Eyeliner that looks great in a tutorial can sit differently on your own lids. A crease that disappears when your eyes open, a rounder outline, or a slight lift at the outer corners can all change the result. Checking these features separately makes your eye shape much easier to identify. Use the four mirror checks below to work out which features describe your eyes, then explore eyeshadow and liner placements that suit the look you want.
What Are the Main Types of Eye Shapes?
You may recognize your eyes in more than one description. The common types of eyes below refer to different features: overall shape, lid structure, corner angle, spacing, and depth. For example, an almond outline can also have hooded lids, and round eyes can have upturned corners. Use the chart below as a quick visual guide before checking each feature more closely.
Overall Shape: Almond and Round Eyes
• Almond Eyes: The eye opening has an elongated outline that narrows toward both the inner and outer corners.
• Round Eyes: A fuller opening and more pronounced curves through the middle give the eyes a rounded appearance. Overall eye size can vary.
Lid Structure: Hooded and Monolid Eyes
• Hooded Eyes: Skin above the eyelid crease folds over part of the lid, reducing how much lid space you see when your eyes open naturally.
• Monolid Eyes: The upper lid has no clearly defined crease between the lash line and brow. The amount of visible lid space varies from person to person.
Corner Angle: Upturned and Downturned Eyes
• Upturned Eyes: The outer corners rise slightly above the inner corners, creating an upward tilt that can range from subtle to pronounced.
• Downturned Eyes: With this shape, the outer corners angle slightly downward relative to the inner corners.
Eye Position: Spacing and Depth
• Close-Set Eyes: The inner corners sit relatively close together, leaving a narrower gap between the eyes.
• Wide-Set Eyes: More space separates the inner corners, so the eyes appear farther apart across the face.
• Deep-Set Eyes: The eyes sit farther back beneath the brow bone, which may cast a shadow across the upper lids. This describes depth, and it can occur alongside either closer or wider spacing.
How to Identify Your Eye Shape in 4 Steps
If you’re wondering, “What type of eyes do I have?” use an eye-level mirror and even lighting. Bare lids make the edges easier to see, especially if you usually wear winged liner. Keep your head upright, relax your brows, and let your eyes open naturally. Work through each feature separately and check both eyes.
Step 1: Compare Round vs Almond Eyes
Look straight ahead with your face relaxed and pay attention to how the lids meet the iris.
• Round eyes: You may see more white above or below the iris, and the center of the eye tends to look more open.
• Almond eyes: The upper and lower lids usually touch or slightly overlap the iris, with a clearer taper toward both corners.
If your eyes seem to sit between the two, blink and relax your face before checking again. Some eyes do not fit perfectly into either description, so focus on the closest overall match.
Step 2: Check the Angle of Your Outer Corners
Keep your head upright and find the inner corner nearest your nose. Picture a horizontal line running outward from that point, then check where the outer corner sits. Compare the corners of one eye at a time.
• Above the line: The outer corner sits higher than the inner corner, suggesting an upturned angle.
• Below the line: The outer corner sits lower, giving the eye a downturned angle.
• Almost level: The corners sit at a similar height, with little upward or downward tilt.
Use the point where your upper and lower lids actually meet as the reference, since liner, lifted lashes, and brow shape can make the angle look different. If the tilt is hard to judge, take a straight-on, unfiltered photo and compare both corners against a horizontal guide. Keep your head and camera level so the angle stays accurate.
Step 3: Look at Your Crease and Visible Lid Space
Lower your gaze slightly to look for a crease across the upper lid, then look straight ahead again. Notice whether a fold of skin overlaps the lid and how much space you can see above the lashes. Let your brows rest naturally as you compare these views.
• Hooded: You can see a crease, but a fold of skin covers part of the lid when your eyes open naturally. The overlap may stay near the outer corner or extend farther inward.
• Monolid: No clearly defined crease appears across the upper lid.
• Minimal hooding: The crease stays visible with little skin overlapping the lid.
