Foolproof Eyeliners For Hooded Eyes

Finding the best eyeliners for hooded eyes is only half the story. The other half is about being able to use them! If the rest of the world is struggling with applying eyeliner, imagine how harder it is for us people with hooded eyelids. Because we don’t have what they call “fox eyes” that stretch out to eternity giving you a perfectly tight lid space to work with. Instead, we have to use immense motor skills to define our eyes while our hooded eyelids keep getting in the way.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy with my “uncircumcised eyelids”, so to speak. Here’s the thing and it’s going to sound sad but, the only time I’m able to draw the perfect line is when I cry myself to sleep the night before. Let’s hope you can’t relate to that and move on to the best eyeliners for hooded eyes.

When you have extra skin constantly getting in the way, you need to focus on the tip. This keeps sounding dirtier but, bear with me. The best type of eyeliner for hooded eyes is the one with a precision tip that dries quickly.

The ones with brush tips or dip-in eyeliners are usually hard to work with and don’t give you much control. Similarly, eyeliners that are big like markers are equally hard to control. Now that they’re out of the way, scroll down to check out the best eyeliners for hooded eyes.

The Best Eyeliners For Hooded Eyes

Whether you’re looking for something waterproof, water-resistant, liquid, or pencil, find below the best eyeliners for people with hooded eyes.

1. Benefit Cosmetics Roller Liner Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner

This one stains the eyelids the second you put the felt tip on your lash line. The tip of the eyeliner is pretty solid and doesn’t bend. So you’re not getting a flimsy tip that’ll slide all over and stain the eyelids. The jet-black shade defines the eyes beautifully. And even though winged eyeliner is a whole other struggle for us, this is the best liquid eyeliner to wing out hooded eyes. It’s water-proof and transfer-proof!

Eyeliner Type: Liquid, felt-tip
Available Shades: 2
Size: 0.03 oz/1 ml
Good To Know: Waterproof

2. Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner

This one dries down quickly and has an elegant matte finish. From thin lines to more dramatic ones, it gives you room to create different looks. It inks the eyelids easily, so you don’t need several strokes to define the eyes. It’s waterproof and comes in other colors like brown, and charcoal too.

Eyeliner Type: Liquid, felt-tip
Available Shades: 8
Size: 0.016 oz/0.5 ml
Good To Know: Waterproof

3. Sephora Fine Line Waterproof Felt Tip Liquid Eyeliner

If “matte” is not your thing, this one has an amazingly subtle shine to it. It’s as dark as they come. The waterproof eyeliner is easy to use and doesn’t smudge. It has a very thin felt tip and a nice firm that anyone can work with. The practical application makes this one an amazing eyeliner for small hooded eyes to really open up your look. And it gives you that upturned and lifted almond eyes with a nice glistening effect.

Eyeliner Type: Liquid, felt-tip
Available Shades: 1
Size: 0.017 oz/0.5 ml
Good To Know: Waterproof

4. Tarte Tarteist Double Take Eyeliner

This isn’t one of those dual liners that you buy because one side is so good and you put up with the other side because it’s a package deal. This one gives you amazing looks with both sides! The liquid eyeliner with a felt tip is easy to work with and precise, giving you enough control to apply your eyeliner. It’s long-wear, super pigmented, and has a subtle shine to it.

The pencil liner on the other end has a soft gel texture to it. It’s not as pigmented or dramatic. That’s why it’s perfect for creating more natural looks as well as using it on the waterline for tightlining hooded eyes. It’s also suitable to use as an eyeliner on mature skin to give it a more smoked-out and natural definition.

Eyeliner Type: Liquid felt-tip + pencil
Available Shades: 2
Size: 0.017 oz + 0.004 oz
Good To Know: Waterproof, vegan

5. Too Faced Better Than Sex Easy Glide Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner

The brush on this one is so thin and so precise that you really can fake a no-eyeliner look. When you start out thin, you can always make the lines thicker as opposed to one big fat line that’s impossible to work with. Additionally, you can experiment with different wings thanks to the precision tip.

Eyeliner Type: Liquid, brush tip
Available Shades: 2
Size: 0.02 oz/0.6 ml
Good To Know: Waterproof, vegan, cruelty-free

6. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner

This is the best gel eyeliner for hooded eyes to create all kinds of looks. It’s highly pigmented and you don’t need a lot of product to define your eyes. And the pigment dries down evenly, so you don’t need to go over the lines multiple times.

