How to Use Makeup to Make Eyes and Lips Appear Larger

There are some great tips and tricks you can use to make both your eyes and lips look bigger without having to resort to a medical procedure or injections! Use a subtle hand to apply your makeup so that the effects look as natural as possible. Once you know what works for you, you’ll be able to add these techniques to your daily routine with ease.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Creating Bigger Eyes

1. Cover dark circles with concealer to brighten your eyes. When you want to make your eyes look bigger, think “lighter and brighter.” Dark circles make your eyes look smaller. After you’ve applied the rest of your foundation, use a concealer underneath your eyes to fully mask any dark circles.^[1]
   
   
   • For the best results, use concealer that is a shade lighter than the rest of your foundation.
2. Fill in your brows to create a more defined border for your eyes. Darker, bolder brows create an outline for the rest of your eye makeup and can help define your eyes so that they are more expressive. Opt for a brow filler that is the same shade or slightly darker than your natural hair color for the most natural looking effect.^[2]
   
   
   • Don’t forget to pluck any stray eyebrow hairs before you fill them in.
3. Create dimension on your eyelids with eyeshadow. Choose a shade of eyeshadow that is slightly darker than your skin tone and sweep it over the crease of your eyelid with a makeup brush. Brush the eyeshadow up toward your eyebrows and out toward the end of your eyebrow line to create a smokey look that will enlarge your eyes. Use a lighter shade of shadow for your actual eyelids.^[3]
   
   
   • You could also apply eyeshadow along your lower lash line from just the middle of your eye out to the outer corner.
   • Make sure to blend the eyeshadow into your skin so there are no discernible lines.
   • Stick with lighter, neutral shades of eyeshadow to make your eyes look bigger. Beiges, tans, browns, and bronzes are your friend!
4. Make your eyes pop by using a flesh-toned liner on your bottom waterline. You may be tempted to line your eyes on the top and bottom with brown or black liner, but that can actually make your eyes look smaller. Use a flesh-toned liner to brighten and lighten your eyes along your waterline.^[4]
   
   
   • Apply the liner as quickly as you can, otherwise, your eyes will start to water and the liner will smudge.
5. Keep darker eyeliner as close to your upper lash line as possible. Use black or brown eyeliner on your upper lids to create definition. Do your best to draw a thin line that adheres close to your actual lash line. A thick, dark sweep of eyeliner will make your eyes look smaller, but a thinly applied line will open up your eyes.^[5]
   
   
   • Liquid eyeliner or a pencil that you can sharpen are the best tools for this process. They give you more control over the thickness of the line.
6. Extend eyeliner out and up past the corners of your eyes to elongate them. This is basically the same as creating a cat eye, just with a focus on making that line a little bit thinner than usual. When drawing the winged tip, make it a little bit thicker than the line on your eyelid and bring the end upwards at a slant rather than straight out from your eye.^[6]
   
   
   • If your cat eye tends to crease and smudge when you smile, try using a setting spray to keep it in place for longer.
7. Widen your eyes by adding a nude iridescent shadow to your tear ducts. Rather than using a brightly colored eyeshadow, stick to a skin-tone, like beige, tan, bronze, or brown. Simply dab an eyeshadow brush into the shadow and pat it over top of your tear ducts. You could also use a Q-tip for the same effect.^[7]
   
   
   • Try to use a shade of eyeshadow that is slightly lighter than your skin tone for a gentle contrast. If you want a sharper contract, use a white eyeshadow.
8. Use a lash-lengthening mascara to make your eyes look bigger. Once the rest of your eye makeup is done, apply a single coat of mascara to all of your top lashes. Then, on the second coat, focus on applying a thicker layer to the center lashes only. For your bottom lashes, just a single coat of mascara will do to make your eyes pop. Opt for a formula that is lash-lengthening rather than thickening, as the longer your lashes are, the bigger your eyes will look.^[8]
   
   
   • If you don’t want to mess with mascara, consider getting false lashes.

