Ever tried following a smoky eye tutorial on YouTube, only to reach the step that requires you to “blend along your crease,” and been totally confused by your seemingly creaseless lids? Or maybe you made it all the way to the end, but your “smoldering” makeup looks nothing like your YouTube teacher’s — in fact, it seems that your kind-of-tiny eyes have shrunk even more in size. Don’t toss your new Naked Smoky palette out the window in frustration just yet. According to makeup master and founder of Mally Beauty, Mally Roncal, you don’t have to commit to a single (AKA simple) swipe of black liner for the rest of your life. To make your small eyes really pop, try breaking a few of these basic beauty rules.
Get over the grunge look.
No one can rock sultry, intentionally smudged liner quite like Kate Moss, but then again, she is Kate Moss. Consider ditching your grungy tendencies and jet-black pencil once and for all. “Lining the bottom rims of your lids with dark eyeliner is the easiest way to make your eyes appear a lot smaller than they are,” Roncal notes. Roncal points out that Kendall Jenner fakes wider eyes by skipping out on lining her bottom rim completely. Instead, go bare or lighten up — look for icy blue or silver liner, which looks fresh for fall and really opens up tiny eyes. If you aren’t yet ready to give up black liner for good, try tracing your lower lids halfway across, leaving more than just the inner corner exposed for the same badass beauty vibe — and wider-looking eyes.
Rethink the feline flick.
Sure, some occasions call for long, elegant cat eyes — but resist the urge to just wing it. Keep your cat eye thin and sleek, as close to your lashes as possible so that the line doesn’t overwhelm your entire lid, Roncal suggests. You can also swap your inky black liner for a more modern, chocolate-colored option. “There’s something warm about a brown cat eye,” Roncal says. “It looks really fun and fresh — plus, it’s so much kinder to small eyes.”
Ease up on the mascara.
Nothing reads next-level edgy as much as clumpy lashes, but stay away from the trend if your eyes fall on the smaller end of the spectrum. “Too much mascara can make your eyes appear closed,” Roncal warns. “Even if you aren’t intentionally going for such a look, pulling your mascara wand out towards your ears creates clumpiness.” Instead, Roncal recommends guiding your inner lashes towards the bridge of your nose for a more fanned-out approach a la Selena Gomez.
Create your own crease.
For those with hooded eyes, finding your crease can be a real challenge. So stop playing guessing games, and try contouring your eye. We know — another contouring trick? — but this one is key to faking larger eyes. Roncal suggests looking straight into a mirror and tracing the area right above where your eye opens with a darker shadow, then using a lighter shade below to create the illusion of a crease.
Spruce up your brows.
Whether you’ve been blessed by the brow gods or your arches are a bit sparse, this easy step for making small eyes stand out works for everyone: add definition to your brows. “It doesn’t matter if they’re blonde or black, highly arched or more on the handsome side—whatever they look like, play up your brows to give your eyes a foundation,” Roncal suggests. “If you haven’t mapped out your brows, your eyes — big or small — can get lost.”
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