How to Make Your Eyes Look Bigger and More Attractive

It's scientifically proven that bigger eyes are considered more attractive. Here's how to make your eyes look bigger so that you feel prettier overall.

During the holiday season, you’ve probably found yourself hopping from one event to another or joining several celebrations right before Christmas up until the New Year. This probably meant a couple of things – having to wear (and buy!!) new dresses, using your favorite shoes and of course, dolling up by using make-up.

Like any other woman, you’ve probably spent time pulling at your eyelids to apply eyeliner and mascara, all in the effort of making your eyes bigger and brighter. There is nothing to worry about if you haven’t perfected that trick yet for this holiday season, you have the rest of 2015 to learn how to make your eyes look bigger with makeup.

Why would you want to make your eyes look bigger, anyway?

Some of us lazy girls have not perfected the eye makeup at all – the color combinations, the blending, and the brush-cleaning is enough to deter anyone who’s rushing out the door to avoid being late during the mornings. However, accentuating your eyes will actually make you look different, in a good way, which makes it worth practicing when you have spare time.

There’s a science behind the connection between bigger eyes and beauty, but let’s start with this statement:

Various universities’ studies show that men generally find women with larger eyes more attractive.

women with larger eyes

Why do they?

  1. There are a number of theories that attempt to answer this question, and this dates back to prehistoric times. Larger eyes, along with bigger breasts and fuller lips, were signs that a woman had higher estrogen levels, which also translated to better fertility. This meant that women with larger eyes were often seen as more fertile, and therefore, better “mates” for men.While fertility and estrogen levels aren’t really the main criteria for choosing mates nowadays, this kind of attraction has been embedded into human consciousness since caveman times.
  2. The second reason is that large eyes are a neotenous feature, which is a characteristic of youth, giving a certain appearance of youthfulness, innocence and naivety. As youth is considered an attractive trait among women, it makes sense that we would associate neotenous features or traits of youth with someone who has large and well defined eyes.
  3. The third reason is facial symmetry, which is also noted as an attractive trait among men and women. Defining your eyes and making them look bigger gives the face an appearance of symmetry, and therefore enhances its attractiveness.
  4. Lastly, another main reason in accentuating your eyes is the fact that it will change your look. If you’re really tired with your everyday face, adding drama by using tons of black liner and full fake lashes and Smokey Eyes, or going subtle with brown and peach liner, curled lashes, and natural hues can really make a significant change. If you choose the latter, when you accentuate the natural shape of your eye even just the slightest, people will think that you look different but can’t quite put their finger on what it is.
  5. Accentuating your eyes to make them appear bigger is a huge self-esteem boost as well. Studies show that primping yourself and spending extra time on making yourself look beautiful will also make you feel beautiful as well – that’s why makeup exists!

How to make your eyes look bigger in an easy way

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So, ready to get bigger eyes that exude beauty and youthfulness? How can it be achieved, anyway?

Well, there are many ways to get bigger eyes, and the most permanent solution would be to undergo surgery such as blepharoplasty (a procedure that creates eyelid folds) or lateral canthoplasty (a procedure on the lateral or outside area of the eyes). Secondly, there are products and procedures that temporarily give the appearance of larger eyes, including the following:

  • Eyelash extensions and false eyelashes – Eyelash extensions and false eyelashes make your eyes pop out and add drama to your face. False eyelashes are very, very temporary and last only for several hours (or the whole day, if you apply them properly). Eyelash extensions last longer, often for several months with regular touch-ups. When it comes to eyelash extensions and falsies, bigger is not always better, so make sure that you choose a length and thickness that is proportionate to the size of your eyes and face.
  • Eyelid glue or tape – Eyelid glues and tapes are products made from water-soluble materials which are designed to create eyelid creases. They are popular in many Asian countries where many women have mono-lids or eyelids without creases. Adding a false eyelid crease makes the eyes appear larger and brighter.
  • Big eye contact lenses – Big eye contact lenses or “circle” lenses are lenses that do not just cover the iris but also some of the white part of your eyes, producing that doe-like appearance.
  • Makeup – The most temporary, yet also the easiest and least invasive thing you can try. With the right tricks, makeup items and colors, you can create the illusion of bigger and bolder eyes.

You can try one of these methods, combine them, or use all of them together to achieve the look that you want.

Using makeup

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If you aren’t keen on going through surgery for bigger eyes, or just want to make your eyes look stunning for a party or event, then you can definitely achieve it by just using makeup. If you are new to makeup, you’ll probably need some time to learn and master the steps, but over time, it will become so easy that it won’t take you more than five minutes to do your eyes. To use makeup to make your eyes look bigger, you’ll need the following:

