Have you ever wondered about the shape of your eyes and how it influences your look?

I believe understanding your eye shape is one of the best ways to bring out your natural beauty.

From almond-shaped to hooded eyes, each type has its own unique features and charm. Knowing your shape can guide you in choosing makeup techniques that truly work for you.

In this blog, I’ll walk you through the most common eye shapes for females, explain what makes each one distinct, and share my favorite tips to highlight them.

With the right approach, you can make your eyes stand out beautifully and become the main focus of your makeup routine.

Understanding Different Eye Shapes

Each eye shape brings its own distinct beauty, and understanding yours can help you choose the best makeup techniques to enhance your natural features.

1. Almond Eyes

Almond eyes are shaped like an almond lying on its side, making them longer than they are tall. You can easily spot them by their pointed inner and outer corners, visible eyelid crease, and the way the colored part of the eye touches both the top and bottom lids.

These eyes look balanced and symmetrical, which is why many people consider them the perfect eye shape.

2. Round Eyes

Round eyes are exactly what they sound like – circular and open, making them appear larger and more youthful.

The biggest clue that you have round eyes is seeing white space above and below the colored part of your eye when you look straight ahead. These eyes have a visible crease, which makes you look innocent and approachable.

3. Hooded Eyes

Hooded eyes have extra skin that hangs over the eyelid, making the crease hard to see when your eyes are open.

To check if you have hooded eyes, look straight into a mirror – if most of your eyelid disappears under the skin fold, you likely have this eye shape.

4. Monolid Eyes

Monolid eyes are smooth from the lash line to the eyebrow with no visible crease or fold. This creates a sleek, clean look that’s naturally beautiful and unique.

You can identify monolid eyes by their flat, even surface that doesn’t have the typical eyelid crease that divides the eye area. This eye shape is common in East Asian communities but isn’t limited to any single ethnicity.

5. Upturned Eyes (Cat Eyes)

Upturned eyes have outer corners that naturally lift upward, giving them a cat-like appearance that’s both mysterious and attractive.

You can spot upturned eyes by drawing an imaginary line across your pupil – if the outer corner sits higher than the inner corner, you have this eye shape.

6. Downturned Eyes

Downturned eyes have outer corners that angle downward, creating a gentle, soft look that appears friendly and approachable.

To identify downturned eyes, notice if the outer corners of your eyes point toward your cheeks rather than upward. While some people think downturned eyes look sad, they actually create a very romantic and dreamy appearance.

7. Deep-Set Eyes

Deep-set eyes sit further back in the skull, making the brow bone look more prominent and creating natural shadows around the eye area. You can tell if you have deep-set eyes by noticing if your brow bone sticks out and casts a shadow over your eyelids.

This eye shape often makes eyes appear smaller than they actually are, but it also creates a very striking and intense look.

8. Protruding (Prominent) Eyes

Protruding eyes appear to bulge outward from the eye socket, making them look larger and more noticeable on the face. You can identify protruding eyes if they seem to stick out when you look at your profile in the mirror.

These eyes naturally grab attention and can handle bold, dramatic makeup better than other eye shapes. The protruding shape creates a natural “shelf” for eyeshadow, making colors appear more vibrant and defined.

9. Close-Set Eyes

Close-set eyes are positioned closer together than usual, with less than one eye-width of space between them.

To check if you have close-set eyes, measure the distance between your inner corners – if it’s narrower than the width of one of your eyes, they’re considered close-set. This eye placement can create a more intense, focused look that draws attention to the center of your face.

10. Wide-Set Eyes

Wide-set eyes have more space between them than average, typically more than one eye-width apart, creating an open and serene facial expression. These eyes give a calm and balanced look.

You can identify wide-set eyes by measuring the distance between your inner corners – if it’s wider than one eye, you have this eye shape.

Less Common Eye Shape Variations

Most people don’t fit perfectly into just one eye shape category. In reality, many of us have a combination of eye shapes that blend features from two or more types.

I have created a list of celebs who have these combination eye sets.

Learning to identify these combinations is key to understanding your unique eye structure and choosing the best makeup techniques for your features.

11. Almond + Hooded Eyes

These eyes have the classic almond shape with pointed corners, but extra skin folds over the crease, partially hiding the eyelid space.

They resemble elongated almond outlines, but upon closer inspection, you’ll notice that when these eyes are fully open, much of the eyelid disappears under the hood of skin.

12. Round + Deep-Set Eyes

In this particular set, the eyes appear circular and open like typical round eyes, but they’re set deeper into the skull with a prominent brow bone casting shadows.

You’ll see white around the iris (round eye trait), but the brow bone sticks out noticeably and creates natural shadows over your eyes.

13. Upturned + Wide-Set Eyes

These eyes have the natural cat-eye lift at the outer corners, plus they’re spaced farther apart than average across the face.

The outer corners lift upward (upturned trait), and the distance between the inner corners is more than one eye-width apart.

14. Downturned + Close-Set Eyes

The outer corners angle downward while the eyes sit closer together than average, creating an intense, focused gaze.

To identify them, look for the gentle downward slope at outer corners combined with less than one eye-width of space between the eyes.

15. Hooded + Deep-Set Eyes

This double challenge features both extra skin over the crease and eyes that sit back in the skull with prominent brow bones.

In this particular set, the eyelid space disappears when the eyes are open, and the brow bone casts additional shadows, making the eyes appear smaller.

16. Protruding + Round Eyes

These eyes bulge outward from the socket while maintaining a circular, open appearance with visible whites around the iris.

These eyes stick out noticeably from the face in profile view, and you can see white space above and below the colored iris.

How to Identify Your Eye Shape

Figuring out your eye shape is easier than it sounds – you just need a mirror and good lighting. Stand facing the mirror with your eyes open naturally, and follow these steps:

• Look at the crease: If the crease is hidden when your eyes are open, you may have hooded or monolid eyes.
• Check the iris visibility: If you can see the white above or below your iris, your eyes are likely round.
• Assess the outer corners: If the outer corners tilt upward, you may have upturned eyes; if they tilt downward, they may be downturned.
• Measure the space between your eyes: Less than one eye-width apart suggests close-set; more than one eye-width apart suggests wide-set.

By noting these details, you can match your features to the most common eye shapes for females.

Conclusion

In summary, knowing the eye shape names and understanding the unique traits of different eye shapes for females is a powerful step toward enhancing your natural beauty.

Each eye shape, whether almond, round, hooded, monolid, or another, offers its own charm, and learning to recognize yours can make a big difference in how you apply makeup and different makeup techniques.

By identifying your eye type, you can choose the right eyeliner styles, eyeshadow placements, and mascara techniques that bring out your best features.

If you ever need more tips, inspiration, or help figuring out your exact eye type, don’t hesitate to reach out. Beautiful, expressive eyes are just a few steps away.