How to Do the Easy Half-Moon Eyeshadow Technique for Very Hooded Eyes

NISHA
by NISHA
4 Materials
10 Minutes
Easy

Here, I’m going to show you an eyeshadow technique for very hooded eyes. If you have eyes where the skin sits heavily on your mobile lid, you are limited on what eyeshadow looks you can go for.


This one I’ll be showing you is kind of smoky, and you can make it more intense or less intense, however you want it to be. But, most importantly, it does hide the hood a bit.


I call this technique the half-moon, and it is really simple, really easy; there is not much to it. So let’s jump on in!

Tools and materials:

  • Eyeshadow
  • Makeup brushes
  • Eyeliner
  • Mascara
Eyeshadow palette for hooded eyes

For this makeup look, you want to use a matte eyeshadow or maybe a slightly satiny one, but nothing too shimmery.


You can use any color as long as it’s quite dark. A light color would emphasize anything that you’re trying to hide.


For application, I recommend using two makeup brushes: one to apply the shadow to your lid and the other one to buff it out.

How do you apply eyeshadow to hooded eyes?

1. Apply eyeshadow to your mobile eyelid

Take the color and just apply it in a half-moon motion to your mobile eyelid. That is the place that you want it the darkest.


If your hood hangs a lot over your mobile eyelid, then you will need to lift your hood during application. 

Eyeshadow placement for hooded eyes

2. Bring the color up

Take your blending brush and in the same half-moon motion, keep going up and up and up so that when you open your eyes, you will still be able to see the shadow.


We are not worrying about the outer-v or outer-7, which I covered in my previous tutorial. Bring it quite high-up as this will lift your eyes a bit.


When blending the eyeshadow out, it is helpful to lift your eyebrows as this helps to make the skin more taught and not as loose and crinkly.


Again, if you have very hooded eyes, you will need to lift your hood in order to do this.


Tip: Don’t go too much in the outer corner of your eye, especially if you have droopy eyes like mine that are sort of downturned. If I did this, I would make them even more downturned. 

Makeup for older hooded eyes

Proceed to do the same thing on the other eye. Then, just look at both eyes to check that they both look good.


Our eyes are often not symmetrical, and if they’re not, you don’t want to make the eyeshadow identical. For example, you might have to go higher on one eye than the other.

Applying eyeshadow to the lower lashline

3. Add eyeshadow to your lower lashline

Proceed to put the same color on your lower lashline. From here, you can add a bit of eyeliner if you want and also some mascara. Mascara really helps to open your eyes as well.


If your lashes are quite straight, then curl them because that will open up your eye and if you don’t have good lashes, you can put some natural-looking false ones on.

Half-moon eyeshadow technique for hooded eyes

Half-moon eyeshadow technique for hooded eyes tutorial

I hope you’re found this smokey eye technique helpful.


If you have hooded eyes, the dark color will help emphasize your mobile lid, and the eyeshadow you’ve brought up the hood will make your eyes appear more open.


As we all have different shaped eyes, you may have to adjust the technique a bit so that it works for you.


Have a think about what you’re trying to hide and what you want to emphasize, and try to establish the exact shape of your eye.




Products used

  • Dose Of Colors Marvelous Mauves Palette (Wishy Washy)
  • NARS Climax Mascara
Suggested materials:
  • Eyeshadow
  • Makeup brushes
  • Eyeliner
See all materials

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Comments
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 1 comment
  • Marta Ballentine Marta Ballentine on Jan 06, 2022

    Thanks for posting this! I'm a bit older and have tried several eyeshadow application techniques without much success. Some make me look like I'm trying too hard; others didn't do what I wanted. I believe this is what I needed to try. Simple and easy, but effective!

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