There aren’t many instances where “the bigger, the better” pertain to us ladies and our bodies, right? Well, for me and probably most of you, the eyes do qualify. I mean, who doesn’t want that doe eyed innocent look? I might be past my days of youth but I still want that wide eyed, baby doll face! Big eyes can look young and fresh, not to mention help you look wide awake! Fortunately, there are a few key techniques that will achieve the “big eyes” for all of us and they are super simple!!
6 Tips for BIG EYES!
- Contour your eye lids. This is super easy. Go HERE for a more in-depth tutorial. All I do is take a medium colored shadow (I used BOMBSHELL from the tartlette palette) and shade the inner to the outer crease of the eye socket. Be sure to blend outward so there are no harsh lines. Don’t be afraid to work it down the lid and up towards the brow. The key here is to create a bit of shadowing to add dimension. You want to focus the shadow away from the lid.
- Take the same color of shadow and apply below the bottom lash line. Leave a little space between your lashes and where you apply the shadow. I used an angled brow brush for more precision. Be sure to smudge the color with your finger or a q-tip. We want to avoid any harsh lines.
- Use a shimmery white/beige shadow and apply to the inner area of the eyes. This gives a bright eyed look. It makes you look more awake and alert instantly! While you’re at it, apply just below the brows as well. I like to use Benefits, High Brow because it makes my brow shape pop!
- Line your water line with a whitish beige eye liner. Using a beige colored liner, preferably water proof, apply to the tear line above your bottom lashes. I love THIS one because it lasts all day and doesn’t irritate my eyes.
- Shape and groom your brows. The higher the arch, the bigger the eyes appear. I have used THIS brow pencil for years.
- Curl your lashes and apply mascara. Lashes that are pointing upward tend to open the eyes. Don’t forget the bottom lashes too! I’ve been using THIS mascara for a fake eyelash look!
One big no-no if you have small eyes or are trying to make your eyes look bigger is to ditch the eye liner. Eye liner makes even big eyes look small. You can get away with liner on the top lid but I think it still makes your eyes look smaller.
I hope you found this tutorial helpful! The biggest and most important tip besides not lining your eyes is to invest in a beige waterproof liner. It not only makes your eyes look bigger-it makes your eyes look brighter as well!
xx, Jenni
I really love your makeup tutorials because they are easy to follow and give great results that don’t look over done. I have already been doing some of this (bought Benefit High Brow based on an old post of yours and love it!). The biggest thing I got out of this was to line my inner eye with beige. I was always afraid to do this as I wear contacts, but I read so many excellent reviews on the Tarte website that I think I need to try it.
Elizabeth-Yes, I have such sensitive eyes and really wanted that big eye look but not at the cost of irritating my eyes. I don’t deal with hardly any discomfort and none if I go slow and am careful. It makes such a difference with making you look awake and bright! I love high brow too-it’s not the most natural but it makes such a difference when highlighting your brow bone and it blends so well!! Thanks for your kind words-I work on the makeup tutorials for a while and by the time they are ready to publish I wonder if they even make sense!!
Thank you for the tutorial, Jenni! I have a beige liner, but I think I might like the Tarte liner better.
What is the color of the Tarte lipstick you are wearing in the after picture? It’s very pretty! The link only takes us to the lipstick, not to that specific color.
Thank you!
Thank you Karen! The lipstick I used is Tarte’s Angelic Nude.
Hi Jenni,
Do you use the beige liner on the bottom water line only or do you also do the top?
Thanks
Sue