Downturned Eyes: Signs You Have Them & How to Apply Makeup for Them

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Plus, find out why downturned eyes are often considered undesirable

Co-authored by Alicia D'Angelo and Devin McSween

Last Updated: August 29, 2025 Fact Checked

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What are downturned eyes?

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Identifying Downturned Eyes

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Makeup Tutorial

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Are they attractive?

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Causes

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Final Takeaways

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Video

Downturned eyes are a common eye shape that lots of people have. With this eye shape, the outer corners of the eye simply tilt downward on your face. If you’re still not quite sure if you have this eye shape, or you want to know how to flatter your downturned eyes, keep reading! In this article, we’ll tell you how to identify your eye shape and give you makeup tips on how to emphasize or balance your eyes with help from professional makeup artists. We’ll also answer why this eye shape is attractive, too. Keep reading to learn more!

What does it mean to have downturned eyes?

Downturned eyes tilt down at the outer corners, causing the outer corners to appear lower than the inner corners. Lots of people think this is an attractive eye shape that can give someone a sweet or alluring look. You can lift up the eyes with winged eyeliner, or emphasize the downward tilt with puppy liner.

Section 1 of 6:

What are downturned eyes?

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Downturned eyes tilt downward at the outer corner. Downturned eyes are a common eye shape characterized by the outer corners of the eye slanting downward and resting lower on the face than the inner corners. This can give the eyes a slightly droopy appearance.^{[1]
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- Celebrities with Downturned Eyes: Anne Hathaway, Britney Spears, Katie Holmes, Emma Chamberlain, Sydney Sweeney, Marilyn Monroe, Jacob Elordi, Drake, Elvis Presley.
- Downturned eyes are sometimes called puppy eyes, since they resemble the sweet and slightly downturned look of a puppy’s eyes when they’re begging for treats or pets.
Meet the wikiHow Experts

Christin Birckhead is a makeup artist and founder of Conceptual Beauty with over 20 years of experience.

Alicia D'Angelo is a makeup artist who works for teams with Dior Makeup, YSL Beauty and Pat McGrath Labs.

Alana Schober is a Pout Pro makeup artist with over 10 years of experience.

Section 2 of 6:

How to Tell If You Have Downturned Eyes

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Examine the position and tilt of your outer and inner corners. Look straight into a mirror and keep your gaze neutral. Then, imagine a straight line running from the inner corner of your eyes to the outer corner. If the line slants downward and your outer corner is positioned under your inner corner, then you likely have downturned eyes.^{[2]
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- If you’re having a tough time imagining a straight line, take a picture of your eye. Then, use your phone’s editing tools to draw a straight line from your inner to outer corner.
- If the imaginary line is straight or tilts upward, you likely have a different eye shape.
- Check if you have a visible eyelid crease between your upper lash line and eyebrow, too. If you don’t have a visible crease, you may have monolids or hooded eyes.

Section 3 of 6:

Makeup Tips for Downturned Eyes

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Apply eyeshadow primer all over your lid. To lock your eyeshadow or eyeliner in place and keep it from creasing or transferring, makeup artist Christin Birckhead recommends applying an eyeshadow primer. Simply use your finger or a small brush to apply a small dot of primer and smooth it over your lids.^{[3]
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Christin Birckhead
Makeup Artist

Expert Interview}
- As a plus, primer helps even out your skin tone, which can help your eyeshadows pop!
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Sweep a neutral eyeshadow shade all over your lid. Choose a medium-toned shade in your favorite neutral color, whether that’s brown, tan, taupe, or pink. Then, use a fluffy eyeshadow brush to apply the color all over your lid, taking it just past the crease of your eyelid. Sweep the brush back and forth to blend out the color and create a soft look.
- For extra dimension and lift, apply a slightly darker shade along the outer corner of your eyelid crease in a slightly winged shape. Just buff the color into the medium-toned shade so they blend together.
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Wear winged eyeliner to lift up your eyes. If you want to minimize the downturned appearance of your eyes and achieve a more lifted or “snatched” look, wear winged eyeliner. Use a brown or black eyeshadow for a softer look or a liquid eyeliner pen for a sharper, more dramatic look. To create the wing:^{[4]
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- Apply a thin line of eyeshadow or eyeliner along your upper lash line.
- Extend the line of eyeshadow or eyeliner a bit past your outer corner, still following the natural contour of your upper lash line instead of angling the eyeliner upward.^{[5]
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- Flick the eyeliner upward and draw a straight or slightly swooped line from the end of the eyeliner to the tail of your eyebrow.^{[6]
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- Draw a line from the end of the eyeliner to the outer corner of your eye to connect the wing. Then, fill in the empty space with eyeliner.
- Brush on some concealer or a light eyeshadow directly under the wing and along your lower lash line. The lighter shade helps lift up your eye and make it appear less downturned.
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Or, wear puppy liner to emphasize your downturned eyes. Puppy eyeliner is an alternative to the traditional, cat-eye look of winged eyeliner. It follows the natural downturned angle of your eyes and emphasizes their shape, creating a super flattering and adorable puppy-like look. To do puppy liner:^{[7]
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- Use a liquid eyeliner pencil to thinly line your upper lash line.
- When you get to the outer corner of your eye, keep following the natural contour of your upper lash line and draw the eyeliner at a downward angle.
- Extend the eyeliner a bit past the outer corner of your eye.
- Connect the end of the line to the outer corner of your eye, which creates a triangular shape. Simply fill in the triangle with eyeliner.
According to makeup artist Alicia D'Angelo, applying a nude or white eyeliner pencil to your lower waterline helps extend the white of the eye and makes your eyes appear bigger, brighter, and more doll-like. This is the strip of skin that rests between your lower lash line and your eyeball. Simply use your ring finger to gently pull down your lower eyelid to expose your waterline. Then, glide on the eyeliner.^{[8]
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Alicia D'Angelo
Makeup Artist

