What is my eye shape?

In order to dress your best, you first need to know what your body shape is. What looks good on an hourglass body shape might not be the right fit for an apple body shape.

The same holds true for your eye shape and eye makeup. Rick DiCecca, creative director of makeup design for the Artistry™ line in North America, said while all eye shapes are beautiful, it’s important to know which techniques and products are suitable for each type of eye.

“Eye shapes determine eye makeup because the goal is to accentuate the beauty of the eyes,” he said. “Certain shades and techniques used incorrectly can take away from that beauty.”

In order to have your eyes shine their best, you need to know which of the common eye shapes they are: monolids, round eyes, almond eyes, hooded eyes, deep set eyes, wide set eyes, upturned eyes or downturned eyes.

It all depends on your eyelids, the visibility of the whites of your eyes and how your eyes appear in relation to your bone structure. There is a lot of wiggle room here, and sometimes different types of eyes have more than one characteristic, but knowing the general shape of your eyes will help you create a look that is balanced, symmetrical and perfect for you, DiCecca said.

Need some help figuring it out? Examine your eyes and determine which description below best matches what you see.

Monolids or double-lids

Monolids are smaller eyes without any crease in the lid or only a minimal crease. Double-lidded eyes have a thin, second lid above the upper lash line.

Round or protruding eyes

Round eyes are prominent with a crease in your lid. A key differentiator for round eyes is the appearance of the white of your eye between your upper or lower lid and your iris (the colored part of your eye).

Hooded eyes

Are the creases of your eyelid recessed or is the crease hidden beneath the lid? Some of the most sultry celebrities have hooded eyes, where the skin of the eyelid folds over the crease, sometimes shadowing the eye.

Deep set eyes

Similar to hooded eyes, deep set eyes are more recessed into your eye sockets making the brow bone appear more prominent, somewhat overshadowing your eyes.

Wide-set or close-set eyes

To determine whether your eyes are wide-set or close-set, gauge the space between your eyes. If the space is smaller than the width of one eye, they are close-set. If wider than one eye width, you have wide-set eyes.

Rick uses a cotton swab to determine this. He places the swap horizontally under one eye, lining up the tip with the inside corner. Bend or mark the swab at the point where it meets the outer corner of your eye.

“Then place the swab between your eyes,” he said. “If it’s the same width, your eyes are balanced. If the space between your eyes is narrower than the swab, then your eyes are close-set. If the space is wider, then you have wide-set eyes.”

Downturned eyes or upturned eyes

Do the outside corners of your eyes extend upward or downward?

Draw an imaginary straight line across your eyes and the bridge of your nose – does the outer corner of your eye extend upward or downward? If upward, you have upturned eyes. If downward, your eyes are downturned.

Almond eyes

If your eyes are neither upturned nor downturned, imagine holding up an almond to them. You may have a very versatile almond eye shape – the shape most eye shadow techniques regardless of eye shape attempt to achieve.

What eye makeup is best for me?

Now that you know your eye shape, you can use your favorite eye makeup to accentuate your strengths. Learn how to accent your eyes with Artistry Go Vibrant™ eye shadows and eyeliners.