Drawing eyeliner is a lot easier than it seems, once you know the right tips and are armed with the right tools.
But it is indeed trickier if you have hooded eyelids. The “hood” sometimes obscure the line that you’ve painstakingly drawn and in some cases, even cause smudging on our eyelids.
Pulling off a natural eyeliner look for hooded eyelids seem like a rather challenging task.
Here are six techniques demonstrated by YouTuber Smitha Deepak that are going to make things a lot easier.
Tightlining
Tightlining: Final look
Tightlining is the technique of lining your upper waterline — the area inside the lash line (hear us out, it’s not as intimidating as it sounds).
This technique makes your lash bed appear bolder, gives off the illusion of thicker lashes, and makes your eyes look bigger and more defined, all while following the shape of your eye. So with the tightlining, you’re filling in your top lashes from the underside, instead of on your eyelid.
This look is great for hooded eyelids (and honestly, all eyelid types) because it’s subtle and natural. This is probably the most natural eyeliner look to go for among the six we’re mentioning.
How to
Using your clean fingers, gently pull your lashes upwards to find your waterline, where you’ll see the the tiny gaps between your lashes.
Using your eyeliner, lightly dab in the area between each individual lash, getting as close to the root of the lash as possible so you’re filling in your lash line and making it look fuller.
Simple
Simple eyeliner: Final look
As the technique’s name is called, this is a simple eyeliner look and is great for those who are looking to create a natural eyeliner look that you can take to any occasion
How to
The technique is very similar to the tightlining technique in that you draw along your natural lash line. But instead of drawing it at where your waterline is, you draw at the area right above your lashes so the eyeline peeks out more.
Thin-line
Thin-line: Final look
Prefer a bit of a winged eyeliner look? This is the technique to go for.
How to
Start off with creating a small triangle at the outer corner of your eyes, covering the area that will not be affected by the hood.
Then line as close to your lash line as possible below your hood, and join it to the wing you’ve created.
Smokey corner
Smokey corner: Final look
Perfect a natural eyeliner look that still has a touch of glamour, this is great as a night eye makeup look especially if you don’t intend to wear eyeshadow.
How to
Line just the outer “V” of your eyes with a pencil eyeliner or gel pencil.
Then, pick up a brush to smoke out the line, extending it slightly beyond your natural lash line, so it forms a very subtle wing.
Reverse smokey
This unique technique is called a “reverse” smokey because you’ll be drawing from your lower lash line instead of upper lash line, which is what people usually do.
This technique offers an interesting look that still remains natural-looking.
How to
Using an angled brush, pick up some gel eyeliner or eyeshadow to line along the lower lash line.
Extend it upwards to create a subtle wing.
Smokey outer
Finally, this technique lets you create a natural eyeliner look that lifts your eye area. It’s perfect for those with hooded eyelids who also want to correct droopy-looking eyes that look tired.
How to
Remember the simple eyeliner look (#2). Create that.
Now, pick up eyeshadow in the same shade and smoke out only the end of the line subtly.
Eyeliners for natural look
Liquid Eyeliners
When picking out a liquid liner, you’ll want a highly-pigmented formula, and one that’s waterproof and long-lasting if you’re intending to have the eyeliner stay on the whole day. Remember to also take note of the eyeliner tip, and it’s up to you and whether you want one that’s hypersharp, thicker, sturdier, or softer – whichever makes the application easier for you!
Maybelline Eye Studio Hypersharp Laser Liner Brown
It’s no surprise that this long-wear eyeliner is one of Maybelline’s bestsellers. This eyeliner has a 0.01mm tip that lets you draw sharp, precise lines and add definition to your eyes.
The hypersharp liner comes in both black and brown shades but one thing’s for sure, both are very richly pigmented and draw on smoothly!
Retails for S$19.90. Click on the links below to compare prices as promotions may differ.
KVD Beauty Tattoo Liner Liquid Eyeliner Cult-favourite
Praised for its colour intensity and all-day long wear, this is a cult favourite for obvious reasons.
You can trust that your eyeliner will stay put all day, and that drawing eyeliner will be a breeze with the brush tip that allows for ultimate precision, making it the perfect eyeliner especially if you’re a beginner!
Retails for S$32. Click on the link to check for promotions.
Pencil Liners
While you’ll want a pencil liner that can smudge and blend, it’s important that its pigmentation is still strong enough to bring out your eyes. A good pencil eyeliner should glide on like a dream, not crack or crease and still have some lasting power.
Fenty Beauty Flypencil Longwear Pencil Eyeliner In 20 shades
This eyeliner has convenient twist-up tip that glides across the lids for lightweight, smudge-resistant lines, and has a long-wear, water-resistant formula that’s smooth and creamy for easy application.
For those who like to experiment with different colours, you’ll be happy to know that this comes in 20 matte, shimmer, metallic, and glitter shades!
Retails for S$33. Click on the link below to check for promotions.
Charlotte Tilbury The Classic Eyeliner
Enriched with a mix of specially-blended oils and fine opaque powders, this eyeliner is incredibly easy to work with.
You can create a super soft, blendable line with the pencil, so even if you make a mistake, you can fix it in a jiffy. Given how soft the pigments are, you can achieve a natural daytime look effortlessly.
Retails for S$40. Click on the link below to check for promotions.
Gel Liners
Gel eyeliners are a favourite of many, mainly because of how soft and silky it feels on the eyes, and its incredible versatility.
You can find gel liners in either in a pot or pencil form, and it’s really up to you as the user to see which one feels more comfortable and easy to apply.
Look out for gel liners with highly-pigmented, long-lasting, smudge-proof formulas so you’ll get eyeliner that stays on all day!
Judydoll Long Lasting Eyeliner Gel
This features a gel instead of a pencil point, making for easier and smoother application. It comes with a very sturdy eyeliner brush (as a free gift!), and is highly pigmented so you’ll only need to use a small amount of product.
It also has incredible staying power once it sets, making it hard to remove.
Retails for S$18.90. There’s an ongoing promotion at the time of writing, so click on the link to check for latest price.
One/Size Point Made Gel Eyeliner Pencil Easy to blend
This ultra-pigmented gel eyeliner has a silky application just like a liquid liner but allows you to smudge it easily like a kohl liner.
Its blendability makes it a great choice to pull off those smokey looks we mentioned. It finishes matte and once it sets, it won’t smudge or fade.
Retails for S$31. Click on the link below to check for promotions.
Video tutorial: Natural eyeliner techniques for hooded eyelids
Prefer watching a video? Here’s one we love:
