Different Eye Shapes

The eyes are the most exciting part to enhance with make-ups. The right strokes can improve your appearance dramatically or alter a character. An innocent looking lead actress can instantly transform into a mean villain after applying the tricks in eye make-up application.

Let us first get oriented  with the different eye shapes. Examples of each type will be those of local and foreign celebrities whose pictures were gathered from the net. Credits go to the respective owners of each photo. The ways to approach each with the proper makeup application will be discussed in a follow-up article.

I. Common Shapes/ Sizes

1. Small Eyes

Oriental eyes may fall under this category, but in general, this type refers to those peepers which are proportionately smaller than the rest of the face.  Example is TV Host Toni Gonzaga. She first striked me as one with closed-set eyes but upon re-examining her face, I decided she fits this description instead.

2. Prominent Eyes

This group is opposite to the first type, in which the eyes are prominent and tend to dominate the facial features. Think round, anime eyes but in human form. These types sometimes convey a surprised look that needs some toning down but can also be expressive and doll-like similar to Anne Hathaway's.

3. Almond Eyes

Having this shape may cause you to be subject of envy at some point because  although almond eyes are common, they considered to be the perfect shape which any eye color or makeup design will work on. See the picture of an almond below for your reference. Notice that it is pointy medially and gradually rounded laterally. Primetime TV's Darna, Marian Rivera, comes to mind when speaking of Almond-shaped eyes.

4. Protruding Eyes

Goiter probably pops into your mind when you hear protruding eyes but it isn’t limited among patients with thyroid disorders. Eyes like these don't have to be huge in proportion to the rest of the face but they do have an exaggerated bulge from the socket which can be more obvious when the eyes look down or are closed. Penelope Cruz and Angelina Jolie both have these and they don't look anywhere close to being a case of Grave’s Disease. Locally, there are a lot- from Concert Queen Pops Fernandez to Megastar Sharon Cuneta but we'll pick the award-winning Cherry Pie Picache who first starred in an Eskinol Commercial with Vilma Santos and is now one of the most in demand actresses effectively essaying her roles whether as a clever villain or a devoted mom.

5. Hooded Eyes

These are commonly seen in aging eyes which lost its elasticity, thereby causing the droop. These can also be found on young people with folds of skin hanging over the socket line just because they are born that way. Asian eyes can sometimes have a hooded effect, making the eyes look closed even when they are not. Grey's Anatomy’s Dr. Cristina Yang played by Sandra Oh enters the picture as an example for this eye shape.

6. Deep Set Eyes

Sunken eyeballs due to severe dehydration may illustrate an extreme case of deep set eyes but we are rather dealing with the eyes that lie deep into the socket commonly seen among Bollywood actresses. Women with these eyes are often considered a symbol of beauty such as Aishwarya Rai.

II. Distance

These categories are not descriptions of an eye shape but the distance between them which will likewise have an impact on your makeup application .

1. Closed- Set Eyes

When the eyes have a narrow space between them, this means you have closed-set eyes. Internationally, Jennifer Aniston was cited as an example but we'll choose the fabulous actress Cherrie Gil to represent our local scene. Between her small eyes is a thin,aquiline nose making the space appear narrower.

2. Wide Set Eyes

When the eyes are spaced farther apart than the length of the eye, where you can put more than one extra imaginary eye in between, they are said to be wide-set. TV host Pia Guanio has small eyes accentuating the distance between them, making her a perfect example for this category.

Now look at yourself in the mirror and examine the shape of your eyes. Note that each type may not be exclusive from one another. Yours may be a combination of two or more categories. You can have small but protruding eyes or huge and deep set eyes. Uh… having a combination of a small, hooded eye on the right and a huge almond eye on the left is an entirely different case in which a trip to an ophthalmologist may be warranted. Otherwise, we can always put out our eye shadows and brushes and begin the magic. Hang on for the tips on how to apply makeup for each eye shape in the upcoming posts.