8 Expert-Level Makeup Tips For Round Eyes & How To Tell If You Have Them

Which brings us to this handy guide for round eyes: Many consider this eye shape naturally doe-like, as round eyes often appear open and youthful. Here, we tapped makeup artists on how to enhance the round eye shape. Find their expert-level tips below. 

If you're still a little unsure, see here for our full eye shapes guide or check out our other eye-specific explainers: almond, monolid, hooded, upturned, and downturned. 

We repeat: Any eye shape can achieve any makeup look and look beautiful doing so. However, makeup artists do have some suggestions to either elongate or accentuate naturally round eyes. See below for their pro tips: 

To elongate round eyes, Crimson recommends winging your shadow from the outer corners only. "That gives it a little bit more dimension, more depth," he explains. Alexandra Compton, makeup artist and product development manager at Credo, agrees: If you choose to use eyeliner, she recommends lining the upper lash line in the outer corners as well.

If you're a bit shaky with liner, it's helpful to work your way from out to in: Create a core line from your inner to outer corner, stopping once you hit the outer corner of your eye. Decide where you want your flick to stop, then draw downward until you connect with the end of the line you drew at your outer corner. Then with small strokes, fill in where needed on the eye, adding more depth and thickness where you want. See here for our full guide to applying eyeliner, including helpful tips and tricks to nail a clean glide every time.

Celebrity makeup artist Dillon Peña seconds the advice: "If you center a cool shimmer on the lid right above the iris, this will help give the eye a bit more pop and appear more awake," he says about using eyelighter. 

No lie: Mascara placement can alter your eye shape. (Just take this TikTok transformation, which has a whopping 2.6 million views.) If you have naturally round orbs, you can wiggle some mascara only at the outermost lashes, as this will elongate the eyes. On the flip side: "Centering mascara on the upper and lower lash line is the easiest way to create the illusion of roundness to the eyes," she says. Again, by focusing your attention center, you lean into a wide-awake, doll-like look.

"Place a matte highlighter under the center of your brow instead of under the arch of your brow," says Patinkin. This will further accentuate roundness by, again, making the center of your irises the star of the show. While everyone's brows have a different arch placement, they do tend to peak more toward the tails; so if you place highlighter there, it will help elongate the eyes. It's up to you to decide which look you're after. 

Tap some shadow onto the center of the lid, and your round eyes will appear open and bright. "By adding a wash of shimmer to the lid, light is actually catching the particles of iridescent pigment and reflecting back, like thousands of tiny mirrors creating the illusion of brighter eyes," Compton says about the standout look. Find a full tutorial here. 

To open up the eyes, tightline your waterline with a nude eyeliner (or you can use white liner for more drama). According to Compton, it'll make any eye shape appear larger and brighter—and for naturally round eyes, it will enhance the shape. 

Then use an angled liner brush to smudge some shadow just below the lash line, again focusing on the outer corners only. If you follow the entire rim of your lower lashes, it actually makes the eyes look bigger and accentuates the roundness—which is great, if that's what you're after, but concentrating the shadow on the outer corners only is how you master that natural sultriness. 

There are tons of ways to enhance round eyes, whether you wish to accentuate the roundness or elongate the eye shape. Makeup, of course, is all about expression and achieving what makes you feel most beautiful, so go ahead and have fun with your look—these tips are merely suggestions for how to make the eyes pop.