8 Celebs Who Mastered Makeup For Hooded Eyes

Applying eye makeup when you have hooded eyes is no easy feat. Our writer would know, as she's spent years drawing thicker and thicker lines just to try and make them visible, only to realize that the default way of wearing eye makeup isn't the only way. In fact, instead of trying to drown out delicate lid space with heavy pigment, it's all about working with the anatomy of the lid. 

Take some time to look into tips and tricks for applying makeup to hooded eyes, and you'll learn that investing in a good eyeshadow primer and letting your lower lash line take center stage can completely transform your eyes. If you're more of a visual learner and reading about tips for applying eyeliner to hooded eyes just isn't cutting it, looking to celebs for makeup inspo isn't a bad idea. 

Whether it's for a red carpet event or off-duty days, many stars are lucky enough to work with professional makeup teams to master techniques that flatter their specific eye shapes. Lucky for us hooded-eye gals, there are so many celebs that have mastered makeup for hooded eyes we can learn a thing or two from. From celebs who use clever placement tricks to those who opt for minimal makeup and let their natural eye color do all the talking, the women of showbiz are proof that hooded lids can showcase makeup beautifully.

Although Eva Green is known to experiment with everything from bold, moody eyeshadow to barely-there neutrals, for the "Babygirl" premiere at the 2024 Venice International Film Festival, Green opted for a softer approach that proved heavy, dramatic liner isn't the only way to make hooded eyes pop. She kept things light and bright with a delicate wash of shimmery shadow, and the real secret weapon was her long, curled, fluttery eyelashes. The lashes fanned upward and out, creating an instant lift that naturally opened up her gaze. 

Jennifer Lawrence has been a go-to source of beauty inspiration for women with deep hooded eyes, and her look at the Gotham Film Awards in 2025 is why you should consider swapping harsh liquid eyeliner for soft eyeshadow and smudged pencil. Crisp, stark lines can easily get creased or swallowed by the eyelid fold, but a softly buffed pencil creates definition that moves naturally with your lids. Her choice to blend warm tones slightly above the crease and out toward the temples keeps the depth visible.

Whether you have hooded eyes, monolids, or deep-set eyes, sometimes minimal, barely there makeup is the best way to show up to a big event. For "The Last House" premiere in August 2026, Greta Lee stunned on the red carpet, donning makeup that was so subtle it let her natural features do all the talking, especially her eyes. With a touch of soft nude shadow pressed close to the lash line and a natural lash lift, her eyes looked bright and lifted.

If there's one blatantly clear detail about Eva Mendes, it's that she loves smoky eye makeup. For as long as she's been in the spotlight, it's rare to see her without some version of smoky eyes. Mendes even shared her secrets to the perfect smoky eye look in a past tutorial with a celeb makeup artist. The trick to her beautiful look? Diffusing warm copper and espresso shadows outward toward the brow tail and along the lower lash line for instant dimension without harsh lines. 

Figure skating champion Alysa Liu let everyone in on her signature eye makeup routine in a tutorial with Allure. One of the main takeaways was that defining hooded lids doesn't require heavy false lashes. She opts not to overcrowd her lid and applies deep black liner along her lashline instead. She also likes to lean into a popular K-beauty technique: sculpting her aegyo-sal, which is simply going in with an eyebrow pencil or eye shadow to subtly contour the natural under-eye pocket. She finishes the look with volumizing tubing mascara.

In a 2024 interview with Marie Claire, Viola Davis shared that she feels her eyes are one of her greatest assets, and it's true. That's why the actor is often seen getting creative when it comes to her eye makeup. Two of her go-to techniques seem to be wearing colored eyeshadow on her lower lash line, and some variation of a smoky eye look. She's been spotted playing with rich jewel tones, metallic coppers, and smudged charcoals, emphasizing her beautiful and natural eye shape. 

Sarah Snook is another example of hooded eye makeup done right. She's never seen overwhelming her lids with too much eyeshadow, which otherwise runs the risk of getting lost beneath the brow bone. Instead, the "Succession" actor embraces intentional restraint. According to New Beauty, the actor's makeup artist gave Snook some warmth for the 2024 Emmys by layering a shimmery taupe cream base across the lid with subtle matte brown contouring in the outer crease. The look was finished with a tiny baby wing to give a natural lift.

Olivia Colman's 2020 BAFTA makeup look is proof that eyeliner never has to stick to basic black or brown, and creativity pays off. Her makeup artist for the evening told Vogue in 2020 that Colman's big, expressive eyes were the focal point of the overall look. And to make it happen, she stuck to using pink and lilac palettes. Rather than harsh lines, the makeup artist layered cocoa and plum pencils along the lashes and smudged the edges together for that perfectly blended, slightly smoky finish.