How to Use Makeup (& Other Tricks) to Get Smaller Looking Eyes

Makeup Hacks

Tightline your waterlines. Use waterproof eyeliner and apply it to your upper and lower water lines. Choose a dark color, like black or dark brown. This will make your eyes look deeper-set and your lashes longer. Be careful when tightlining not to get eyeliner on your eyeball.

Blend dark eyeshadow onto your eyelids. Take an eyeshadow brush and press the eyeshadow on the outer corner of your eyelids and blend towards the center. The dark colors shade the area and reflect less light, making your eyes look smaller. For a daytime look, consider using a lighter brown or purple. For a nighttime look, consider black, navy blue, or charcoal. Use matte eyeshadow to add extra depth. While you can use shimmery eyeshadow, keep in mind that it reflects light.

Draw on winged eyeliner. It’s easiest to use liquid eyeliner, but you can also use a pencil or gel formula. Start by drawing a line from your tear duct to the outer edge of your lower line. Pull the end of the line around 0.25 inches (0.64 cm) past the end of your eyelid. Once the line is drawn, fill in any blank spots. Lining the entirety of your upper lid with a thick, dark line will shrink the appearance of your eyelid and make it look less round. Gently pull the outer corner of your eye to make the application easier.

Brush mascara onto your eyelashes. Start at the root of your lashes and pull the brush upwards towards the ends. Keep brushing until you reach your desired color, length, and thickness. This step helps make your eyes look smaller by hiding your eyelids. Be careful while applying mascara. Try to hold the brush horizontally and parallel to your eyes. Don’t poke your eyes!

Natural Remedies

Limit your salt intake. Salt is a common culprit for under eye swelling, making your eyes look bigger. The puffiness can also create dark shadows, which adds to the appearance of large, puffy eyes. Salt makes your eyes puffy because your body retains water to keep a balanced ratio. Avoid high sodium foods like, pizza, chips, canned soups, and soy sauce.

Get 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night. When you don’t get enough sleep, the blood vessels under your eyes expand, creating bags and dark circles. Getting enough sleep, helps constrict these dilated blood vessels under your eyes. Keep in mind that some people need more than 7 hours and some need less.

Place cucumber slices on your eyelids for 20 minutes. Refrigerate a cucumber for at least 30 minutes before using. Lie down and place the cucumber slices over both of your eyes. Replace the cucumbers every 2 minutes for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes are up, wash your face with water. The cucumber’s cool temperature improves blood circulation, helping reduce the appearance of puffiness. Also, the antioxidants are good for you!

Eyelid Surgery

Talk to your doctor or plastic surgeon about blepharoplasty. Blepharoplasty is a procedure where a plastic surgeon cuts your upper and or lower eyelids. Then, they remove excess fat, muscle, and skin and close the incision. By shrinking your eyelids, your eyes will look smaller. Reach out to your doctor to learn more about the procedure and ask questions. Ask your doctor about the costs, dangers, benefits, and recovery time of the procedure. Before proceeding, make sure that blepharoplasty is right for you.

Schedule your appointments. Once you find a safe, well-distinguished surgeon, schedule your appointments with the office’s receptionist. You will at the least have to schedule a pre-op, procedure, and post-op appointment. Schedule your appointments for when you have an entire week free. Call to schedule your procedure early because procedure times can fill up quickly!

Undergo surgery. Follow any and all instructions that your surgeon gives you. Instructions often include, but are not limited to, when you can eat last, arrival time, and medications to take. After the surgery, you may temporarily experience blurred vision, watering eyes, light sensitivity, double vision, puffy eyelids, swelling and bruising, and pain.

Follow your surgeon's instructions to reduce swelling. After the appointment, you will be given more instructions to aid your healing process. These will include icing procedures, medications to take, restrictions, incision care, etc. While most swelling will go down in a week, it may take anywhere from 6 to 12 months for all swelling to go down. Follow all the instructions carefully, or you can risk a longer recovery or complications.