Expert Interview}
To get bigger, brighter eyes and a more awake look, Pout Pro makeup artist Alana Schober recommends dabbing a light shimmery eyeshadow directly onto the inner corners of your eyes.^{[9]
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Alana Schober
Pout Pro Makeup Artist

Expert Interview} Then, sweep the same shade onto the skin directly under your eyebrow to help lift and define your eyes.
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Curl your lashes and apply mascara. D'Angelo says “curling your eyelashes…immediately makes the eyes appear larger,” which can help your downturned eyes appear brighter and more lifted. Then, apply 1 to 2 coats of mascara to help open and define your eyes further.^{[10]
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Alicia D'Angelo
Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist

Expert Interview}
- Tip: Focus the mascara on the outer corners of your eye to create a cat-eye look, which can help lift the appearance of your eyes.
- If you like to wear false lashes or get eyelash extensions, opt for an open eye, doll eye, or squirrel lashes to lift and open up your eyes. If you want to accentuate your downturned eyes, go with a cat eye shape.
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Brush your eyebrows upward. Brushing your brows upwards helps lift up your face, which can lessen the appearance of your downturned eyes. Simply use a brow gel to comb your eyebrow hairs straight up, ensuring each hair is coated with the product. Then, use an eyebrow comb or spoolie to brush through your brows to remove any clumps and flatten them against your skin.^{[11]
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- Once the gel is completely dry, use a thin brow pencil to fill in any sparse areas.
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Apply face lift tape for an even more lifted look. If you’re after a super snatched look, use face lift tape to achieve a quick lift. Start by pulling back the top half of your hair. Then, lay one piece of the tape on your left temple, positioning it between the top of your ear and the tail of your eyebrow. Wrap the string around the back of your head and apply the other side of the tape on your right temple. Then, put your hair down to cover the pieces of tape.^{[12]
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- For a similar look, braid the small section of hair along both of your temples. Pull both braided pieces to the back of your hair and simply tie them together.^{[13]
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Section 4 of 6:

Are downturned eyes attractive?

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Yes, lots of people find downturned eyes attractive. Downturned eyes are seen as a beautiful and attractive feature to many people. Depending on your look and style, this eye shape can give you a sweet, youthful, and approachable appearance (just like a puppy!), or an alluring and mysterious vibe that’s utterly captivating (think: Marilyn Monroe’s signature bedroom eyes).
- In fact, lots of people wear makeup to make their eyes appear more downturned! For instance, in some East Asian countries, it’s a trend to make your eyes look downturned and puppy-like since it gives you a softer, more approachable vibe.
- So, while a lifted and snatched appearance might be more trendy in Western countries right now (like the US), that definitely doesn’t mean downturned eyes aren’t beautiful!

Section 5 of 6:

What causes downturned eyes?

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For the most part, whether you have downturned eyes or not simply comes down to your DNA. If your parents or relatives have downturned eyes, there’s a strong chance that you do, too.^{[14]
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Research source} Additionally, your eyes can grow downturned as you age. Your skin loses its elasticity as you get older, and your facial fat tends to sag downwards, which can pull down your eyes and contribute to a more droopy appearance.^{[15]
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Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School's Educational Site for the Public

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Section 6 of 6:

Final Takeaways

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Having downturned eyes is completely normal, as it’s a common eye shape that lots of people are born with. While they’re not something you need to “fix,” you can help them appear less downturned and more lifted with makeup. On the other hand, since they’re a beautiful eye shape, you can actually emphasize and flatter them with the puppy liner makeup style, too.