It's a bit of a beauty myth that small eyes shouldn't use eyeliner. When used in an entire ring around the eye, black liner can exaggerate the smaller shape, but the trick is to use a contrasting white or pearl-coloured liner in the lower waterline and keep the smoky eyeliner to the lower lashes instead.
Professionally, white eyeliner is a makeup artist trick for brightening up the face and making your eyes look bigger and more awake—particularly when used on the bottom waterline. When using a dark color on the bottom lash line, it can make eyes look smaller and drawn-down, but white has the reverse effect.
Apply a flesh-toned or white kajal pencil to the waterline and then follow it up with black kohl beneath the lower lash line. This trick creates an illusion of bigger eyes. This is an off-white shade that adds a subtle glow to your eyes. It leaves you with a matte finish with a rich colour payoff.
Despite what you may have heard, it's not the best idea to apply dark eyeliner to your bottom waterline because this can actually shrink the appearance of your eyes. Instead, apply your go-to eyeliner just below your lower lashes to help make your eyes look bigger.
Winged eyeliner can also help create the illusion of bigger eyes. If you have smaller eyes it's better to avoid heavy eyeliner on your upper lid, as this can make it look smaller.
DON'T line your whole eye.
Drawing your eyeliner from outside corner all of the way to the inside corner of your eye, on top and bottom, is just a whole lotta eyeliner. It's harsh and unflattering, and makes your eyes appear smaller. It also makes it look like you wear a studded black belt over your Billabong t-shirt.
A simple trick to make your eyes look bigger without makeup is to use an eyelash curler. The curled lashes will make your eyes look wider. Additionally, get enough sleep to rest your eyes and avoid puffiness. This will give your eyes a less squinty look.
"Contour eyes with a medium to medium deep shadow to the crease and outer crease of eyes," suggests the pro. "Contouring gives eyes depth and definition, making them look bigger, bolder, and perfectly shaped. Use one color for the entire crease and then go darker with a shade on top to the outer corner."
The biggest cause of this shrinkage is the lack of firmness around the eyes that occurs naturally as we age. The three key areas around the eyes affected by ageing are the undereye area, eyelids and the corners of the eye.
Liquid is best
“I recommend using a liquid eyeliner with a felt tip as it's easier to control and apply with less tugging and pulling of the skin. As we age, the thin skin on our upper eyelids tend to crinkle and many work around this problem by stretching the eyelid during application, which isn't a good idea.
A little white or nude eyeliner on your bottom lid can work wonders to make you look more awake and refreshed. Gently pull on your under-eye and trace the line between the lower lashes and the inside rim.
Also, try to avoid applying makeup on the lower lash line as it makes the eyes look smaller, highlights fine lines and drags down the whole face. The eyeliner can get smudged from the bottom lash line, clearly showing signs of fatigue, and making you look older.
Use light, neutral colors on the lid.
Dark colors recede, light colors bring objects forward. Placing a light color on the lid gives a larger appearance to the eye area.
"Eyes may look smaller as we age because the lids get heavier and sag and [bags may appear]," says Laura. "Plus, the loss of color and fullness in the lashes reduces the contrast that makes eyes look alert."
With age, the skin around our eyelids are more prone to lines and wrinkles, and you may see loss of density in your lashes. To bring back life to your eye area, Katsuk says matte eyeshadows are the way to go. “The general rule of thumb for smoother texture is to use more matte shades on the eyelids.
The bottom line: Liquid liner* is* safe to put in the inner rims of your eyes, but maybe not the best idea.
Line the eye just above the lash line on the top lid and just below on the bottom lashes. The key is connecting the liner at the outer corner. A pencil or liquid eyeliner works well as it won't shift from the outer corner where it can get damp from your eyes natural moisture.
Eyebrow with a higher degree of curvature generally have a higher brow ridge, which can increase the proportion of the area occupied by the eyebrows and the eyes, and longitudinally lengthen the eye area to make the eyes look larger.