Makeup Tutorial for Downturned Eyes

Do you have downturned eyes? If that simple five-word question has made you ponder your eye shape—good! When you’re able to accurately identify your eye shape, you’ll be better able to create shape-enhancing eye makeup masterpieces with eye shadow and eyeliner, aka you’ll finally be able to master a cat eye and get that sought after smoky look. Keep reading to determine whether you have downturned eyes and learn how to apply eye makeup for this gorgeous eye shape.

WHAT ARE DOWNTURNED EYES?

Downturned eyes are one of the six most common eye shapes (alongside upturned eyes, almond eyes, round eyes, hooded eyes, and monolids). If your eyes are downturned, you have a downward tilt at the outer corners of your eyes, which can make your upper lid look much larger than your bottom lid.

How does that impact makeup application? Well, as a result, it might seem like you have a lot more space to work with in terms of eye shadow. The truth is, you want to be a bit more thoughtful about the way that you use that space, though—that way you’ll be able to create a more lifted look.

HOW CAN YOU TELL IF YOU HAVE DOWNTURNED EYES?

If you’re having trouble determining if you have downturned eyes, take a peek in the mirror. Do you have a crease? Yes? Good, you’re on the right track! If you were to draw a line straight across your lid, would your outer corners dip below it? If the answer is yes, you have downturned eyes.

HOW DO YOU APPLY MAKEUP TO DOWNTURNED EYES?

Seeing as downturned eyes are characterized by outer corners that slant down in such a way to make the upper lids extend into an almost droopy look, mastering a few key makeup techniques can make a pretty significant difference in your makeup look.

Ready to make the most of your downturned eye shape? Follow the five steps below, and you’ll be well on your way.

1. PRIME LIKE A PRO

Start your makeup look for downturned eyes by applying an eye makeup primer, which can help create a smooth canvas for the rest of your makeup application. If you don’t have any primer on hand, a tiny dab of foundation or concealer will do.

2. TRY A THREE-TONED EYE SHADOW LOOK

To help add dimension and depth to your elongated, downturned lids, pick up an eye shadow palette that has at least three colors. For a quick start, try using the L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Pocket Palette Eye Shadow in Boudoir Charme.

Start by applying a light nude eyeshadow all over your lid, extending from your lash line to your brow. By stretching up to your brow, you’ll be able to give the appearance of a lifted lid look. Next, buff a medium shade overtop of your light shade, extending from your lash line to just above your crease. Top it off by blending your darkest eye shadow shade directly into your crease before buffing it out slightly to mimic the look of a more lifted outer corner. Use a fluffy eye shadow brush to rid your lids of any harsh lines of demarcation between eye shadow shades.

3. SWITCH UP THE WAY YOU LINE YOUR UPPER LASH LINE

As much as you may love eyeliner, it’s important not to go overboard to avoid weighing down the look of your lids. For that reason, try using a creamy eyeliner pencil, like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Last Waterproof Eyeliner in Brown. It’s best to opt for a lighter eyeliner—as opposed to black—to again, not weigh your lid down.

When applying your eyeliner, start at your inner corner and extend about two-thirds of the way across your lash line. By not extending all the way out to your outer corner, you’ll be able to play up the roundness of your eyes to help make them look not as downturned. If you absolutely adore eyeliner and want to extend across your entire lash line, flick it upward for a pretty cat eye that will help balance out your downturned eye shape.

4. RIM YOUR LOWER LID IN WHITE

Another great way to flatter the downward slope of your eye shape is to make your eyes look extra open with a little white eyeliner, like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Never Fail Eyeliner in White, on your waterline. This technique can help blur the line between your skin and the whites of your eyes to help redefine your shape.

5. FOCUS YOUR MASCARA ON YOUR OUTER CORNERS

Open the L’Oréal Paris Voluminous X Fiber Mascara and swipe a few coats of product onto the outer edges of your lashes to help open the appearance of your eyes further. Once your fringe is fully coated, you should be ready to bat those lashes and move onto face makeup—no need to take your eye makeup into consideration.

Speaking of face makeup, for that, you’ll want to make choices based on your skin tone. The best place to start is with finding your perfect foundation shade, so go ahead and click through to our article, How to Find Your Foundation Color Match.