Hooded Eyes? Jennifer Lawrence Has a Must-Try Eyeliner Idea

'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1' is almost here! 

Jennifer Lawrence walked the red carpet at the film's world premiere in London this week, and somehow I found myself nodding in approval at the makeup, the hair… and even the dress (gasp!).

(It's Dior, of course—I'll never understand how that contract happened—but it's the first one that doesn't look totally ridiculous on the poor girl. Am I right?)

The ballerina hairband thing is tricky, too, and I didn't think it worked great on Lupita Nyong'o at the Oscars. But on Jen, I'm kind of into it. It feels less princessy and more youthful and effortless, to tone down the formality of the dress.

But what I'm really here to talk about is the makeup! As a fellow person with the hooded eye type, I'm pretty fascinated by this:

Most of the eyeliner action is on the LOWER lid.

And it's a sweet makeup idea if you, too, possess this eye shape. (You know you've got it when any makeup you put up top just disappears into your lids.) 

So notice how her eyes are lined with black pencil all the way around, but the line is thickest along the bottom, and softly smudged. Then it extends outward in a bit of a reverse cat eye, which is important—this elongates the eye into an almond shape.

On the upper lids, all she needs are long lashes and a wash of shimmery champagne shadow. And just some pretty pink lip gloss and blush. 

Do you love it? I see this as a better variation on the makeup she wore to the Oscars, which got mixed reviews. Those lines were pretty precise, but here, everything is smoky, and there's much more of a focus on the lower lid.

How To Copy Jennifer Lawrence's Lower-Lid Liner

So I just DIY-ed this and it's actually pretty easy! 

1. First, use a soft, waterproof black pencil like Smashbox Always Sharp Waterproof Kôhl Liner in Raven to line all the way around the eyes, including in the waterlines. This is my new favourite pencil because it glides easily, really stays put AND you never need to sharpen it! Don't worry about making your lines too perfect as we're going to smudge them anyway.

2. Next, take a smudging brush such as the Urban Decay Good Karma Smudger Brush, and softly blur the liner, focusing mainly on the lower lids. This is hands down one of the best and most essential makeup brushes EVER. You also want to use it to blend the liner outward in a horizontal direction, in order to extend the eyes and make them more Angelina Jolie cat-like. (Too rounded and this won't look good… it will have the unwanted effect of closing off the eyes.)

3. Now, take a Q-tip dipped in a non-oily makeup remover such as Bioderma Sensibio, and tidy up your lines, creating the baby reverse cat eye shape. This is my favourite makeup artist cheat tip for perfecting your makeup! If the line becomes too precise, you can always go back and re-smudge with the smudger brush.

4. Finish with tons of black mascara (I like Lancôme Grandiôse), focused on the upper lashes, and a wash of shimmery shadow (try classic Stila Eye Shadow in Kitten).

Remember, the smudging and the extension of the line outward are KEY to this look. 

I love it because it's a cool way to create the illusion of a more cat-like eye shape, without the challenges a regular cat eye presents for hooded eyes!

It's also a great way to play up your eyes for evening, without the heavy feel of tons of eyeshadow. With this, your lids are still very clean, and the emphasis is close to the lashes.

What say you? Would you try this?

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Have Your Say

What do you think of Jennifer Lawrence's look here? Have you tried the reverse cat eye? Got any other tips for this eye shape?