  1. Eye shadow
    Choose colors that will make your eyes pop, and it primarily depends on your eye color. If you have blue eyes, you may want to stick to copper, gold, bronze, shimmery champagne, peachy shades or beige. If you have brown eyes, choose bronze, purple, peach, teal, navy blue and green. If you have green eyes, opt for sepia brown, purples, rust and pinks, and if you have hazel eyes, go for yellowish browns, gray, dark purple and burgundy.
  2. Eye shadow brushes
    You’ll need something to apply your eye shadow with, and there are tons of brushes to choose from. Eye shadow brushes comes in different shapes and sizes, and the ones that you will need are the eye shadow brush, which is small, stiff and flat; the pointed eye shadow brush, which is dome-shaped and applies eye shadow precisely to places like the crease; the blending brush, which is soft and flower-shaped; and the eyeliner brush, which is small and angled.
  3. Eyeliner
    There are many shades of liner, and picking the color depends on the look that you’re going for. Are you going for a Smokey Eyed sultry look? Try kohl or soft black eyeliner that will easily smudge around your eyes and soft enough to be applied to the waterline without irritating it. Do you want to do a nude and natural look? Opt for brown eyeliners, which produce softer lines than black ones, to make your eyes look bigger; or, you can choose beige or peachy shades to make your eyes look more awake. If you’re going for crazy-fun look, choose metallic eyeliner colors such as blue, purple, green or gold! Line your eyes with these colors to make them pop. If you’re opting for innocent and wide-eyed, fresh young girl look, then go for white eyeliner, which is what Koreans (ulzzang) and Japanese pop stars choose.
  4. Primer
    You want your eye shadow to stay in place all day without creasing, especially if you’re wearing makeup from morning until night. Get your eyelid colors to stay in place by applying primer to your lids before you apply the shadow. It will help the shadow become more vibrant as well.
  5. Eyelash curlers
    They will make droopy lashes look alive – making your eyes look more awake and alive, too.
  6. Mascara
    Complete the look by adding mascara, which can automatically create the illusion of longer and thicker lashes.

Makeup tricks for bigger looking eyes

Basics:

  1. Apply concealer to get rid of the dark circles under your eyes. Dark circles make your eyes look small and tired, so make sure that your concealer hides the darkness and discoloration, and illuminate your under-eye area. Choose a concealer that is a shade lighter and warmer than your skin to hide purplish or bluish discoloration.
  2. Apply your primer to the lid area before dusting on eye shadow.
  3. Use your eye shadow brush to tap on the eye shadow that you like. For eyes makeup novices, remember that your eyes are divided into the lid, the crease, the brow-bone and the outer V. Ideally, complementary colors are placed with darker color on the lid, a smidge lighter on the crease, shimmery on the brow-bone, and darkest on the outer V. Be sure to blend these colors together using your blending brush, so that a gradient appears.
  4. Use eyeliner and line the upper lash-line. If you’re not too sensitive or have a steady hand, try tight-lining, which means lining inside the lash-line. Depending on the shape of your eyes, you can also line the entire lower waterline, or just line the outer half, to avoid getting that droopy or sleepy look.
  5. Curl your lashes and pile on the mascara. If you’re doing falsies, stick them on before you place mascara on the lashes. Make sure that you’re not applying mascara BEFORE you curl your lashes – it might cause your lashes to break and fall off.
  6. Remember to groom your brows as well – nothing destroys well-placed eye makeup than unruly, overgrown brows!

Smokey Eyes

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  1. Perform the basics by putting on concealer and primer on your eye area. If you want Smokey Eyes, choose a black kohl pencil which shall be the base of your eye shadow, dark shadows (these aren’t limited to black – you can also choose navy blue, dark mauves and purples or chocolate brown, but for this tutorial we’re going to stick to black) and false eyelashes.
  2. After applying primer, draw the kohl pencil all over your mobile lid area and slightly above the crease. Smudge it and pat on black eye shadow to further darken the area.
  3. Place some shimmery black eye shadow onto your outer V and extend it to a wing, and underneath the outer portion of your lower lid.
  4. For the crease, a shimmery dark gray shadow is best to form a gradient with the black eye shadow. Blend thoroughly until you can no longer distinguish where both eye shadows colors meet.
  5. Apply black kohl pencil to your lower waterline and tight-line your upper lash line. Curl your lashes and apply falsies, and apply mascara generously.

Natural look

  1. After applying your concealer and primer, choose earthy colors such as warm browns and gold for your eye shadow. Your liners must be in the same color family, such as deep browns, or if you want your eyes to look alive, you can opt for peach or light browns.
  2. Pat on the matte brown shadow to your mobile lid, and choose a slightly darker color for your cut-crease. The idea is to create a shadow on the crease. Blend the two colors until there is no demarcation line.
  3. If you have cool undertones, opt for a peachy highlighter for your brow-bone. If you have warm undertones, opt for highlighters in golden tones. Apply the highlighter on the brow-bone.
  4. Line your waterline with the light brown or peach eyeliner. You can opt for black eyeliner when tight-lining to make your lashes appear fuller and thicker.
  5. After tight-lining your upper lash line, grab your eyelash curler and curl your lashes. You can also use natural-looking false eyelashes if you have sparse eyelashes. If you are not, use dark brown mascara to make your lashes darker and thicker, without looking too dramatic. Brown mascara looks softer and less pronounced, but it will look very natural on you.

Spending a few extra minutes each day in accentuating your features is not a waste of time – rather, think of it as a way to boost your confidence and self-esteem.

What methods do you use to make your eyes look bigger? Do you have other makeup tricks that you regularly follow? Feel free to share them in the comments below.

Don’t forget to check out the eyeliner Infographic we’ve made for you: How to Apply Eyeliner for Every Eye Shape.

About the author

Justine R

On an eternal quest for happiness, Justine tries to lead a positive lifestyle by giving back to the universe and following natural approaches to parenting, health, food and beauty. When she's not on the beach, she keeps herself fit (and sane) by running and doing yoga.

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