Here's How To Pull Of A Smokey Eye With Hooded Eyes

Smokey eyes are a timeless look. They're stylish yet doable, which is perfect for the amateur makeup artist at home, yet they can be elevated in many ways, making them perfect for professional makeup artists as well. They create depth, dimension, and drama on the face, and they pair perfectly with myriad lipsticks, whether you want to accent your smokey eyes or match them directly. 

There's one problem, though. While smokey eyes are glamorous, they're not easy to pull off on every eye shape, including hooded eyes. The hooded eye shape is described by Today as featuring a "heavy brow bone with a deep-set crease," meaning that your eyelid isn't visible when your eyes are open. You might think this means that you have restricted options for makeup, but all it really means is that you have to get more creative when painting your face because your options remain limitless.

Generally, people with hooded eyes can apply a thick coat of eyeliner to their upper lash line along with matte eyeshadow around the eye to balance their features out (via Today). But if you want to feel included in the ongoing smokey eye revolution, fret not. Begin by using a medium brown eyeshadow instead of black if you have hooded eyes because dark eyeshadow shades will make hooded eyes look even heavier (via L'Oréal).

In addition to knowing which colors to use, there are certain steps you want to take that are specific to hooded eyes. First, L'Oréal explains, you'll brush your lighter shade of eyeshadow over your eye, beginning at your outer corner and then bringing it up and over the whole hooded area. Then, you'll apply a layer of your contour shade of choice a little above your natural crease, which you'll blend upward into the first shade you applied. Remember: Blending really is key for a smokey eye. The colors should all pop but they should also appear as a seamless gradient. Finally, after you've blended those two colors, finish your look with your highlighter shade of choice "in the inner corners of your lower lash line and brow bone." This will make your eye look wider, according to L'Oréal.

If you have hooded eyes and haven't tried a smokey eye before, or haven't as outlined here, we recommend giving it a shot. It could become part of your new routine!