We're all for anything that will make us look better in pictures. Especially when throwing on our favorite golden butterfly Snapchat filter isn't an option — seriously, why won't Snapchat just make that a permanent thing? If you've noticed your eye makeup — sans filters — isn't doing anything to give you bigger, more defined eyes in photos, listen up.
Despite all of the makeup news overload that honestly has even us confused as to what you should actually be doing to look your best, upping your selfie game isn't as complicated as you might be thinking. To simplify the process, we turned to Melissa Murdick, makeup artist to Selena Gomez, and Allan Avendano, who works with celebs like Olivia Holt and Lucy Hale. Sharing their best eye-enhancing tricks they've perfected on photo shoots, red carpets and sold-out arenas, the secrets to faking wide-awake, doe-like eyes are right this way.
Lighten and brighten.
First thing's first, you need to eliminate any dark circles under your eyes. Whether you're sleep-deprived from an exam study sesh or you won the genetic lottery and inherited your dark circles.
"We all know that when you’re tired, under eye concealer is your best friend — but don’t stop there," Melissa says. "Dot a bit onto your eyelid and onto the skin at the inner and outer corners of your eyes to brighten up the whole area. Curling your lashes and applying a jet black mascara wakes your eyes up and diminishes the appearance of dark circles, too," she adds.
Allan agrees, sharing one of his red carpet tricks, "Using a concealer that is one shade lighter than your foundation with a bit of a yellow undertone brightens the under eye giving you a well-rested and refreshed look," he says. For complete dark circle coverage, Allan says to use a pinkier concealer for fair skin tones, peach for medium tones and orange for darker skin tones before your usual concealer that matches your skin tone. Just make sure to blend it all together! "Blending is key so that you don't look cakey," Allan explains.
Add definition.
Whether you prefer a full makeup look or you favor a barely-there approach, for bigger, more wide-awake eyes in photos, you need to add some type of definition. "Using any kind of eyeliner adds definition and will make sure your eyes don’t disappear," Melissa explains. You can create dimension by lining just the top lash line, lower lash line or waterline (or line them all!) as close to the lash line as possible for a subtle look or thicker for a more dramatic take. "[Another] easy way to add dimension to your eyes is to use products that reflect light, like a shimmery or metallic eyeshadow," Melissa says.
A tried-and-true trick.
It might not be a new tip, but Allan (and we can confirm!) says the quickest way to make your eyes look bigger and brighter is to pop a white liner along your waterline. "Line the bottom waterline with a white, beige or even a soft silver liner," Allan says, adding, "[Then], highlight the inner corner of your eyes with a pearl or champagne shimmer." For a two-in-one approach, use a shimmering white liner like the Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Eye Pencil in Pearl, $24, so you can line your waterline and then draw the brightening color at the inner corners of your eyes, using your fingers to blend it in.
Pick your preference.
If you're doing a full eye makeup look, Allan says you can never go wrong with a smoky eye, and can even use it to make your eyes look bigger. "The key is to work with your eye shape," he says. "In general, I like to elongate the eyes so I use darker bronze tones on the outer corners and golden tones on the inner corners," he says, using eyeshadow shades for a classic bronze smoky eye as an example. "This gives dimension and transforms the eyes into a sultry shape." .
If you're more of a minimalist when it comes to your makeup, you can still make your eyes pop. "A great beauty tip if you’re a mascara and go kind of gal, is to apply the tiniest bit of Vaseline, or Aquaphor or even clear lip gloss — whatever you have — onto your eyelid," Melissa says. "This adds some dimension and dewiness that looks really pretty in the light," she explains.
Blend, blend, and blend some more.
To create the illusion of bigger eyes, don't close them in with sharp eyeliner and shadows. Melissa says to make sure you don't just stop your eyeshadow where your eyelid ends. "If you blend up and out past the crease, your eyes [will] look instantly bigger." As for liner, she says if you notice that lining your eyes from inner to outer corner makes them look smaller, just stick with lining the outer half of your top lash line. And don't forget to smudge. "Smudged makeup gives a hint of definition without any hard lines," Allan adds.
Related: THIS is the Secret to Doing a Smoky Eye in Under a Minute
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