Hooded eyes have an extra fold of skin that drops down from the brow bone and partly or completely covers the eyelid crease when your eyes are open. Because the mobile lid is hidden, eyeshadow can disappear and eyeliner often transfers onto the fold. Hooded eyes are very common, can be genetic or develop with age, and with a few simple techniques (placing shadow higher, keeping liner thin and applying everything with your eyes open) they are easy to make up beautifully.
How to Tell If You Have Hooded Eyes
- Stand in front of a mirror in good light and relax your face.
- Look straight ahead with your eyes fully open; do not raise your brows.
- Check your eyelid: if a fold of skin hides most or all of your crease and lid space, you have hooded eyes.
| Eye type | What you see with eyes open |
| Hooded | Fold of skin covers the crease; little or no lid visible |
| Partially hooded | A thin strip of lid shows, crease partly hidden |
| Deep-set | Eyes sit further back with a prominent brow bone; lid is visible but shadowed |
| Monolid | No visible crease at all, with eyes open or closed |
What Causes Hooded Eyes?
- Genetics: many people are born with hooded eyes; it is simply their eye shape.
- Ageing: skin loses collagen and elasticity, and the brow can drop slightly, so the upper lid skin folds lower over time.
- Sun damage and lifestyle: UV exposure and smoking speed up skin laxity.
If the hooding is heavy enough to block your vision or appeared suddenly on one side, see a doctor, as this can sometimes be a medical issue rather than a cosmetic one.
12 Makeup Tips for Hooded Eyes
Eyeshadow
- Always prime: the fold rubs against the lid, so an eyeshadow primer stops creasing and transfer.
- Create a “faux crease”: with your eyes open and looking straight ahead, place a matte mid-tone shade just above your natural fold, where you can see it. This is the single most important hooded eyes tip.
- Blend up and out: sweep colour toward the tail of the brow to lift the eye.
- Use matte in the crease, shimmer on the centre lid: matte shades add depth; a touch of shimmer in the middle of the lid catches light when you blink.
- Highlight the inner corner and brow bone to brighten and open the eyes.
Eyeliner
- Keep it thin: a thick line hides what little lid you have. Tightlining (pressing liner into the upper lash line) defines without taking up space.
- Draw your wing with eyes open: map the flick from the lower lash line toward the tail of the brow while looking straight ahead, so it does not fold or break when you relax.
- Try a “bat wing”: draw the wing so it continues straight over the fold instead of bending; it looks like a clean flick when your eyes are open.
- Use waterproof or long-wear formulas and set gel liner with a matching eyeshadow to stop smudging.
- Nude liner on the waterline makes the eyes look bigger and brighter.
Lashes and Brows
- Curl and lift lashes: curl at the root and use a lengthening, waterproof mascara so lashes do not print on the fold. Wispy individual lashes or lash clusters at the outer corners add lift.
- Groom brows upward: a slightly lifted, well-defined brow creates more space between brow and lid. Brush hairs up with a clear or tinted brow gel.
Common Hooded Eyes Makeup Mistakes
| Mistake | Why it fails | Fix |
| Applying shadow with eyes closed | Colour disappears into the fold | Map placement with eyes open |
| Thick liner on the whole lid | Lid looks smaller | Thin line or tightline |
| Heavy dark shadow on the lower lash line | Drags the eye down | Keep the lower line soft or skip it |
| Glitter all over the lid | Highlights the fold and transfers | Shimmer only on the centre lid |
| Skipping primer | Creases within an hour | Prime and set with powder |
Treatments for Hooded Eyes
If hooding has increased with age and bothers you, there are medical options. A brow lift with Botox relaxes the muscles that pull the brow down and can lift the tail of the brow slightly for a few months, the same type of neuromodulator used in a lip flip. More permanent options include a surgical brow lift or upper eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty), which removes excess skin. Talk to a board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon about what suits you.
Hooded Eyes FAQs
Are hooded eyes attractive?
Yes. Many celebrities have hooded eyes; they often give a sultry, mysterious look. It is simply an eye shape, not a flaw.
Can hooded eyes wear winged eyeliner?
Yes. Draw it with your eyes open and try the bat-wing technique so the flick stays visible.
Do hooded eyes get worse with age?
They often do, because skin loses elasticity. Daily sunscreen and not smoking help slow it down.
Are hooded eyes and monolids the same?
No. Hooded eyes have a crease that is covered by skin; monolids have no visible crease at all.
More makeup guides are on our beauty blog.
Sources: Revlon: Makeup for hooded eyes; Charlotte Tilbury: Eyeliner for hooded eyes; M2U NYC: Makeup tips for hooded eyes.
