Makeup

11 Best Makeup Looks for Downturned Eyes

First and foremost, downturned eyes are gorgeous, so there is no need to hide or change them.

But the fun thing about makeup is that we can create completely different looks by changing shapes and angles in our makeup applications.

You can use makeup to either emphasize the downturned shape of your eyes or make them look more uplifted.

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1. Traditional Cat Eye

Eyeliner can be applied in so many ways and it can give illusions that dramatically change the shape of your eyes.

If you’re looking to lift up your eyes, the best eyeliner style for you would be the cat eye.

downturned eyes

This look elongates the eye from side to side and gives the eyes an instant lift at the corners.

It’s all about angles. When applying eyeliner, place it where the lower lash line would be if it were to keep going. 

The point of the wing should end where the eyebrows end.

cat eye makeup

Then draw a line from the point to the upper lash line and color in any space.

This will give the illusion that the corners of your eyes are up higher.

Play with the angles of the wing. The steeper the slope of the wing, the more lifted the eyes will look.

Change it up even more by playing with the thickness of the line. The thicker the line, the more dramatic the look.

downturned eyes makeup

2. Puppy Eye

Alternatively, you can play up your beautiful eye shape by lining the top lids but at the corners, follow the top lash line rather than the bottom one.

It is the opposite of a cat eye.

Let your eyeliner follow your beautiful natural eye shape and this will give you the new trending puppy eye look. It gives vibes of sweetness, cuteness, and charm.

This will also make your eyes look larger from top to bottom instead of elongated at the side like the cat eye.

3. Crease Line Cat Eye

If you want to go outside the box a bit, you can always experiment with your eyeliner.

eyeliner looks

Add another line that follows the natural curve of your crease and connect it at the point of the wing.

You can use one solid shimmery color or you can go for the full effect by making the outer corners dark and inner corners light and bright. 

downturned eyes makeup

You can choose the thickness of your lines and where you want them to end, whether you fade it out at the middle or closer to the inner corners of the eye. Either way is interesting. 

downturned eyes makeup

4. Double Wing

If you like the idea of adding an extra line but you’re afraid or unwilling to draw it over the crease of your eye, you can try a simple double wing.

Create your wing as normal and add a second wing just slightly above the first one.

The result is beautiful.

downturned eyes makeup

5. Color Line Your Cat Eye

Want to add some flare with a pop of color? Draw only the outline of your wing and fill it in with the color of your choice for a very unique look.

makeup look for downturned eyes
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6. Cat Eye with Eyeshadow

The cool thing about eyeshadow is that it can be used as a smoky type of eyeliner, so the same concepts apply when it comes angles apply.

eyeshadow looks for downturned eyes

Only now you can take it even further by throwing color into the mix. 

Have fun using colored glitter eyeliners to create your wing and blending out some dark colored eyeshadow around it.

Keep your eyeshadow pointing up at the corners if you want a lift.

7. Dark Outer Eyelids

makeup look for downturned eyes

Eyeshadow is amazing because you can create so many different types of illusions just by using lighter and darker colors together in a certain way. 

Whichever eyeshadow color you are opting for, choose 2 different shades of it. Go with a lighter color for the inner half of your lid and a darker color for the outer half of your lid.

This gives the eyes a certain depth and dimension and creates the optical illusion of upturned eyes when the darker color is also angled up at the corners.

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8. Smoked Out Vibrant Eyeshadow

creative makeup look for downturned eyes

If you are looking for some extra lift, try using more than one shade of eyeshadow and use colors that are bright and vibrant.

Apply your vibrant eyeshadow color to your eyelids, into your crease and a little above it.

Then take a lighter shade of the same color and apply it right above where you stopped with the other color and line the bottom lash line with it. Blend.

Botanical and Vitamin Infused Cosmetics

You don’t even need to add eyeliner, just keep your angles in mind, add mascara, and go!

Quick and easy makeup look.

9. Dark Corners and Creases

makeup look

If you’re into neutral shades you can use a pretty shade of brown in the crease and at the outer corners coming up like a cat eye. 

You can use a shimmery beige on the main part of the lid, and next to the darker brown this part of the lid really stands out.

Of course you don’t have to use these colors, you can change them up anytime. 

Botanical and Vitamin Infused Cosmetics

Just be sure to use a darker color in the crease and outer corner and lighter color on the main portion of the eyelid.

I personally love to use gray and black eyeshadow for this when I’m going for a sultry and goth glam makeup look. Which is practically always.

10. Multi-colored Gradient Eyeshadow

Another way to lift with eyeshadow is to try a sideways gradient effect.

Apply the lightest colors toward the inner corners and the darker colors to the outer corners. 

makeup look

This creates a pretty ombre look while adding shadows to the outer corners that make the eyes look more uplifted. 

The lighter color eyeshadow in the inner corners and halfway across the lid really pops next to the dark colors and draws the eyes there, also adding to the lift.

11. A Contoured Lift

If you’re going for that lifted look, contouring your face can do the trick.

In addition to using eyeshadow to lift the eyes, you can also use makeup to contour your face in a way that makes the whole face look lifted.

face contouring for downturned eyes

Create your shadows, highlights and blush at the same angle that you used with your eyeshadow and/or eyeliner.

Use your darker color just underneath the cheekbones, but not the whole cheekbone. 

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Keep this closer to the side of your face as if everything is being swept towards your temple as this will make your cheekbones look even higher.

If you apply the darker color too low, your cheekbones will look lower as well.

Add highlighter to the top sides of your cheekbones as well.

face contouring to lift downturned eyes

When the angles match, the cheekbones look higher and more angular.

Paired with your cat eye makeup, it will make the eyes and the rest of your face look lifted.

highlighted cheeks for downturned eyes

But most importantly, have fun with your makeup. The point of it is to make you feel good, so enjoy it.

Try new things, wash it off if you don’t like it, and try more new things. 

You will find something that expresses your personality perfectly that you can wear proudly and confidently.

Embrace your natural features. They are uniquely yours to decorate!