8 Ways Your Eyeliner Can Change Your Eye Shape & Color

When it comes to your everyday makeup look, your eyeliner can have a pretty huge impact. Whether or not you choose to wear it can determine how defined your peepers look. But the color and style of your eyeliner can change your eye shape and even bring out different facets of your eyes altogether. So should you go for winged liner or smudged liner? Black or blue? And to tightline or not to tightline? To find out the best colors and techniques to opt for according to your personal features, I emailed with Daniel Chinchilla, celebrity makeup artist and beauty expert, and Amanda Hume, makeup artist, green beauty expert, and founder of VERT Beauty.

As it turns out, whether you're looking to change your eye shape or simply enhance your natural shape or color, there are actually quite a few options. And while there are tons of fun trends to play with when it comes to eyeliner be it graphic lines or pops of bold color, if you're looking to specifically give the illusion of smaller, larger, or brighter eyes, there's an eyeliner technique for that. Here's what type of eyeliner to go for depending on your eye shape and color:

1. If You Have Smaller Eyes

Hourglass 1.5MM Mechanical Gel Eye Liner, $18, Sephora

If you have small eyes, using a dark eyeliner on the waterline can make your eyes look even smaller. So to add definition while helping make your eyes appear bigger, Hume recommends drawing a thin line on your lid and using a flesh-toned pencil on your bottom waterline.

2. If You Have Larger Eyes

MAC Cosmetics Eye Kohl In Costa Riche, $17, Nordstrom

To define larger, rounded eyes, Chinchilla suggests lining your lid with a thin or even smudged line and also lining your waterline. He recommends using a brown eyeliner rather than black because it's more natural and gives the eyes a soft rather than harsh look.

3. If You Have Hooded Eyes

L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner, $8, Amazon

To best frame hooded eyes, Hume recommends smudging your liner into your shadow to create an ombre effect. Look for a kohl pencil that will give you a few minutes to blend out your line before it sets.

4. If You Have Brown Or Hazel Eyes

Marc Jacobs Matte Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner In (Grape)vine, $25, Sephora

To enhance the color of brown or hazel eyes, Hume suggests reaching for a blue, green, or purple liner, as these will bring out the warmer tones in the eyes.

5. If You Have Blue Or Green Eyes

VERT Beauty Eyeliner Pencil in Cuivre, $17, VERT Beauty

If you have blue or green eyes, Hume suggests going for a copper or gold liner. Because these shades are complimentary to the tones in blue and green eyes, it will help enhance the color to really make your eyes pop.

6. If You Want Lifted Eyes

Girlactik Precise Marker Liner, $20, Girlactik

To help your eyes appear more lifted, or to enhance almond-shaped eyes, both experts recommend going for winged liner. For the perfect shape, Chinchilla says to make sure the tip of your wing is pointed up towards the end of your brow.

7. If You Want Brighter Eyes

Urban Decay 24/7 Waterline Eye Pencil In Walk of Shame, $20, Sephora

Brighten your eyes and give them a more "wide awake" appearance with a lighter-toned pencil in the waterline, says Chinchilla. Try a white or cream shade in the waterline and a peach shade on the lid.

8. If You Want Whiter Eyes

Contour Eye Pencil 12hr Wear Waterproof In 26 Suede Shoes, $10, Sephora

Another way to brighten your eyes and make the whites of your eyes appear whiter is by tightlining either just your top lashes, or the top and bottom with a blue eyeliner, reveal both experts. While any shade of blue will do the trick, Chinchilla recommends a slate blue if you prefer a subtler color.

Because regardless of your eye color or shape, the right liner can really make 'em pop.