If You Have Round Eyes, These Are the Expert-Approved Eye Makeup Looks to Try

Have you ever tried to recreate a friend’s smokey eye makeup look, only to realize that it doesn’t quite look the same on your eye shape? Finding the right makeup techniques to flatter your specific eye shape can be a journey of trial and error. At Who What Wear UK, we’ve spent years consulting makeup artists and gathering their tips and tricks for enhancing different eye shapes, from hooded to almond eyes. Today, we’re focusing on round eye shapes.

As someone with hooded eyes, I’ve always envied those with round eyes, as they offer more canvas to experiment with makeup. However, knowing where to start can still be a challenge. That’s why I reached out to Carly Utting, a senior makeup artist at MAC, to learn her recommendations for flattering eye makeup looks for round eyes.

Identifying Round Eyes Sometimes, it can be tricky to determine your eye shape. According to Utting, the best way to identify round eyes is to look directly into a mirror. “Usually, if the outer corner of your eye slants downwards and is not pulled up towards your ear, this indicates your eye shape is rounded,” she explains. “A rounded eye also generally looks more circular in the mirror than almond-shaped. Historically, most eye makeup is designed to ‘lift’ the eye into a more almond shape, pulling the outer corners upwards to elongate. This can be particularly challenging with a rounded eye shape, but not impossible. In fact, the difference particular eyeliner and eye shadow placement can make to a rounded eye can be quite incredible.”

Makeup Looks for Round Eyes So, what are the best makeup looks for round eyes? When considering your makeup, think about the finish you’d like to achieve. “If you are looking to enhance your round eyes and accentuate the rounded shape, adding darkness to the lower and upper lash line is the way forward,” says Utting. “Also, highlighting the center of the eye with a lighter, frosty shadow can really enhance the prominence of the shape.” However, if you want to alter the shape of your rounded eyes, Utting recommends adding deeper shades to the upper, outer area to balance and transform the eyes into a more elongated, almond shape. “Matte browns and grays work beautifully for this,” she advises.