Devon Martin: Tutorial : Liquid Liner for Hooded Eyes

Without a doubt, applying eye makeup feels a hundred times more difficult when you have hooded eyes. As I have gotten older I have learnt to love my eyes and realise that I simply need to learn the techniques to suit my eye shape.

I think liquid eyeliner is a constant battle for any makeup lover to master and is even more difficult for those of us with hooded lids. I therefore would love to share the tips and tricks that I have learnt to help you with that dreaded feline flick.

I start with a nude matte shadow across my lid and run a subtle darker matte brown through my crease. In this look I used two colours from the Smashbox Full Exposure Palette. The lighter shade M4 is across my lid and the darker shade M5 is through my crease.

I then start with my eyeliner and apply a very thin line as close to my lash line as possible. Starting from the centre I draw a line down to my outer corner and then from the centre down to my inner corner. I start from the centre each time so that I never have the bulk of my product in the corners of my eyes, this helps to stop the liner smudging and allows you to apply it in the corners with greater precision. I then, with my eye open, draw a short line that follows on from where my outer lower lash line ends and up as far as I want the wing to go.

Once I have this basic line I then begin to build up the liner to create a bolder look. I only ever make the liner thicker on the outer half or even outer third of my eye. This is the most important aspect of applying liner to a hooded lid. I find that keeping the inner and middle portion of the line thin allows the lid space to still to be seen. The thicker outer line and wing then creates a bold look and helps to elongate the eye.

I continue to build up the line and wing until I am happy with the thickness and then apply mascara to finish the look. I personally prefer to only wear liner on my upper lid as I have small eyes and find that top heavy eye looks open up my eyes better. However if you wanted to you could carry the liner on to the lower lash line as well. Again, keep the line as thin as possible on the inner and middle section and build it up on the outer section up towards the wing.

When I am wearing a bold liner I love to pair this with a deep red lipstick. The one I am wearing here is the Maybelline Color Sensational in the shade 547, a gorgeous classic red. The two liners I used in this look are the L'Oreal Paris Super Liner Black Lacquer, to draw the initial thin line, and the L'Oreal Paris Super Liner So Couture Pen to build up the thickness and perfect the wing.