Update: Hooded Eyes

In this update, we’ll try to elaborate more on the different hooded eye types and give you some links to refer to for make-up tips.

So to begin with, there are hooded eyes that are a result of age. Some eyes, whether they were hooded to begin with or not, as we age, parts of the eyelids tend to droop and create folds over the eyes creating the hooded eye. In some cases, the folds can get to the point where they may obstruct vision and so in some of these cases, people usually turn to surgery to lift the area.
In a lot of cases though, the drooping isn’t obstructing vision but some simply don’t like the look of it as it can really age a person. So in cases like this, people turn to make-up to try to alleviate the problem.
Using make-up the right way, you can contour your eyes in a way to make the hoods or folds appear less prominent.
In the earlier article, there was a link to a video tutorial for those with this problem. However, after an extensive search, I’ve found a video that I think would be really helpful to not only people with hooded eyes resulting from age but hooded eyes in general.
The video tutorial is by YouTuber MsMadameMakeup who shows how she contours her hooded eyes. To see her tutorial, click here.

On that note, for islanders and those of other skin tones, just use the video as a guide but use colours more suited to your individual skin tone.

From looking at countless videos and articles on hooded eyes, I think that, for those wishing to disguise them with make-up, the following are tips to keep in mind:

1. Use the lightest colour on the eye lids. Even better, use a colour with a little bit of shimmer. This ensures that the eyelids, which are often the area that almost disappears for hooded eyes, pop or stand out.

2. Use a matte darker colour than the lid colour in your crease. Shimmer emphasizes an area and you want the eye lid to stand out, not the crease.

3. Know where your crease is. Your crease is not the same as other people’s that don’t have hooded eyes. It can be easy to assume that your crease is where the fold in your eye lid is as is the case for other eye types. However, for hooded eyes, our crease is that area just behind the eye ball , just beneath the brow bone. You have to feel for it in the beginning and with practice, you’ll be able to know exactly where your “crease” is without having to feel for it. Remember that in hooded eyes case, the folds in our eyelids are not the crease.

4. Be very careful with eyeliner as lines that are too thick can make your eyelids disappear altogether. It’s better to draw a fine line, as close to the lash line as possible. Or, if you can, skip eye liner altogether and just use macara.

5. Mascara can really open up the eyes, which is essential for hooded eyes. And if you are skipping eye liner but still want your eyes defined, then just be sure to apply the mascara right from the base of your eyelashes. The mascara that settles there will define your eyes in the way that a liner does.

6. Curl your eyelashes. This, with mascara, will help to open up the eyes.

7. Be careful about where you end your eye shadow. Most times, if you apply eye shadow, especially dark colours, past the outer corner of your eye towards your cheek bones, it can make your eyes appear droopy and really closes up the eyes. I found it best to finish the eye shadow at an angle from the end of your eye brow to the outer corner of the eye.

 So those are the general tips I’ve gathered from all that research and my own experience! I hope it helps those of you out there looking for help with your hooded eyes.

Ok, so this next bit is mainly for those of us with naturally hooded eyes who just want to know how to use eye make-up without wanting to disguise our hooded eyes.

On that note, that’s right, people with hooded eyes! You don’t HAVE to disguise it but you can work with it.
Contouring or using make-up to “fix” hooded eyes is for those who really have a problem with the “hoods” like, as mentioned above, those who have it as a result of age and for those that really dislike their hooded eyes.
But for most of us, we just want to know how to work with what we’ve got.

As I mentioned in the earlier article, there are lots of celebrities with hooded eyes and if you look through their pictures, most use eye make-up in a way that works with their eye type.

For example, supermodel, Gisele Bündchen, has the more pronounced hooded eyes and in most of her pictures, you’ll notice she focuses more on mascara. Her lashes are usually curled with lots of mascara. She works with what she has by making sure her eyes are very defined so they aren’t overpowered by the hoods of her eyes. 

                           

       Images Source: Celebs Central                      

                                                                   

At this point, I think it's important to note that there are different types of hooded eyes. Some are very pronounced like Gisele or like alot of people of East Asian descent. (And contrary to popular belief, natural hooded eyes aren't restricted only to people of East Asian descent or that have some East Asian blood in them.)
Some cases, like mine, have something of a combination. I have hooded eyes yet my eyes also dip into a slight natural crease, aside from the fold. Whenever my eyes are slightly puffy, especially in the morning, then my eyes are completely hooded. When the puffiness settles, I have that slight crease.

The reason I'm making this point is I've seen some videos on YouTube where some people have done tutorials on hooded eyes but people have commented saying that the gurus didn't have hooded eyes. This is because they expect the typical hooded eye when in fact, the guru did have hooded eyes, just a different type (less pronounced hood or a combination).

So remember, there are different types of hooded eyes. Some people, like me, have eyes that dip into a slight natural crease but still have hoods. Some have hoods on the outer parts of their eyes.
These varieties and combinations make applying eye make-up tricky. In my case, the methods that worked for those with the typical hooded eyes didn't always work for me and neither did the method of those that have the natual crease to the eyes. I had to play around with eye shadows and figure out what looked good on me.
So that's the main tip I can give to those of you looking for information on how to apply eye make-up to your hooded eye or combination hooded eye as I call mine. Experiment and play around with colours to figure out what you like on your eyes and you'll start to get an idea of what works for you.

To help you out, here are some more pictures of celebrities with hooded eyes. You can see how they use eye make-up to make the most of their eyes. And note that they all have different eye types. Some have the typical hooded eye and some have others. But in all, their eyes have that fold that constitutes a hooded eye.

Images Source: Celebs Central

 In the above pictures, actress Jessica Szohr has a shimmery silver grey eye shadow close to the lash line (Pic 1). The shimmery colour goes with her eyes making them pop. In the second picture, she has a greyish eye shadow on again which is gently faded up to the hoods of her eyes.

 

                              

                                                                                           Images Source: Celebs Central

Here, Jennifer Lopez has a silver grey
colour all around the lash line and a
brownish gold blended all over the hood
up towards the brows.

           

                                                                       Images Source: Celebs Central

           

                               lmages Source: Celebs Central  

As you can see from all the above pictures, these celebrities have on a variety of looks and colours and they don't stick to the strict rules like having only dark, matte colours on their creases or hoods to diminish them. They work with what they have and have fun with the colours and they look good. There are matte colours, shimmery colours, colours close to the lashline, on the hoods or folds and even all the way up to the brows.

I hope these pictures give you a better idea of how to work with what you have and to not restrict yourself. Experiment with methods and colours and most of all, have fun! And if you find a tip or have a tip, share it with everyone so we can all learn how to work with what we've been blessed with!

The following are some YouTubers that have hooded eyes and do video tutorials so you can check them out for more tips and tricks:

1. msmadamemakeup
2. kuuipo1207
3.QueenofBlendingMUA (for really bright, out there looks!)
4. MsZJackieChu
5. xteeener

There are many more youtubers out there with hooded eyes who give out helpful tips and tutorials and don't forget that our contributors also have hooded eyes so you can check out our videos and pictures in the galleries to give you some ideas.