Eye makeup guide
Eye Makeup for Downturned Eyes: Lift the Outer Corner
Eye makeup for downturned eyes has one job: lift the outer corner. The outer corner sits below the inner one, and any color or liner that follows it downward doubles the droop.
My aunt has downturned eyes and spent years drawing wings that followed her lower lash line, which pointed at the floor. The day she angled the wing toward her brow tail instead, she looked like she'd slept for a week. One line, moved a few degrees.
Quick answer
Downturned eyes have outer corners that sit below the inner corners. Lift them with shadow blended up and out past the corner, a wing angled toward the tail of the brow, and mascara on curled outer lashes. Keep the outer lower lash line light.
Want a second opinion? The free eye shape detector checks your eye shape from one photo.
In this article(11 sections)
Confirm your eyes are downturned
- Face a mirror at eye level with your face relaxed, or take a straight-on photo.
- Picture a level line running out from your inner corner, the tear duct side.
- Check the outer corner against it. Clearly below the line means downturned, on the line means neutral, and above it means upturned.
The downturned eyes guide has photos and the full trait breakdown. Plenty of downturned eyes are also hooded or deep-set, and the placement below still applies, with the fold rules from the hooded eye makeup guide layered on top.
The corner line test answers it in seconds. Draw a line from the inner corner to the outer one: on the upturned eye below it climbs above the level line, and on a downturned eye it drops below.
What you're working with
The lower lash line tilts down at the outer third, so it acts like a slide. Liner or shadow that follows it carries the eye down with it. Every technique here either redirects that line upward or leaves it alone.
The upside nobody mentions: downturned eyes do soft, romantic looks better than any other shape. Marilyn Monroe built a career on that outer-corner drop. Lift when you want lift, and lean in when you don't.
Eyeshadow placement for downturned eyes
- Prime the lid thinly and set it with a skin-tone matte.
- Run a medium transition shade through the crease, and at the outer third, angle it upward toward the tail of your brow.
- Press your deeper shade at the outer corner in a V, then blend it up and out, never straight across.
- Keep the outer third of the lower lash line light, or sweep its shadow upward to meet the wing instead of following the lashes down.
- Add a light shade at the inner corner and the center of the lid to open the eye.
Blend in strokes that travel toward the temple. Circular blending rounds the eye off and drops the corner back down.
The lifted wing, step by step
- Look straight into the mirror with your eyes open.
- Find the tail of your brow. That's the direction the wing points, not the angle of your lower lash line.
- Start the wing at the outer third of the upper lash line, not at the corner itself. Starting early skips the droopiest part of the eye.
- Draw a short stroke angled up toward the brow tail. A few millimeters is plenty.
- Connect it back to the lash line and fill the small triangle.
- Keep the line thin at the inner corner and let it thicken toward the wing.
If the wing still reads as a droop, the angle is following your lower lashes. Raise it a few degrees and shorten it. Check both eyes open before you call it done.
Mascara and lashes for downturned eyes
- Curl the outer lashes with extra pressure. On downturned eyes they point downward at rest, and the curl does half the lift on its own.
- Weight mascara on the outer third and sweep the wand upward, not outward.
- A half lash or outer-corner accent lash lifts the corner without a strip's weight. Full strips with flared ends work too, as long as the longest hairs sit at the outer edge.
- Go light on lower mascara at the outer third, or skip it there. Dark pigment below a dropped corner drags it further down.
Brows for downturned eyes
A brow tail that angles down echoes the droop. Keep the tail level with or slightly above the head of the brow, and end it near the line from the nostril through the outer corner. A soft lift at the arch opens the whole eye area. When I fill mine, I darken the arch and let the tail taper off light.
Looks for downturned eyes
- Everyday lift. Transition shade angled up, tightlined upper lashes, curled outer lashes with one coat.
- Lifted smoky eye. Brown smoked along the upper lashes and blended up and out, with the lower lash line kept bare at the outer third.
- Short wing. Thin line, wing aimed at the brow tail. The classic fix.
- Bedroom eyes. Skip the lift entirely. Smudge soft shadow along the lower lashes and let the droop do the work. Save it for evenings.
- Bright and bare. Concealer on the lid, champagne shimmer in the center, curled lashes. For days when liner feels like effort.
Mistakes that exaggerate the droop
- Wings that follow the lower lash line downward.
- Dark shadow or liner on the outer third of the lower lash line.
- Thick liner at the outer corner, which weighs down the exact spot you want lifted.
- Skipping the lash curl.
- Brow tails that angle down toward the ear.
Products worth having
- A pen-style liquid liner with a fine tip, for the short angled wing.
- A waterproof mascara that holds a curl, since outer lashes on downturned eyes drop fast.
- A lash curler that fits your eye, plus five extra seconds on the outer lashes.
- A matte transition shade a step deeper than your skin, and a small angled brush for the outer V.
- Concealer one shade light, to clean the edge under the wing.
Frequently asked questions
What eyeliner suits downturned eyes?
A thin line that thickens toward the outer third, finished with a short wing angled toward the brow tail. Draw it with your eyes open, and don't let it follow the lower lash line down.
Can downturned eyes wear a smoky eye?
Yes. Blend the smoke up and out toward the temple instead of straight across, and keep the outer lower lash line light.
How do I make downturned eyes look lifted?
Shadow blended up and out at the outer corner, a short wing aimed at the brow tail, curled outer lashes with mascara swept upward, and a brow tail that stays level.
Do downturned eyes suit false lashes?
Half lashes and outer-corner accents suit them best, because they lift without weighing the lid down. If you wear full strips, pick ones with the longest hairs at the outer edge.
Are downturned eyes the same as hooded eyes?
No. Downturned describes the corner angle, and hooded describes a skin fold over the crease. The two often come together, and both sets of placement rules can apply at once.
