Monolid girls, I know the struggle. Since middle school, I’ve watched countless makeup tutorials on YouTube only to find out they don’t work for my eyes. While there are tutorials for monolids, it’s significantly less. Over the years I’ve experimented and picked up tricks that enhance my monolids, and I’ve finally found an eye makeup routine I love. Here’s what I’ve learned.
Eyeshadow, eyeshadow, eyeshadow
Image via buzzfeed.com
Believe me, I’ve tried every type of eyeliner–liquid, gel, pencil…and nothing has worked as well for me than eyeshadow. With monolids, the skin of your eyelid folds over when the eyes are open, so that usually covers whatever liner is on. As a result, you have to draw a pretty thick line for it to show. That’s why I like using a darker eyeshadow in place of eyeliner–you can apply a little more of it close to the lash line to create the illusion of eyeliner that isn’t too harsh. Plus, it saves me a lot of time!
Falsies are your best friend
Image via luxxhealth.com
Because of the eyelid folding over, monolid eyes usually don’t have those long lashes that stay curled. To save my lashes from the damage of excess curling and layers of waterproof mascara (that’s incredibly hard to take off too), I skip the two all together and just go with a pair of falsies! You can opt for natural ones for daily use, or dramatic lashes if you want to go glam. My daily eye look usually consists of neutral color eyeshadow and a pair of falsies.
Tight-lining is essential
Image via maybelline.com
When I do use eyeliner, I opt for the creamy gel liners. I’ll tight-line my eyes to give them more definition and make them appear larger. Tight-lining works the same way for monolids as they do with creased lids, so this one’s a no brainer!
Smudge it out
Image via youtube.com
If I am using eyeliner on my lids, I’ll take the pencil and apply it close to my lash line. Usually, I’ll draw a pretty thick line and won’t worry about it being perfect, because after that, I’ll take a clean eyeliner brush and smudge out the harsh edges, then apply eyeshadow as usual. This creates the same smokey effect as using just eyeshadow, but looks a lot more dramatic.
The Outer V
Image via frmheadtotoe.com
While I always apply a little bit of eyeshadow on my lower lash line to balance out the look, sometimes I’ll want something more dramatic. In this case, I’ll focus my eyeshadow on the outer “V” of eyes–along outer corners of my lower and upper lash lines. Apply a darker eyeshadow on that “V”, and blend it out so it blends seamlessly at the corner where it meets. That will make your eyes look bigger without closing them off!
I love wearing makeup and using these tips, but I also embrace my monolids and will rock them without anything on! It sounds incredibly cliche, but you’ll look and feel your best when you are confident in yourself, no matter what your eyes look like. So have fun and experiment, but the best makeup tip is to love your bare face–you’ll definitely glow after that!