominent eyes.
Deep-set eyes can often appear small, sitting deep into the eye socket and creating the appearance of a strong brow bone.
On the other hand, prominent (or protruding) eyes are quite the opposite. These eyes sit further out of the socket making them stand-out and appear beautifully large!
