A hooded eye hides its own crease: a fold of skin from the brow bone covers part or all of the socket when the eye is open, and whatever was drawn inside the fold disappears. It is one of the commonest eye shapes and the one most often made up wrongly, because the standard map — crease shade in the crease, wing along the lashes — is built for an eye whose crease shows. This guide moves the map to where the hooded eye actually shows its makeup.
Reading the hood
With the eye open and relaxed, straight into a mirror: the fold from the brow bone rests on the lid and covers the crease. The visible lid is small and shrinks further when the eye opens wide. The edge of the fold — where skin meets visible lid — is the line everything is built around.
Hoods vary: some cover only the outer half (common with age), some the whole crease, some are heavy enough that the lid is barely visible when open. Read the hood on each eye; they are often different.
The rules
- Everything is placed and checked with the eye open. Closed-eye work on a hooded lid is guesswork.
- The "crease" is above the fold. The shadow that shapes the eye goes where it shows — just above the fold's edge — not in the socket.
- Matte on the lid, shimmer at the inner corner. Shimmer on a hooded lid catches light on the fold and reads as puffiness.
- Long-wear everything. The hood rests on the lid and transfers anything creamy or wet: primer, set lid, gel or liquid liner, powder over cream.
- Lift, do not close. Outer-half emphasis, raised wing, outer-third lashes, a lifted brow tail.
Eyeshadow
- Prime and set the lid with a skin-tone powder.
- Transition shade in a soft matte, blended above the fold with the eye open — higher than it feels right.
- Crease shade (deeper matte) placed along and just above the fold's edge, blended upward; check with the eye open that it shows.
- Lid: a matte or satin mid-tone, pressed on; shimmer only at the inner corner or a small centre point.
- Outer edge: the deepest shade at the outer edge, blended up and out, not into the fold.
- Lower lash line: a soft shade on the outer half, to balance.
- Brow bone: matte highlight, sparingly; a shimmer brow bone drops the eye.
Full zones and order: How to Apply Eyeshadow.
Eyeliner
- Tightline the upper waterline — definition that costs no lid space.
- Lid line thin, on the outer two-thirds; a thick line eats the small lid.
- Wing angled higher than the lash line, drawn with the eye open, so the tail sits above the fold and stays visible. Map the tail dot first.
- Gel or liquid only; pencil on the lid transfers to the hood within the hour.
- Step-by-step: Winged Eyeliner Step by Step.
Lashes and mascara
- Curl, then waterproof mascara, more on the outer half.
- False lashes with a fine band and length toward the outer half, or individual clusters on the outer third. A heavy strip with long inner lashes closes the eye and touches the hood.
Brows
A mapped brow with the arch and tail slightly higher gives the hood more room and lifts the whole eye. The front stays soft. See Eyebrow Mapping.
For brides
Hooded eyes and a bold bridal eye are compatible: matte sculpt above the fold, a raised gel wing, kajal in the waterline set with powder, outer-third lashes, a lifted brow. The trial's open-eye photograph decides the placement; the day's work copies it.
Common mistakes
- Crease shade in the socket — invisible when the eye opens.
- The wing along the lash line — swallowed by the fold.
- Pencil liner on the lid — on the hood by noon.
- Shimmer all over the lid — reads as puffiness.
- Heavy strip lashes — close the eye.
- Checking the work with the eye closed.
From Chhaya Yadav's experience
Observations from bridal and teaching work in Jaipur — professional observations, not statistics.
- Hooded eyes are the norm among my brides, not the exception, and the raised, open-eye wing is the technique I teach most.
- "My eyeshadow always disappears" is a hood every time; the crease shade goes above the fold and the problem is gone.
- Two hoods are rarely the same. I map each eye separately — the higher hood gets its crease shade slightly higher.
- Outer-third clusters have replaced full strips for most of my hooded brides; the eye lifts instead of closing.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my eyes are hooded? Look straight into a mirror with the eye open and relaxed. If a fold of skin from the brow bone covers part or all of the crease, and the visible lid space is small, the eye is hooded. It is common, and it changes where every product goes.
Where does the crease shade go on hooded eyes? Above the natural fold — where the shadow is visible with the eye open — not inside it. Find the spot by looking straight ahead and marking where the fold's edge sits; the crease shade goes just above that line.
Which eyeliner works on hooded eyes? Gel or liquid, drawn with the eye open, thin on the lid, angled higher so the tail sits above the fold. Pencil on the lid transfers onto the hood. Tightlining does much of the defining without taking lid space.
Do false lashes help hooded eyes? Yes, if they are chosen for it: lashes with length at the outer half and a fine band, or individual clusters at the outer third, lift the eye. A heavy strip with long inner lashes closes it.
Why does my eye makeup smudge on hooded lids? The hood rests on the lid and transfers anything wet or creamy. Prime and set the lid, use long-wear gel or liquid liner, powder shadow over cream, and let liquid dry before opening the eye wide.
Key takeaways
- Work with the eye open; the crease is above the fold.
- Matte lid, shimmer at the inner corner only; long-wear everything.
- Thin lid line, tightline, raised gel wing with the tail above the fold.
- Outer-half lashes and a lifted brow open the eye; heavy strips and shimmer close it.