How to Make Your Eyes Look More Open With Makeup

02.09.2026, 15:25 allure.com

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.” In other words: Think less eye shadow, more contour.

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

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 skin care, so you’ll want to apply a thin layer to clean, dry skin. Let it set completely—ideally without making any facial expressions—before you add any makeup on top.

L'Oreal Paris

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StriVectin

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Dr. Loretta

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Revolve

The biggest trick? Ignore your actual crease when applying your 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

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 shadow 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 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 turning the entire brow bone brown.

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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Make Up For Ever

Charlotte Tilbury

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Urban Decay

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Ilia Beauty

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Using a brush as a guide for my outer corners

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.

Colourpop

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Jones Road Beauty

Jones Road Beauty

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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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Iconic London

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MAC

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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 lashline) 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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Chanel

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Nyx Professional Makeup

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

Tarte

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Maybelline New York

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Merit Beauty

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KJH.brand

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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.

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 was repeatable, reversible, and didn’t require numbing cream—or an annual five-figure budget.

More makeup tips:

How to Use Every Type of Eyeliner

The Best Easy-to-Use Makeup for Beginners

9 Eye Shadows That Won't Settle Into Fine Lines

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