Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career Money
    • Health Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes amp; Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • NYFW
    • Life In Plastic
    • Cari Champion
    • New Books
    • Postpartum Psychosis
    1. Beauty
    2. Makeup

    6 Ways to Make Your Eyes Look Bigger

    As the saying goes, "the bigger, the better."

    Alanna Greco#039;s avatar
    By Alanna Greco
    Published 21 May 2016 In How-to

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Make-up tips
    (Image credit: GETTY IMAGES)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Beauty trends come and go (remember that dark liner and light lipstick?), but big eyes have always been the ideal. And while some lucky ladies have been blessed with huge peepers (cough, Emma Stone, cough) others of us remain challenged when it comes to making our eyes pop. Luckily, a slew of cosmetics and a few tricks can help you create instant doe eyes. Truly. Here, makeup artist Jeni Lee shared with us her step-by-step application process to have you looking like a deer in the headlights (in the best way) in no time. 

    1. Nude-ify your lids 

    Apply a matte nude shadow over the entire lid, as this will even out your coloring and create a good starting base. 

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    2. Apply eyeliner 

    Lightly line the upper and lower lids from the inner corner to the outer corner with a soft brown or taupe eye liner. Apply the eyeliner a little heavier on the outside corners to make your eyes look longer rather than rounded. 

    You may like
    • Testers test the best waterline eyeliners from Urban Decay and Maybelline and share their real-life reviews with Marie Claire. a two image collage with eyeliner in the background I Put Smudge-Proof Waterline Eyeliner Claims to the Test
    • a blue-gray background with a girl with long brown hair framed in the middle next to two lip liners I Quit Lip Filler and Learned the Makeup Artist Way to Fake a Fuller Pout
    • five models at the S/S #039;27 Marc Jacobs show in colorful outfits and black eyeliner At the Marc Jacobs Spring '27 Show, Makeup Is Bold, Unapologetic, and Never Subtle

    3. Line under your eyes

    If you aren't one to use dark eyeliner on your lower lash line, take a neutral or white pencil and trace there instead—this will brighten your eyes. But if you do prefer a darker lower line, do a few extra strokes towards the edge of your outer eye for a wider-looking gaze. 

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    4. Add depth 

    Apply another shadow a shade or two darker than the nude used in step 1 to your crease and use your finger to blend the color up toward your eyebrow. 

    5. Highlight 

    What to read next
    • girl in a denim top on a blue background next to ilia eyeliner My Eyes Are Insanely Sensitive—And Even I Can Tightline With This New Eyeliner
    • A woman with intricate eye makeup wearing a colorful patterned dress. She is next to an under-eye mask My New Favorite Under-Eye Patches Are Like an Espresso Shot for Your Skin
    • Beauty Writer, Ariel Baker, sharing the best highlighters in her routine with a white dress on and on a shimmer background with two highlighters on either side of her My Highlighting Routine Features Only the Best Products on the Market

    Using a highlighter or white powder, dab the inner corners of your eyes. To draw more focus to your eyes, use the highlighter under your brow bones as well.

    6. Coat your lashes  

    The bigger and thicker your lashes, the more attention your eyes will command. Curl your lashes and then apply a few coats of black mascara. If you really want to commit to the look, consider investing in fake lashes. 

    Follow Marie Claire on Instagram for the latest celeb news, pretty pics, funny stuff, and an insider POV.

    Explore More
    Cosmetics makeup
    Alanna Greco
    Alanna Greco
    Social Links Navigation

    I'm a writer and editor based in New York City. I love a good coat, a well-articulated feminist rant, and face masking (yes, that’s a verb) like it’s nobody’s business.

    Read more
    Testers test the best waterline eyeliners from Urban Decay and Maybelline and share their real-life reviews with Marie Claire. a two image collage with eyeliner in the background
    Makeup I Put Smudge-Proof Waterline Eyeliner Claims to the Test These 11 picks stay locked in through workouts, humidity, and extra-long days.
    By Brooke Knappenberger
    A model with hydrated under-eyes thanks to a hydrating eye cream on a watery background and next to products
    Skincare My Under-Eyes Were Looking Tired, So I Revamped My Eye Cream Routine Crepey skin, you've met your match.
    By Sophia Vilensky
     
     
    two models wearing eyeliner on a denim background next to eyeliners
    Makeup I Have Crazy Sensitive Eyes—These Eyeliners Don’t Cause Any Irritation Trust me on this.
    By Samantha Holender
    collage of chrome nails
    Nails It's Official: This Optical Illusion Manicure Is the Year's Hottest Nail Trend Like jewelry for your mani.
    By Catharine Malzahn
     
     
    Latest in Makeup
    Kraum makeup brushes shown in a collage alongside close-ups of smokey eye makeup and brush details in an artistic design
    Makeup These J-Beauty Makeup Brushes Make Executing My Smokey Eye Beyond Easy
    A woman wearing glasses with her hair pulled back, smiling at the camera. She is next to 2 tubes of lip balm.
    Makeup I’m Ditching My Lip Filler Appointment for This Needle-Free Plumping Treatment
     
     
    two girls wearing brown lipstick on a yellow background next to brown lipstick on chocolates
    Makeup My Fair Skin and I Are Finally Getting on Board the Brown Lipstick Trend for Fall
    A woman with blushed cheeks and a low, braided bun next to a blush product.
    Makeup K-Beauty Blushes Just Do It Better
     
     
    Latest in How to
    A photo of Nikki Ogunnaike and text reading Money. Power. Style. Nice Talk with Nikki Ogunnaike
    Culture Big News—Our Podcast "Nice Talk" Is Nominated for a Webby
    how to contour; hailey bieber contour
    Makeup When Hailey Bieber's Makeup Artist Teaches You How to Contour, You Listen
     
     
    white woman applying sunscreen on the beach, close up shot
    Beauty Sunscreen Labels Can Be Hard to Decipher—Here's Exactly How to Decode Them
    A model wearing red lip liner and lipstick.
    Beauty Try My Lip Overlining Technique, And You'll Be Tempted to Cancel Your Filler Appointment
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.