10 Makeup Tricks to Make Your Eyes Look Bigger

How Can You Make Your Eyes Look Bigger with Makeup?

You can make your eyes look bigger by lining the lower waterline with nude pencil, curling your lashes, highlighting the inner corners, and keeping eyeshadow light on the lid. These four tricks open up the eye area instantly, no matter your eye shape.

Whether you have small, deep-set, or hooded eyes, the 10 professional techniques below make eyes appear dramatically larger, more open, and more awake. Makeup artists use them on every shoot, and they all work.

Trick 1: Line the Waterline with Nude Pencil

Lining your lower waterline (the inner rim of your lower eyelid) with a nude or white pencil is the single most effective trick for making eyes appear instantly larger. Dark liner on the waterline closes the eye and makes it look smaller. A nude liner opens it up and makes the whites of your eyes look more prominent.

Choose a nude shade close to your skin tone for the most natural result. White works too but can look stark in daylight, so save it for evenings or photos.

Trick 2: Curl Your Lashes Before Mascara

A lash curler costs almost nothing and creates an immediate eye-opening effect. Clamp at the root of clean, dry lashes, hold for 10 seconds, release, then move slightly further along the lash and clamp again for 5 seconds. This builds a natural curl instead of a sharp bend.

Always curl before mascara. Curling after mascara can snap your lashes. For maximum lift, follow the curl with a lengthening mascara on the upper lashes only. Length draws the eye upward, while volume alone just adds thickness. Learn the full technique in our step-by-step eyeshadow guide.

Trick 3: Highlight the Inner Corner

Apply a shimmery champagne or white eyeshadow to the very inner corner of your eye, where the upper and lower lash lines meet. This draws light to the center of the eye and makes the whole eye look more open and awake.

Use a small detail brush and press the shimmer in rather than sweeping it. One dab is enough. This is the fastest trick on this list, it takes five seconds.

Trick 4: Apply Mascara to Upper Lashes Only

Mascara on the upper lashes elongates the eye and opens it upward. Mascara on the lower lashes can drag the eye downward and make it look smaller. If you do wear mascara on the lower lashes, keep it to one light coat on the outer lashes only.

Wiggle the wand at the root of the upper lashes first, then pull straight through to the tips. This builds fullness at the base where it counts most.

Trick 5: Keep Eyeshadow Light on the Lid

Dark eyeshadow on the lid brings the lid forward visually, making the eye look smaller and more hooded. A light, shimmery shade on the lid reflects light and makes the eye look more open. Save the darker shades for the crease, where they add depth without closing the eye.

Champagne, soft peach, and light taupe are the most flattering lid shades for an eye-opening effect. See our everyday eye makeup tutorial for a full routine built around this principle.

Trick 6: Extend Your Brows Slightly

Brows that end too early make the eyes look smaller. Extending your brow slightly beyond the outer corner of your eye with a brow pencil elongates the eye area and creates more space between the brow and the lid, which makes both look larger.

Follow your natural brow shape and use light, hair-like strokes. Our eyebrow products guide for beginners covers the best pencils and gels for this.

Trick 7: Tightline the Upper Waterline

Lining the upper waterline, the skin between your upper lashes, with black or dark brown eyeliner makes your lashes look thicker and fuller at the root without a visible liner line. Thicker-looking lashes frame the eye better, which makes the eyes themselves look larger.

Use a waterproof pencil so it does not transfer to the lower waterline during the day.

Trick 8: Brighten Under the Eyes with Concealer

Dark circles and puffiness make eyes look smaller and more closed. Apply a brightening concealer one shade lighter than your skin tone under the eyes, blending it in a triangle pointing down toward your cheek. This brightens the whole eye area and makes it look more open.

Set it lightly with translucent powder so it does not crease. Bright under-eyes are the frame that lets every other trick on this list shine.

Trick 9: Blend a Matte Shade Just Above the Crease

Apply a matte shade slightly above your natural crease line. This lifted-crease technique is especially powerful for hooded eyes. By placing depth above where the hood falls, the shadow stays visible when your eye is open, creating the illusion of a larger, more defined eye socket.

