Eyeliner Tips To Make Small Eyes Look Bigger: The Best Guide

Want small eyes to look noticeably bigger? This eyeliner guide covers exactly how to do it.

The eyes are usually the focal point of any makeup look. Even with minimal makeup elsewhere, well-defined eyes can enhance the whole face.

Some people are naturally born with big, doe-like eyes, while the rest of us rely on makeup techniques to get a similar effect.

If your eyes run on the smaller side, there’s no need to worry. With the right eyeliner technique and a bit of practice, that wide-eyed look is completely achievable.

Keep scrolling for the full breakdown.

Things To Make Small Eyes Look Bigger

Your go-to concealer
An eye primer
A good quality eyeliner (pencil, gel, or liquid)
An eyeliner brush
An eyelash curler
Mascara

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Moisturize

Everything starts with a smooth base. Moisturize the face and groom the brows to help define the overall eye shape.

Use concealer to cover any dark circles, and note that it can also double as an eyeshadow base in later steps.

Step 2: Primer

Cover the lids with an eye primer. This helps makeup glide on more smoothly and last longer through the day.

For oily lids especially, primer helps prevent early creasing, so it’s worth not skipping this step.

Step 3: Create An Arc To Make Small Eyes Look Bigger

Use eyeliner to place three small dots along the lid. These dots act as a guide for how thick the final line should be.

Connect the dots with a rough line at your desired thickness.

A medium brown eyeliner tends to give a subtle yet pretty result. Too much black can actually make eyes look smaller rather than bigger.

Step 4: Fill it in

Fill in the space between the dots using small, slow, controlled strokes.

It’s always easier to add more product gradually than to fix an overly thick line after the fact.

Step 5: Thicken the outer corner

Keep the line thin near the inner corner and gradually thicker toward the outer corner. A thicker eyeliner brush helps build up that outer thickness.

This technique naturally draws more attention to the eye shape.

Step 6: Apply Eyeliner On Lower Lashline

Using the same brush, apply eyeliner along the outer third of the lower lash line.

Connect this line to the flick from the upper lash line to form a subtle V shape. This detail helps the whole eye look pull together.

Step 7: Clean up the line

Use concealer and a detail brush to tidy up any uneven edges. A cotton swab dipped in makeup remover also works well for sharpening the line further.

A pencil liner tends to give a softer, more subtle finish compared to gel or liquid formulas.

Step 8: Curl and add mascara

Lashes matter just as much as the liner itself. Curling the lashes and applying mascara finishes off the whole look.

False lashes are a great option too if you want to push the drama a bit further.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I make my eyes look bigger naturally?

Brushing the brows upward with a dry toothbrush or spoolie brush lifts the eye shape and frames the face nicely. Curling the lashes and adding a coat of clear mascara also helps.

What eyeshadow colors make eyes look bigger?

White or light-colored shadow applied to the inner corners and center of the lid helps open up the eyes. Adding brown eyeshadow to the crease afterward gives the eyes more definition and depth.

What products work best for this look?

A soft gel or pencil liner is usually easier to work with than liquid eyeliner for this technique. Apply it and smudge slightly outward for a softer, more subtle glam finish.

And that’s really all it takes to turn small eyes into a bigger, doe-eyed look using a few simple techniques.