These Are Hands Down The Worst Makeup Mistakes You Can Make With Hooded Eyes

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Roughly 11% of people have hooded eyes, which means an extra fold of skin partially hides their upper eyelid. So, while hooded eyes aren't necessarily rare, they do require a slightly different approach to makeup. If you follow a standard beauty tutorial, you could easily find yourself making one of the worst hooded eye makeup mistakes. "It took me far longer than I'd like to admit to [realize] that I have hooded eyes, and that's why my eye makeup often ended up looking like nothing, or a total mess on me," wrote one Reddit user. "I was following tutorials or techniques for eyes with a lot more lid space, and it was just a hot mess."

As a result, it's usually helpful to turn to a few key tips and tricks for applying makeup to hooded eyes. Mastering techniques for hooded eyes can help you adapt makeup looks so that they flatter your natural eye shape rather than looking like a beauty misstep. "Since hooded eyes vary so much from person-to-person, the best thing you can do is just get very well-acquainted with your own eye shape and practice until you never want to see an eyeshadow brush again," wrote one Reddit user.

Eyeliner is the ultimate product for adding definition to your eyes, but you'll need to apply it differently if you have hooded lids. "One of the biggest mistakes I see is applying too much dark or thick eyeliner across the entire upper lash line," says celebrity makeup artist Brielle Pollara. "When applying makeup to hooded eyes, you already have less visible lid space, so a thick liner can take up a lot of that space and actually make the eyes appear smaller or heavier."

There are plenty of tips for applying eyeliner to hooded eyes, but using a light hand is possibly the most important. "I like to keep the liner very thin through the inner part of the eye and concentrate more on the definition toward the outer corner," says Pollara. Instead of super bold or graphic eyeliner styles, like a thick cat eye, opt for designs that are more subtle. "I gave up on winged liner and tightline instead," wrote one Reddit user, referring to technique of applying liner directly to your lash line. "Sometimes I'll use a colored liner and smoke it out with the same colored shadow."

When you have hooded eyes, the "canvas" for your eyeshadow is smaller, which means that precise eyeshadow placement is all the more important. Applying your eyeshadow too low on your lid is one of the biggest mistakes you can make when you have hooded lids; that's because it will disappear into your natural crease when you open your eyes.

Instead, you'll want to bring the eyeshadow further up on your eyelid to make sure it's visible. "I always recommend doing your eye makeup while looking straight ahead in the mirror and bringing your transition shade slightly above your natural crease," says celebrity makeup artist Brielle Pollara. "That way, you can actually see the dimension you created when your eyes are open." When you're trying to nail the application of your eyeshadow on hooded eyes, the right tools are even more important. "Use very small brushes," advises one Reddit user. "Realize where you touch the brush down on your eye first will deposit the most shadow."

Since hooded eyes have an extra fold of skin, there's more potential for product to smudge or transfer. As a result, it's often a mistake to apply makeup with too heavy a hand. "Using too much product without properly prepping the eyelid can be an issue," explains celebrity makeup artist Brielle Pollara. "Hooded lids naturally have more contact between the skin, which can cause shadow and liner to crease or transfer throughout the day."

The best way to avoid this is by applying less eyeshadow. Also, be sure to prep your eyelids before adding any color, which is a great makeup tip for enhancing the beauty of your eyes even if you don't have hooded eyes. Pollara recommends applying products in thin layers, starting with a good primer, like Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. "I tend to use a very small brush and buff/blend the primer into my lid and the surrounding areas I intend to hit with eyeshadow, and I work in little circles," suggests one Reddit user. "I use very small bits at a time to prevent creasing and over-applying."