What’s my eye shape? The one-minute mirror quiz
Eyeliner that looks perfect on one person disappears on another, and eye shape is almost always why. Answer five questions in front of a mirror to find out if your eyes are almond, round, hooded or monolid — and whether they are upturned, downturned, close-set, wide-set or deep-set — with the placement that suits them.
Danny Rose
Makeup artist · New York
How to find your eye shape in a mirror
Short answer: look straight into a mirror at eye level with a relaxed face, then check three things — whether you can see your crease, whether white shows above or below your iris, and whether your outer corners tilt up or down. Those three answers give you your main eye shape. Spacing and depth refine it.
- Hold the mirror at eye level and look straight into it without raising your brows.
- Find your crease. Visible with lid space below it? Partly covered by skin? Not there at all?
- Check your iris. If white shows above or below it, your eyes are round; if the lids touch the iris, they are almond.
- Imagine a line through your inner and outer corners. Outer corner higher is upturned, lower is downturned.
- Measure the gap between your eyes against the width of one eye. Less is close-set, more is wide-set.
Eye shape chart
Most people have one main shape plus one or two traits — hooded and downturned, or almond and wide-set, for example.
Eyeliner for your eye shape at a glance
| Eye shape | Eyeliner that works | Skip |
|---|---|---|
| Almond | Almost anything; a wing that follows the lower lash line | Nothing, really |
| Round | Thicker at the outer third, extended outward | A full ring of liner |
| Hooded | Tightlining, a smudged line, a “bat wing” drawn eyes open | Thick liner on the lid that the hood hides |
| Monolid | A bolder line, thicker toward the outer corner | A thin line that disappears when eyes open |
| Upturned | Balanced liner with a little definition on the outer lower lash line | A steep, upward wing |
| Downturned | A wing angled up; lower lash line kept light | Dark liner along the outer lower lashes |
My pro tips
- Always check your makeup with your eyes open. Especially with hooded or monolid eyes, what looks right on a closed lid can vanish when you open them.
- Hooded eyes smudge? A waterproof mascara and a pressed powder shadow over liner stop transfer onto the hood.
- Smudged liner is the most forgiving look for almost every shape — my step-by-step is here.
- Curl first, always. Lifted lashes open up hooded, monolid and downturned eyes more than any liner trick — even with no mascara at all.
- Eye shape changes with age. Many almond eyes become slightly hooded over time, so take the quiz again every few years.
Frequently asked
How do I know if I have hooded eyes?
Look straight into a mirror with your eyes open and your face relaxed. If a fold of skin from your brow bone covers your crease and most of your eyelid, so you see very little lid space, you have hooded eyes. If you can clearly see your crease and some lid below it, your eyes are not hooded.
What is the difference between hooded eyes and monolids?
Hooded eyes have a crease, but it is hidden by a fold of skin from the brow bone. Monolids have no visible crease at all, so the lid looks smooth from the lashes up to the brow. Both benefit from bolder liner and from checking makeup with your eyes open.
Can you have two eye shapes?
Yes, and most people do. Your main shape describes the lid and iris, such as almond or hooded, while traits describe the angle, spacing and depth, such as downturned, wide-set or deep-set. Makeup tips for both usually combine well.
What eyeliner is best for hooded eyes?
Soft, smudge-resistant liners work best on hooded eyes. Tightline the upper waterline so the lash line looks dense without taking up lid space, or smudge a kohl pencil close to the lashes. If you want a wing, draw it with your eyes open so it stays visible above the hood.