How to Make Your Eyes Look More Open With Makeup—Photos

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For months, I debated whether to get an upper blepharoplasty to address my increasingly heavy, hooded lids. Before committing to surgery, I tried a lineup of less-invasive in-office treatments—including energy-based devices, a neuromodulator “brow lift,” and regenerative treatments—to tighten the skin and subtly lift my brows. In my opinion, the combination worked. Maintaining it, however, would cost as much as buying a used car…every single year.

That’s when I started wondering whether I could fake that lifted look using makeup alone. A few good brushes and a tube of mascara are far more palatable than a needle or a device—zero pain, zero downtime, and a much lower recurring bill.

I called one of my favorite makeup artists, Nick Barose, whose celebrity clients include Lupita Nyong’o, Rachel Weisz, and Brie Larson, to walk me through a full eye-lifting makeup routine. His approach to hooded lids isn’t about camouflage. It’s about creating the illusion of structure where skin has started to flatten or fold. “Adding definition opens up the areas where extra skin is hanging over,” he explains. “You can create the illusion of depth by playing with light and dark, as well as contrasting matte and soft-shimmer textures.” Think less eye shadow, more contour.

Here’s exactly what he taught me, so you can try it, too.

1. Prime under the eyes with a tightening gel

Film-forming gels can visibly smooth and tighten skin for a few hours, with results kicking in after about five minutes. They work by creating a flexible “second skin” (using ingredients like silicates and polymers) that contracts like shrink wrap as it dries, smoothing texture and subtly tightening the area. Caveat: They can flake with sweat or when layered with skin care, so you’ll want to apply a thin layer to clean, dry skin and let it set completely (ideally without making any facial expressions) before you add any makeup on top.

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L'Oreal Paris

RevitaLift Triple Power Eye Bag Instant Eraser

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StriVectin

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2. Lift your crease

The biggest trick? Ignore your actual crease when applying eye shadow. “You have to cheat it by climbing the color higher on the brow bone,” Barose says. “You want to place the darker color slightly above the crease, or even higher depending on how much extra skin hides in that area when your eyes are open.”

Creating a new crease

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Using makeup to create definition on hooded lids is essentially about contouring. If you sweep shadow into your natural crease, whether you’re using a single shade or adding a darker color to the crease for a layered look, much of it disappears the second you open your eyes. Barose recommends applying the shadow while looking straight into the mirror, then stepping back three to four feet to check the effect. Up close, it may look exaggerated, but from a normal conversation distance, it reads as definition. A small, tapered crease brush gives you enough precision to place shadow slightly above the natural fold without shading the entire brow bone.

When picking the shadow for your crease, Barose recommends choosing a cooler, matte shade deep enough to create the appearance of a natural shadow above the crease. On fair-to-medium skin, that might be a cool taupe or gray-brown. On deeper skin, it could be a cool espresso, charcoal-brown, or soft black. The goal is contrast without excess warmth, which can emphasize puffiness on some complexions.

For my coloring, Barose steered me away from warm or reddish browns. (Cue me tossing all my chestnut and copper shadows into a drawer.) “Avoid red tones,” he says. “Brown that’s too red or a shadow that’s too pink will make hooded eyes look swollen.”

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Aqua Resist Smoky Shadow

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Exagger-Eyes Easy Eyeshadow Stick

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Naked2 Basics Matte Neutral Eyeshadow Palette

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3. Create strong outer corners

Using a brush as a guide for my outer corners

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Most of us blend out eye shadow until it disappears at the edges. Barose suggests doing the opposite. “You have to kind of not blend the shadow in too much because it will lose definition,” he says. “You’re basically placing the dark eye shadow a bit higher to contour.” Like with the crease definition, this might look like too much when you’re inches away from the mirror, but it will just create depth when viewed from a distance. The goal isn’t a full-on smoky eye. It’s creating the appearance of a deeper eye socket and a more lifted outer corner. A smaller detail blending brush helps build definition on the outer corner without over-blending away the contour.

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Colourpop

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4. Go matte…but brighten strategically

Shimmer catches light. That extra attention is great when you’re highlighting cheekbones. Less great when you’re trying to disguise extra skin. Matte shadows will add definition without accentuating laxity or crepiness in the lids.

There’s one exception: Some people develop redness or darkness at the corners of the eyes as they age, which can contribute to a tired appearance. And that’s the area where you can break the matte rule. A light-reflecting concealer dabbed at the inner corners, center of the lids, or highest points of the brow bones can help make the eyes appear fresher and more open. A small pencil brush lets you place brightness exactly where you want it and keep that shimmer in its assigned area.

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Clé de Peau Beauté

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5. Make your liner thicker than feels comfortable

If you have hooded lids, you've probably noticed that much of your upper eyeliner disappears when you open your eyes. “Do eyeliner a bit thick—even double the width you normally do—because most of it gets hidden under hooded lids,” says Barose. His additional rule: Keep darker liner on top, where it will lift the upper lash line, and go softer underneath. “I avoid black liner on the bottom,” he says, because it can pull the shape of your eye downward. “On lower lashes, I’d use a soft gray or taupe brown instead.”

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Dior

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Stylo Yeux Waterproof Longwear Eyeliner

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6. Focus mascara on the outer corners

Always curl your lashes, which exposes more sclera (the white part of your eye), and “concentrate mascara on the outer third of the upper lash line for extra lift,” says Barose. Tubing mascaras are particularly helpful because they resist smudging when lashes brush against sagging lids throughout the day.

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Tarte

Tartelette Tubing Mascara

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When I finally stopped painting my eyes the way I did at 35 and followed Barose’s advice, the difference was immediate. After clearing my makeup drawers of shimmery shadows and tawny browns, I found a plan that worked for the face I have now. The higher crease placement and stronger outer corner definition made my eyes look less swollen or swallowed by skin overhang. On a girls’ trip to Palm Springs, I did makeup on one eye for my friends, who happen to be struggling with the same issue. They immediately wanted a lesson. For the first time in months, doing my makeup felt enjoyable, not defeating.

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After lots of experimenting, I found that makeup could create many of the same visual cues I had spent eight months chasing elsewhere. More definition and less heaviness. No, it didn’t give me a blepharoplasty. And I’m not a skilled applicator (yet?), so it takes me 20 minutes to pull off the look. But it's repeatable, reversible, and doesn’t require numbing cream—or an annual five-figure budget.