Kitten Wing Eyeliner for Hooded Eyes

If you have hooded eyes, you know the struggle. You draw a perfect wing with your eyes closed, then you open them and it folds, disappears or looks like a broken line. I have so many of you asking me about this, so here is the method I use.

First, what are hooded eyes?

Look straight into a mirror with your eyes relaxed. If a fold of skin covers part or most of your eyelid, so you can see very little lid when your eyes are open, you have hooded eyes. They're really common and they're beautiful. They just need a slightly different approach.

The golden rule: keep your eyes open

This is the biggest tip I can give you. Always map out your wing with your eyes open and looking straight ahead. Whatever you draw with your eyes closed won't be what people see, because the hood will cover it.

How I do it

1. Find your angle. Look straight ahead and imagine a line continuing from your lower lash line up toward the tail of your brow. That's the direction of your wing.
2. Draw the flick first. With your eyes open, draw a short flick along that line. Keep it small. A kitten wing is short and subtle, which is exactly why it works so well on hooded eyes.
3. Connect it back. Close your eye gently and join the top of the flick back to your lash line. Keep this part thin, because most of it will sit under the hood anyway.
4. Check and adjust. Open your eyes and look straight ahead again. If the wing bends where it meets the fold, thicken it slightly just above the crease so it reads as a straight line when your eyes are open.
5. Soften it if you like. Take a small brush with a little Cool Brown and smudge the line slightly. It looks softer and hides any wobbles.

Don't skip the tightline

Run a dark pencil along your upper waterline, right in the roots of your lashes. On hooded eyes this makes the biggest difference of all, because it defines the eye even when the rest of your liner is hidden.

A little shadow helps too

Place your crease shade with your eyes open, just above the fold, so you can actually see it. Shimmer on the part of the lid that shows will catch the light and open up the eye. In the photo above I've used Shimmering Taupe through the crease and Lilac on the lid from Palette Vol.1.

Give it a go and be patient with yourself. Eyeliner takes practice, and every eye is different. Tag me @malloryosses so I can see how you go!

Mallory x