Use a fluffy blending brush and build the color slowly. Harsh lines close the eye, soft gradients open it.

Trick 10: Add False Lashes to the Outer Corners Only

A full strip of false lashes can overwhelm small eyes, but lashes applied to the outer third only lift and elongate the eye beautifully. Cut a strip lash in half and apply just the outer piece, or use individual clusters on the outer corners.

This creates a subtle cat-eye effect that pulls the eye outward and upward. Pair it with the techniques in our cat-eye tutorial for a full lifted look.

Quick Reference: Best Tricks by Eye Shape

Not every trick suits every eye. Use this cheat sheet to pick the ones that work hardest for your shape.

Hooded Eyes

• Blend contour above the crease, not inside it
• Draw liner slightly above the upper lash line so it stays visible
• Skip liner on the lower lash line

Deep-Set Eyes

• Use light, shimmery shades on the lid
• Avoid dark shades in the crease, they push the eye back further
• Highlight the brow bone generously

Close-Set Eyes

• Highlight the inner corners to create space
• Apply darker shades to the outer third only
• Extend brows slightly outward

Wide-Set Eyes

• Apply darker liner and shadow near the inner corner
• Keep brows extended slightly inward
• Go easy on the outer-corner highlight

5 Mistakes That Make Eyes Look Smaller

Avoid these common errors and your eyes will instantly look bigger, even before you apply any of the tricks above.

• Thick black liner all around the eye. A full dark ring closes the eye like a frame. Keep dark liner on the upper lid only.
• Skipping the lash curler. Straight lashes point down and cast a shadow over the eye. Curled lashes lift everything up.
• Dark eyeshadow across the whole lid. A dark lid recedes visually. Keep the lid light and put depth only in the crease.
• Ignoring the brows. Overgrown or shapeless brows press down on the eye area. Even a quick brush-through opens things up.
• Matte everything. An all-matte eye has no light reflection. One touch of shimmer on the lid center or inner corner adds instant dimension.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does white eyeliner really make eyes look bigger?

Yes. White or nude liner on the lower waterline removes the dark border that visually shrinks the eye, so the white of the eye looks larger. Nude looks more natural for daytime, while white gives a stronger effect for evenings and photos.

Should I put eyeliner on my bottom lash line if I want bigger eyes?

Usually no. Dark liner on the lower lash line closes the eye and makes it look smaller. If you want definition below the eye, use a soft brown shadow smudged lightly along the outer third instead of a harsh line.

What eyeshadow colors make eyes look bigger?

Light, reflective shades like champagne, soft peach, and light taupe make eyes look bigger because they bounce light. Save dark shades like deep brown and charcoal for the crease only, where they add depth without closing the eye.

Can mascara make your eyes look bigger?

Yes, when applied to the upper lashes with a curler first. Lengthening mascara draws the eye upward and opens it. Heavy mascara on the lower lashes does the opposite, so keep the lower lashes bare or use one light coat on the outer corners only.

How do you make hooded eyes look bigger?

Blend a matte transition shade above your natural crease so the depth stays visible when your eyes are open. Keep the lid light and shimmery, skip lower-liner, and curl your lashes. These four steps counteract the hood and reveal more lid space.

Does concealer make eyes look bigger?

Indirectly, yes. Dark circles and shadows make eyes look sunken and small. A brightening concealer one shade lighter than your skin, blended under the eyes, removes those shadows and makes the whole eye area look more open and awake.

Final Thoughts

You do not need all 10 tricks at once. For a quick everyday fix, combine just three: nude waterline liner, inner-corner highlight, and curled lashes with mascara. These three alone create a noticeable eye-opening effect in under two minutes. Build from there as your technique develops.

For more eye looks built on these basics, try our easy everyday eye makeup tutorial and browse the best eyeshadow palettes for brown eyes to find shades that flatter you. The right makeup brushes make every trick above easier to execute.