[Edit]Plumping Your Lips

1. Use a plumping balm to give your lips extra definition and hydration. There are tons of plumping products to choose from, so picking one is mainly a matter of preference. Look for a product that has ingredients like cinnamon, peppermint, or ginger.^[9]
   
   
   • Even if you don’t plan on wearing any lipstick, just applying a simple plumping balm can puff up your lips a little and make them appear fuller.
2. Opt for lighter colored lipsticks to make your lips appear bigger. Nudes, pale pinks, and shades similar to your skin tone will actually make your lips look larger. Darker shades can flatten your lips and make them look smaller.^[10]
   
   • If you can, pick lipsticks and glosses that claim to be “hydrating.” Keeping your lips moisturized and hydrated is a huge part of helping them look big. Dry lips get wrinkled and look smaller.
3. Make your lips bigger with concealer and lip liner. Add a light layer of concealer over your lips and extend it above and below your actual lip line a little bit. Use the liner to draw your lip line larger than it actually is, and then fill in your lips with a matching lipstick.^[11]
   
   
   • Be careful when doing this to blend the concealer in with the rest of your makeup.
4. Give yourself ombre lips to make your lips look larger. You’ll need 2 shades of lipstick and a lip liner that matches the darker shade. Apply your lip liner like you normally would, and then use a lipstick brush to apply the lighter shade of lipstick to your lips, but avoid getting it around the outer edges where the liner is. Use the darker shade of lipstick around the edges of your lips, and then use the lipstick brush to blend the edges of the darker and lighter shades so the gradient has a natural transition.^[12]
   
   
   • Be careful to not smudge your lips or rub them together, otherwise you’ll ruin the ombre effect.
5. Get a natural pout by dabbing lipgloss on the center of your lips. After applying your lipstick, add a dab of a clear gloss or of a gloss that matches your lipstick to the center of both your bottom and upper lips. Avoid rubbing your lips together so it doesn’t smear.^[13]
   
   
   • If too much gloss gets transferred from the wand to your lips, try putting a dab of gloss on your fingertip and applying it that way.
6. Emphasize your cupid’s bow with highlighter to make your lips pop. Your cupid’s bow is where your top lip dips down in the center. Add a really small dab of highlighter right in the crease of the bow above where your lipstick starts. This will add a little juxtaposition between your lips and your skin and will give the appearance of bigger lips.^[14]
   
   
   • Do your best to not get the highlighter on your actual lip or mixed in with the lipstick.
7. Add bronzer below your bottom lip to create a “shadow". Don’t extend the bronzer fully from one end of your lips to the other. Instead, just put a light dab right below the center of your bottom lip. Make sure it’s blended in so it looks natural.^[15]
   
   
   • You could also use eyeliner for the same effect, just make sure to choose a subtle brown color rather than black.

[Edit]Video

[Edit]Tips

• Figure out which tricks work the best for your eyes! Once you know what works and have experimented a little, it’ll be easy for you to do your makeup and look great every day.
• Keep these techniques as subtle as possible so that they look natural and not overdone.

[Edit]Things You’ll Need

[Edit]Creating Bigger Eyes

• Concealer
• Eyeshadow
• Brow pencil
• Flesh-toned eyeliner
• Brown or black eyeliner
• Mascara

[Edit]Plumping Your Lips

• Plumping lip balm
• Lipstick
• Lip liner
• Lipgloss
• Concealer
• Highlighter
• Bronzer
• Lipstick brush

[Edit]Related wikiHows

• Make Lips Look Bigger

[Edit]References

1. ↑ https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/beauty-hair/a27910/tips-to-make-eyes-look-bigger/
2. ↑ https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/beauty-hair/a27910/tips-to-make-eyes-look-bigger/
3. ↑ https://www.elle.com/uk/beauty/make-up/articles/a34460/makeup-for-small-eyes/#
4. ↑ https://www.elle.com/uk/beauty/make-up/articles/a34460/makeup-for-small-eyes/#
5. ↑ https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/beauty-hair/a27910/tips-to-make-eyes-look-bigger/
6. ↑ https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/beauty-hair/a27910/tips-to-make-eyes-look-bigger/
7. ↑ https://www.elle.com/uk/beauty/make-up/articles/a34460/makeup-for-small-eyes/#
8. ↑ https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/beauty-hair/a27910/tips-to-make-eyes-look-bigger/
9. ↑ https://www.seventeen.com/beauty/makeup-skincare/tips/a29765/ways-to-make-your-lips-look-bigger-naturally/
10. ↑ https://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/makeup/g2253/make-your-lips-look-bigger/
11. ↑ https://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/makeup/g2253/make-your-lips-look-bigger/
12. ↑ https://stylecaster.com/beauty/how-to-do-ombre-lips/
13. ↑ https://www.seventeen.com/beauty/makeup-skincare/tips/a29765/ways-to-make-your-lips-look-bigger-naturally/
14. ↑ https://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/makeup/g2253/make-your-lips-look-bigger/
15. ↑ https://youtu.be/sShzrSjnS6Y?t=208