Glittery, sparkly, and shimmery eyeshadows aren't just great for the wow factor: They can also make your eyes appear bigger and brighter. That's because shimmer reflects light, and this creates an illusion that what the light bounces off of is larger than it actually is.
The Eyeko Tip: To make the eyes look bigger with makeup, contour with lighter rather than darker shades. Dark shades can make the eyes look smaller. Lightly brush the brown shadow a little bit higher than your crease to give the illusion that the eyelid extends higher. Blend upwards to add dimension.
Black might be your go-to color when it comes to eyeliner, but using a brown or colored eyeliner can also help make your eyes appear bigger and brighter. For enlarging the appearance of your eyes, choose a colored liner that mimics the natural color of your eyes.
Consider applying a colored eyeliner like nude or white eyeliner to your lids. These neutral shades help you achieve a brighter, natural, and more awake look, ultimately making your small eyes look even bigger. Try this trick with the L'Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Last Waterproof, Up to 24HR Pencil Eyeliner in Nude.
Tightline. Tightlining is probably one of the sure-shot ways you can use eyeliner to make your eyes seem bigger. The key is to apply a black or dark brown eyeliner on your upper waterline and lash line. You need to make sure the skin beneath your upper lashes is all covered with the pencil.
"Keep the liner to the top lid for a more lifted, youthful effect." If you really, really want to go after your bottom lash line, Stiles recommends using a lighter color there than you're using on the top. "This will still give you definition, but feels softer and more flattering," she adds.
Blend Your Eyeshadow Up to Your Brow
"My most-used technique to make eyes appear bigger is taking eyeshadow very close to the brow," says makeup artist Lennie Billy. "This gives the illusion that your lid space is bigger and opens the eyes more, especially if you have hooded eyes.”
"Contour eyes with a medium to medium deep shadow to the crease and outer crease of eyes," suggests the pro. "Contouring gives eyes depth and definition, making them look bigger, bolder, and perfectly shaped. Use one color for the entire crease and then go darker with a shade on top to the outer corner."
Blue eyes are crowned the sexiest among men and women
According to our research, blue is the sexiest eye colour, as the majority of the world's sexiest people, both male and female, have blue eyes.
When broken down by gender, men ranked gray, blue, and green eyes as the most attractive, while women said they were most attracted to green, hazel, and gray eyes. Despite brown eyes ranking at the bottom of our perceived attraction scale, approximately 79% of the world's population sports melanin-rich brown eyes.
Red and orange seem to be the clear winner when it comes to eye-catching colors. These colors tend to stand out and are therefore used on many warning signs or safety equipment. Yellow is another color that comes in a close second to red and orange in popularity.
Eyeliner can make your eyes look bigger or smaller, depending on how you apply it and what shade you choose. Rimming your eyes in inky black liner makes them look tinier than they actually are.
Try plucking or threading instead. If you aren't allowed to tweeze your eyebrows, use a toothbrush to brush the hairs upwards slightly. This trick will make your eyes look bigger.
Eyeshadow Placement
A swath of color across the eyelids has been a typical go-to look for most of us. But to make our eyes look bigger, try patting a vanilla colored shadow on your eyelids from your eyelashes to the crease. Use a medium tone shade in the crease – and slightly above the crease if you have hooded eyes.
Many mature women find that while they may have loved a bold black liner in the past, it doesn't suit them the same as it once did, and prefer to opt for softer shades like brown or charcoal. (You can find these shades from Inglot AMC Eyeliner Gel and Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Waterproof Eye Pencil.)
It's a bit of a beauty myth that small eyes shouldn't use eyeliner. When used in an entire ring around the eye, black liner can exaggerate the smaller shape, but the trick is to use a contrasting white or pearl-coloured liner in the lower waterline and keep the smoky eyeliner to the lower lashes instead.
Complementary Colors
Most of us know that to make our eyes pop, we should choose an eyeshadow color that complements our eyes' shade. For example, blue eyes are best with brown and bronze, greens are best with deep purples, and browns are stunning when highlighted by blue shades.
Professionally, white eyeliner is a makeup artist trick for brightening up the face and making your eyes look bigger and more awake—particularly when used on the bottom waterline. When using a dark color on the bottom lash line, it can make eyes look smaller and drawn-down, but white has the reverse effect.