The “inverted eyeshadow” hack enhances your monolids, and K-pop idols swear by it!

Eyeshadow is one of the hardest aspects of the makeup routine to master. While there are obstacles to enhancing every eye shape, monolid eyes seem to be the trickiest due to the lack of folds which divide the eyelids into two parts.

For those who haven’t quite mastered the skill of eyeshadow yet, don’t give up just yet because we have a eyeshadow hack just for you.

You’ll be able to enhance your eyes just like your favourite K-pop idols, such as Red Velvet’s Seulgi and Twice’s Dahyun. Read on to learn more about the “inverted eyeshadow” hack.

What is the inverted eyeshadow hack?

You may be used to applying eyeshadow on your upper eyelids, but Douyin user Mia (@Mia是鱼/Douyin) recommends doing the opposite. Trust her on this – it’ll help enhance your monolids.

Instead of sweeping your bright colours onto the upper lid, you’ll enhance and define the shape of your eyes by dabbing some pigment onto the lower lid.

This will help reduce the puffiness of the upper lid and give your eyes an extra definition from the subtle shadow effect.

Who is the inverted eyeshadow hack for?

Focusing on the lower eyelid works best for those with monolids, as well as those of you who have a short distance between your upper eyelid and eyebrows.

If you don’t check either of these boxes, you can still give the hack a try to see how it looks on your eyes.

Inverted eyeshadow hack: A step-by-step tutorial

Step 1: Contour the upper eyelid

Even though we’ll be focusing on the lower lid, we won’t be neglecting it completely. You’ll want to define the crease to give your upper lid some definition.

Use your fingers to feel for your eye socket – this area down to your lash line will be where you’ll work on.

Grab a small soft brush and sweep on some concealer or contour all over this area. Make sure to pick a contour shade that’s only one to two shades darker than your skin tone. Blend everything to avoid a seamless shadow effect.

Step 2: Contour the outer corner

With the contour you used in the first step, drag your brush to the end of your upper lid, before shading the outer corner of your eye.

Once you’ve created a subtle shadow effect there, bring your brush to your lower lash line. The contour on the bottom lash line will help enhance the aegyo sal you’ll create later on.

Step 3: Use eyeshadow as eyeliner

Swap your small soft brush out for one with an angled, flat tip. Pick up a darker, brown eyeshadow shade and then trace the pigment to extend a line from the outer corner of your eye like you would with an eyeliner.

Make sure the line you draw follows the shape of your eye – refrain from creating a wing or curving the line.

Step 4: Line your lower lash line with eyeshadow

Now, bring your brush to your lower lash line and define it with the darker eyeshadow as well. You’ll only need to draw this line from the outer corner of your eye to the centre of the eye.

Step 5: Swipe on your primary eyeshadow shade on the lower lash line

Here’s where you get to experiment a little! Depending on your mood and occasion, you can opt for a neutral milky-brown eyeshadow shade, a pop of fuchsia, or an electric blue.

Pick up a bigger flat-tip brush and layer your shade of choice on top of the line you have just drawn on your lower lash line.

Lay your brush flat against your lid and swipe outwards to blend everything together. By blending outwards, you’ll make the area of pigmentation wider, as if the colour is blooming outwards.

Step 6: Add a lighter eyeshadow shade to the inner corner of your eyes

Lightly dust on your transition eyeshadow shade onto the inner corner of your eye with the same brush.

Step 7: Add a lighter eyeshadow shade to the outer corner of your upper eyelid

With the same brush, dab the transition shade on top of the line you extended from the outer corner of your eye.

This step gives your upper eyelid a little more definition and balances the look. You’ll also help your eyes look more natural even as you blink.

Step 8: Line your waterline

Pick a beige pencil or gel liner and line the outer half of your waterline.

Don’t forget to blend this line from your waterline to your lower lash line. Doing so will ensure the entire eye look looks neater and gives the eyes that extra “pop”.

Step 9: Define your waterline with a darker gel liner

Feel free to pick any shade of your choice for this step as long as it’s darker than the gel liner you used to tightline your eyes with.

Start from the inner corner of your eye and fill in half of your line. Follow the line all the way until it meets the other half that’s been lined with the beige eyeliner.

Step 10: Define your aegyo sal

Grab a pencil, cream, or liquid liner that comes in a lighter nude shade and define your aegyo sal. For the uninitiated, you can identify this line by finding the small roll of skin beneath your eyes that frames your lower eyelids.

Step 11: Highlight your eye makeup look

Pick up a glittery gel liner and fill in the area of skin that’s diagonally below your iris, between your lower lash line and your aegyo sal.

Remember to highlight the inner corner of your eye too for added definition.

Step 12: Define your lashes

Since there isn’t much eyeshadow on your upper eyelid, it’s important to give some attention to your lashes.

If curling your lashes and applying mascara doesn’t keep your lashes up for very long, try falsies. Douyin user Mia (@Mia是鱼/Douyin) recommends attaching individual lashes to your upper lash line, which is very similar to the manga lash trend.

A pro tip to take away is to always curl your natural lashes before attaching your falsies. Curling them will help open the eye up even more and make the most out of the falsies.

Lastly, grab a black eyeliner and draw a few strokes at your lower lash line. These lines will help create fake eyelashes in case you’re not a fan of attaching individual falsies to the lower lash line.

Step 13: Draw your eyeliner

Using the same black eyeliner, draw your eyeliner following the line of eyeshadow you extended from the outer corner of your eye.

Step 14: Add some glitter

To dial up the drama, try adding a little bit of pressed glitter on the roots of your lash line.

The added lustre will make your entire look stand out even more.

Step 15: Set the entire eye look

Dust on some setting powder around your eye area. You’ll get a seamless and natural eye look that perfectly enhances and defines the eyes.

Featured image credit: @dahhyunnee/Instagram and @Mia是鱼/Douyin