Gel liners are also beginner-friendly, giving you the option to build slowly using a brush you’re comfortable with. This one is also suitable for down-turned eyes and for people with fine lines. Because you’re able to build a layered look as opposed to one straight line that may draw attention to your skin texture.

Eyeliner Type: Gel
Available Shades: 5
Size: 0.1 oz
Good To Know: Waterproof

7. Charlotte Tilbury The Classic Eye Powder Pencil

For the most natural-looking eye makeup, this pencil eyeliner in the shade brown is perfect. It’s great for people with hooded eyelids or people who don’t want something too bold. It’s also the perfect eyeliner for oily eyelids. The pencil has a powdery formula that goes easily on oily skin. You can also choose to smudge it and give your eyes a little depth on no-makeup makeup days.

Eyeliner Type: Pencil
Available Shades: 3
Size: 0.4 oz
Good To Know: Vegan-friendly

8. Urban Decay 24/7 Waterline Eye Pencil

If you have big eyes with hooded lids, consider tightlining. Instead of using eyeliner to define the outer shape of the eye, use a pencil liner on the waterline. Better yet, you can lift up your eyes by tightlining on the upper waterline. And this water-proof pencil is just the right one for that. It goes on easily and doesn’t look streaky with uneven pigments.

Eyeliner Type: Pencil
Available Shades: 1
Size: 0.04 oz
Good To Know: Waterproof, cruelty-free

9. Nyx Epic Ink Liner

Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, this pen is foolproof and is one of the best drugstore eyeliners for hooded eyes. The soft felt tip brush is firm enough to draw precise lines. It’s water-proof and dries down quickly without staining the upper lids.

Eyeliner Type: Liquid, felt-tip
Available Shades: 2
Size: 0.03 oz
Good To Know: Waterproof, vegan

Related: The Best Drugstore Waterproof Eyeliners

10. Shiseido MicroLiner Ink Eyeliner

This one has a twist-tip applicator and has impressive precision with a pigmented matte finish. But what makes it worthy of your attention is the formula. It’s an oil-free eyeliner and it’s ideal for people with hooded eyes who also enjoy fluffy eyelash extensions. This one won’t cause fall-outs. The tip is really thin but you can easily build it up. It’s also suitable for tightlining and lasts as long as 24 hours.

Eyeliner Type: Pencil
Available Shades: 10
Size: 0.002 oz
Good To Know: Fragrance-free

How To Choose an Eyeliner For Hooded Eyes

Choose The Right Tip

The best type of eyeliner for people with hooded eyes are felt-tip eyeliners and pencil eyeliners. These are easier to use as they don’t wiggle, which can cause things to get messy really quickly. It’s difficult to draw straight lines on hooded eyes, and brush-tip eyeliners can look very streaky. So prioritize felt-tip, sharp eyeliners with a firm grip, or go for pencil eyeliners, especially if you have oily eyelids.

Go For Waterproof Formulas

In general, waterproof eyeliners or water-resistant eyeliners will give you the longest wear. While they may require a more thorough makeup removal, they prevent your eyeliner from looking smudgy, and streaky later on in the day, which might draw attention to hooded eyelids.

Try Matte Finish

If you don’t want to draw attention to hooded eyes, try matte-finish eyeliners. Glossy, and shiny finish eyeliners usually draw attention to the eye area because of that glistening effect.

Eyeliner Tips For Hooded Eyes

• As the skin on the upper lash line tends to get creasy, it’s difficult to draw a line right on the lash line. Try tightlining the upper waterline. This will give you a fuller and more complete look without leaving blank, un-inked skin.
• Go for thin lines as opposed to thick ones. Thick lines close up your eyes. And they have the potential to stain the upper eyelids, giving you a messy look.
• Apply your eyeliner starting from the middle of the eyelids and then go outwards. Leave the inner corner for last.
• Don’t worry too much about drawing the perfect eyeliner. Sometimes, a smudged-out application looks much better than a straight line.
• Winged eyeliner is perfect for lifting up hooded eyes. However, try to keep the wing short. When it’s long, it defeats the purpose, looks really messy, and magnifies wrinkles.
• And lastly, here’s the best eyeliner tip for people with hooded eyes: apply the wing later. Do your eye makeup, apply the eyeliner without doing the wing, and apply your mascara. When all is done, look directly into the mirror to draw the wings. You’ll know exactly where it goes.

Read Next: The Best Mascara For Hooded Eyes