Hi Beauties,
If you have ever lined your entire eye with a dark pencil and wondered why your eyes suddenly looked smaller and more closed off rather than dramatic and defined — you are not alone. This is one of the most common makeup mistakes I see, and it is one that is incredibly easy to fix once you understand what is actually happening.
After more than 30 years as a professional makeup artist, I have spent a lot of time studying eyes — how they’re shaped, how light and shadow interact with them and how the wrong application of liner or shadow can visually shrink it in an instant. Today I want to walk you through the main culprit, and then give you the techniques that actually open the eye up and make it look bigger, brighter, and more awake.
The Mistake: Lining the Entire Waterline in Dark Pencil
Let me be very direct here, because this is the single biggest eye-shrinking mistake in makeup: lining the entire upper and lower waterline — the inner rim of the eye — with a dark pencil. I know it feels like it should make the eyes look more dramatic. And on certain eye shapes in certain contexts, a dark waterline can be stunning. But for most women, most of the time, it does the opposite of what they intend.
Here is why. The waterline is the innermost edge of the eye, right where the lash meets the eyeball. When you line it in a dark color, you are essentially drawing a visual boundary that closes the eye in from all sides. The white of the eye appears smaller, the iris looks less prominent, and the whole eye reads as more narrow and more closed. It is the optical equivalent of drawing a dark frame around something — it makes the thing inside look smaller, not bigger.
This is especially true for women with smaller eyes, deep-set eyes, or hooded lids, where the eye already has less visible lid space to work with. A dark waterline on these eye shapes can make the eye almost disappear. Even circling the entire eye outside of the lashline can have the same effect. When you close a circle, it always appears smaller.
What to Do Instead: Brighten the Waterline
One of the most effective things you can do to make your eyes look bigger and more awake is to line the lower waterline with a nude or white pencil instead of a dark one. This is a trick I have used on clients for decades, and the transformation is always immediate and dramatic.
A nude or flesh-toned pencil on the lower waterline blurs the boundary between the eye and the skin, making the white of the eye appear larger and the eye itself appear more open. It is subtle enough that most people cannot identify exactly what is different — they just know you look more rested and bright-eyed. It works on every eye shape and every skin tone, and it is one of those techniques that once you try it, you will never go back.
Another tip to keep in mind is not to close the entire eye with liner. It’s usually best to keep the inner corner of the eye void of dark liner, especially if there’s darkness there that you are using concealer to cover.
The Other Mistake: Taking Dark Shadow All the Way to the Inner Corner
The second most common eye-shrinking mistake is applying dark eyeshadow all the way across the lid from the outer corner to the inner corner without any variation in depth. When shadow is the same intensity from one end of the eye to the other, it creates a flat, heavy look that drags the eye down and makes it appear smaller. Also, as we age, our inner eye area becomes more sunken and dark. Dark shadow and liner in the inner eye area only make this more pronounced.
The inner corner of the eye has the most power to make the eye look open and bright. When you darken it with the same shadow you are using on the outer corner, you lose that natural highlight and the eye closes in.
Instead, keep the inner corner light. Apply your darker shadow to the outer third of the lid and blend it softly toward the center, but leave the inner corner either bare or touched with a light, shimmery shade. Even a tiny dot of a champagne or pearl shadow in the inner corner makes an enormous difference in how open and awake the eye looks. Try Reflexion or Pink Sands from our Golden Hour Palette.
And One More: Skipping the Brow
I cannot talk about making eyes look bigger without talking about the brow, because the brow is the frame of the eye, and a well-defined brow does more to open up the eye than almost any other single step. When the brow is sparse, undefined, or not groomed, the eye loses its structure and can look smaller and less defined as a result.
You do not need a dramatic brow to get this effect. A natural, softly defined brow that follows your natural shape and has a slight arch is all you need. Fill in any sparse areas with light, feathery strokes using a brow powder like BFR’s Brow Max. Make sure the tail of the brow extends to at least the outer corner of the eye. A brow that ends too short makes the eye look rounder and smaller, while a brow that extends to the outer corner elongates and lifts the eye beautifully.
Putting It All Together
If you want to make your eyes look bigger, brighter, and more open, here is the approach I recommend. Line the upper lash line with a dark liner as close to the lashes as possible — lighter on the inner corner slightly more intense as you move to the outer corner. This defines the eye without closing it in. To soften the liner, smudge the upper edge of the line slightly with a Shader Brush. Then start with a light, neutral shadow across the entire lid to create a light base. Apply a slightly deeper shade to the outer corner and blend it softly inward, keeping the inner corner light. Apply a bit of the darker shadow on the corner under the lower lash line, connecting the color on the top lid at the outer corner or the eye. Add a touch of shimmer to the inner corner. Finish with mascara, starting at the root and wiggling upward to separate and lengthen the lashes. And do not forget to define the brow.
This combination opens the eye, adds dimension, and creates a look that is both polished and flattering on every eye shape. Our waterproof I-Line 24-7 Gel Eyeliner gives you the precision you need for a clean upper lash line, smudges upon application, then sets and it wears beautifully all day without smearing or fading.
The eyes are the most expressive feature on the face, and the right technique can make them look completely transformed. It is not about wearing more product — it is about placing the right product in the right place. Once you understand how light and shadow work together on the eye, you will have everything you need to make your eyes look their absolute best every single day.
You are enough. That's Beauty For Real.
Thanks for all of your support,
Leslie
0 comments