If you have prominent eyelids, you know how hard it is to put on the right amount of eye makeup because even the smallest amount of makeup could make your eyes look “overdone”. 

However, with the right makeup combinations, you can make your prominent eyelids “stand out” and attractive.

In this post, I provide some useful makeup tips for prominent eyelids. I’ve also connected with a few beauty experts in the industry to share different makeup techniques for making your eyelids more prominent or reduce their appearance.

How to Make Eyelids More Prominent with Makeup

If you’re looking for ways to make your eyelids even more prominent, there is an easy eyeshadow trick that you can use.

For this technique, I connected with Laura Chawke, a beauty expert at Makeup Scholar.

Laura says that all you need is a matte eyeshadow a few shades darker than your natural skin tone and a blending brush.

Here’s What You Need to Do:

1. Lightly apply the deeper color eyeshadow in sweeping movements slightly above where you would naturally have an eyelid crease.
2. Follow up with some eyeliner along the top lash line and a few coats of mascara.

Using this technique, your eyelids will look more prominent and your eyes will appear bigger and more youthful!

How to Make Eyelids Look Smaller

If your eyelids are too prominent, you can make them look smaller with a few simple tricks.

The easiest way to make your eyelids look smaller is to first apply a darker matte eyeshadow and then apply a matte eyeliner on and under the eyelids.

Alexus Renée, a beauty expert and celebrity entertainment reporter, provides a great step-by-step guide for getting smaller eyelids with makeup.

Here’s What You Need To Do:

1. Apply a matte eyeshadow, preferably darker in color, to make the eyes appear smaller. Stay away from shimmery colors because they allow light to bounce off the eyes making them appear bigger.
2. Apply a matte/liquid eyeliner on and under the eyelids to help create the illusion of smaller eyes. Also at the lower eyelid, spread the eyeliner out with a eyeshadow brush from corner to corner.
3. Don’t use shimmery colors in the corners of your eyes, that will also make the eyes look bigger. Matte is where it’s at!
4. For big round almond eyes, wear lashes that are medium in size to shape the eyes and help make them look smaller.

How to Make Eyelids Look Bigger

If you’re looking to make your eyelids even more prominent, Sylvia Silverstone, professional beautician at Womenio.com shares that making the best use of your eyeliner can make your eyelids look bigger.

Make sure you drag the eyeliner a bit wider than the actual size of your eye, but not too much. This will make your eye look extensive overall and your eyelid will also appear bigger.

If you want to make them appear even bigger, use a white eye pencil on the inside of your eye. This also makes the eye appear full and the eyelid too.

Here Are Some More Tips for Prominent Eyelids:

Forget Eye Shadow

The whole purpose of using eye shadow is to bring attention to your eyes. They work wonders for people with smaller eyelids but people will prominent eyelids will find using eye shadow a bit “overwhelming”. 

Instead of eye shadow, first, try to even the areas around your eyes with a concealer and foundation. Then apply eyeliner to the upper eyelid and waterline. Finish the look with your favorite mascara.

Shimmer Your Eyelids

You can try to use some shimmers on your eyelids to give them a bit of sparkle. It helps to make your eyes look bigger. 

Darken the Outer Half of Your Eyes

Draw attention away from your eyelids by darkening the outer half of your eye. This will allow you to use almost any shade on your eyelids without it looking “overdone”. Don’t forget to experiment with eyeliner and mascara!

Use Matte Eye Shadows

If you can’t live without using your eye-shadow, try to use neutral matte color shadows that help you fade your eyelids and make them appear smaller. Top off the look with eyeliner and mascara. 

Fade from Inner Lid to Outer Lid

Highlight parts of your outer lid to make your lids seem smaller while allowing your eyes to look bigger. To do this you are  going to need three shades:

1. A light, neutral shade that closely matches your inner lid color
2. A medium shade that is slightly darker than your natural tone
3. A dark shade for your outer lid.

The goal here is to create a gradient effect from the inner lid to the outer lid.

Fade From Eyelash to Crease

Another way to make your eyelids appear smaller is to fade your eye shadow from your eyelash to the crease. You need 2 colors

1. A light, neutral shade that closely matches your lid color
2. A medium shade that is slightly darker than your natural color

Create a fading effect from your lid to your crease with these 2 colors. Don’t choose a color that is too dark for your crease because that will bring out the space between your eyes and the crease.