Compare each eye separately if one crease sits lower or one fold covers more lid space. Visible lid space alone cannot tell you whether an eye is hooded or monolid.
Step 4: Check Eye Spacing and Depth
First compare the gap between your inner corners with the width of one eye, from its inner to outer corner. Treat that eye-width as a rough reference.
• A narrower gap suggests close-set eyes.
• A wider gap suggests wide-set eyes.
• A similar gap means the spacing sits around one eye-width.
A slight side angle can make depth easier to judge. Notice how far the brow bone projects relative to the eye, then return to the front before assessing spacing.
Hooding and depth can occur together, but they describe separate features. Hooding refers to the skin fold over the lid; depth describes how far the eye sits beneath the brow bone.
Quick Makeup Tips Based on Your Eye Shape
Once you know your eye shape, small changes in eyeshadow and eyeliner placement can help you create different effects. Use these ideas as simple starting points rather than strict rules, then adjust the colors, intensity, and finish to suit your style.
• Almond Eyes: Follow the eye’s naturally elongated outline. Keep definition balanced through the crease and outer corner.
• Round Eyes: Focus deeper shades toward the outer corner and extend them slightly outward if you want a more elongated effect.
• Hooded Eyes: Place color slightly above the natural crease so it remains visible when your eyes are open.
• Monolid Eyes: Build depth gradually from the lash line upward rather than relying on a visible crease.
• Upturned and Downturned Eyes: Follow the natural outer-corner direction, or angle shadow slightly upward if you want a lifted effect.
• Close-Set, Wide-Set, and Deep-Set Eyes: Adjust where you place light and depth to shift the visual focus of the eyes.
If you have round eyes, try an outer-corner-focused violet look with the Violet Strawberry Rococo Eyeshadow Palette in G01 Starmoon Strawberry. Use a deeper violet matte along the outer lash line, then soften the edge with lavender. Extend the color slightly outward for a more elongated effect, or keep it softly blended for a gentler everyday finish.
If you have deep-set eyes, try adding brightness to the visible lid with the Shell’s Jewel 6-Color Makeup Palette in 01 Moonlight Pearl. Sweep a pearl shimmer across the lid to catch the light, then use a soft neutral brown near the outer edge for gentle definition. The dusty pink shades can also add a softer, rosier finish without making the eye area look overly heavy.
For more detailed placement ideas, explore our complete guide to eye makeup for different eye shapes.
Conclusion
Understanding different eye shapes can make it easier to fine-tune shadow and liner placement. Start with the techniques that suit your eye shape, then experiment with color and finish to create the look you want. Explore Flower Knows eyeshadow palettes for soft mattes, delicate shimmers, and playful color combinations, or discover the full eye makeup collection to complete your look.
FAQs
Can Your Eye Shape Change Over Time?
The basic proportions of your eyes usually stay relatively stable, but the eye area can look different with age as eyelid skin loses elasticity and surrounding soft tissue changes. The crease may become less visible, and the upper lid can appear more hooded. Makeup can change how your eyes look, but it does not permanently change their underlying anatomy.
What Is the Most Attractive Eye Shape?
There’s no single eye shape that people universally find most attractive. Overall appearance comes from several features working together, including eye proportions, corner angle, lid structure, brows, and expression. Personal preference also plays a large role, so no one eye shape ranks above the others.
Why Does My Eye Shape Look Different in Photos?
Camera angle can change how your eyes appear. A close selfie, head tilt, raised brows, facial expression, lens distortion, and uneven lighting can all affect crease visibility, eye openness, or the apparent direction of the outer corners. For a clearer comparison, use a straight-on photo taken around eye level with a relaxed expression.
Can You Have More Than One Eye Shape?
Yes. Eye-shape labels often describe different features, so they can overlap. For example, you might have an almond outline, hooded lids, and slightly upturned outer corners at the same time. It is often more useful to describe each feature separately than to force your eyes into one category.
