Eye Shapes: The Full Field Guide
Eye shape is decided by three measurements: the visible height of the iris, the angle of the outer corner relative to the inner corner, and the gap between your two eyes compared with the width of one eye; the classic proportion is one eye-width of space between the inner corners. Almond is the statistical average (the iris touches the lid lines top and bottom, with the outer corner a millimetre or two higher), and the seven other shapes are defined by how they deviate from it. Work through the sections below; most people match one shape on structure and another on spacing, which is normal.
Quick jump: Almond · Monolid · Hooded · Round · Upturned · Downturned · Close-set · Wide-set
Almond eyes
How to tell: the iris touches both the upper and lower lid lines with the corners covered, and the outer corner sits slightly higher than the inner corner, usually by 2–4 mm. The visible iris height is moderate: more than half but less than fully exposed. This is the shape most eye-makeup diagrams are drawn on.
Makeup that works: nearly everything, so the useful question is emphasis. A thin-to-medium line along the upper lash line with a short wing follows the natural lift; smoky shading on the outer third deepens the almond read. Avoid heavy liner on the lower waterline, which visually shortens the shape.
Monolid eyes
How to tell: no visible crease above the lash line when the eye is open: the skin from brow to lashes reads as one smooth surface, and the mobile lid is hidden. (A hidden crease under a fold is hooded, not monolid; the distinction is whether a crease exists at all.) Monolids are the most common lid structure in East Asian populations, and the lash line often sits closer to the eyeball, so lashes point downward.
Makeup that works: thin, graphic liner that stays within a few millimetres of the lash line: thick bands disappear into the lid when the eye opens. Gradient shadow (deepest at the lash line, fading upward) creates depth without needing a crease to land in. Lash curlers earn their keep here more than on any other shape.
Hooded eyes
How to tell: a crease exists, but a fold of skin from the brow covers it when the eye is open, hiding most of the mobile lid. The tell in a mirror: with eyes open and relaxed, your eyeshadow would transfer onto the hood above. Hooding increases with age as brow skin descends, so this is the shape most people grow into rather than are born with.
Makeup that works: place shadow with the eye open, slightly above where the hood ends, so the colour shows. Matte medium tones on the hood recede it; shimmer on the mobile lid catches light below. Keep liner to the outer two-thirds and thin, or tightline instead: a thick line eats the little visible lid that remains.
Round eyes
How to tell: you can see white below the iris when looking straight ahead, or the iris appears fully exposed between the lash lines. The visible height-to-width ratio is high: the eye reads as a circle rather than a horizontal oval. Round eyes often pair with a large-looking iris, which is why people describe them as "doll-like".
Makeup that works: the goal is horizontal extension. Winged liner that continues past the outer corner, shadow elongated on the outer third, and liner kept off the lower waterline all stretch the shape. Skip heavy lower-lash mascara, which emphasises the vertical.
Upturned eyes
How to tell: the outer corner sits clearly above the inner corner, more than the 2–4 mm almond average, enough that a horizontal line across the inner corners would pass below the outer ones. The overall read is a natural cat-eye lift.
Makeup that works: celebrate it or balance it. A wing follows the existing angle for drama; shadow heavier on the outer lower corner (under the eye) counterbalances the lift for a rounder read. Liner thicker at the outer third than the inner is the one rule both approaches share.
Downturned eyes
How to tell: the mirror image of upturned: the outer corner sits below the inner corner, so a line across the inner corners passes above the outer ones. The shape can read as gentle or tired depending on degree; a few millimetres is common, more than about 5 mm is pronounced.
Makeup that works: lift the outer corner deliberately. A wing drawn from the lower lash line upward (rather than extending the upper line) cheats the angle; shadow concentrated on the outer upper lid pulls attention up. Avoid dragging liner downward at the outer corner, which doubles the droop.
Close-set eyes
How to tell: the gap between your inner eye corners is less than the width of one eye. Hold a finger or a makeup brush handle vertically against the side of one eye: if it clears the other inner corner with room to spare, you are close-set. Spacing and shape are independent: close-set eyes can be almond, hooded, round or any other structure.
Makeup that works: keep the inner third clean, with no liner or shadow before the iris edge. Concentrate liner, shadow depth and mascara on the outer two-thirds to push the eyes apart visually. Highlight on the inner corners adds a bright, open read without using any width.
Wide-set eyes
How to tell: the gap between the inner corners exceeds one eye-width. The same brush-handle test applies: if a full eye-width fits between your inner corners and then some, you are wide-set. Like close-set, this is a spacing trait that stacks with any lid structure.
Makeup that works: bring attention inward. Liner and shadow can start right at the inner corner; a touch of depth on the inner third and a brighter highlight between the brows shorten the apparent gap. Heavy outer-corner wings exaggerate the spacing, so keep wings short.
Shape plus spacing: how the labels combine
Structure (almond through downturned) and spacing (close-set, wide-set) stack. "Hooded, close-set" or "almond, wide-set" are complete answers. When a tutorial says "best eyeshadow for your eye shape", check which axis it means: crease placement advice belongs to structure, placement-along-the-lid advice usually belongs to spacing.
While you're measuring things: the free face shape detector maps your full face in the browser.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common eye shape?
Almond, by a wide margin: population surveys consistently place it near half of all eyes, with round next at roughly one in five. The specialised shapes (pronounced up- or downturn, strong hooding) are each well under one in ten, though mild versions of each are common.
Can I have two different eye shapes?
Yes: asymmetry of a millimetre or two between the eyes is the norm, not the exception, and some people have a crease on one eye and a monolid or hooded fold on the other. Classify each eye separately, then apply the makeup advice for the more restrictive shape to both for symmetry.
Do eye shapes change with age?
Structure stays; lid exposure changes. Brow skin descends and lids thin with age, so open-eyed crease visibility decreases: almond eyes often become hooded over the decades, and upturned corners soften toward neutral. The spacing and corner-angle traits are bone-deep and stable.
Is monolid the same as hooded?
No. A monolid has no crease at all; a hooded eye has a crease that a fold of skin covers when open. The practical test: with eyes closed, trace the lid: a crease line you can feel or see means hooded; a smooth surface means monolid. Makeup strategy differs, since hooded eyes need crease-aware placement and monolids need crease-free gradients.