An eyelash extension expert dubbed ‘the best in the business’ by beauty editors has revealed the seven most common eye shapes – and how best to style them with individual falsies.
Make-up artist Edy London, whose famous fans include Ellie Goulding, Mel B, Vanessa White, Lisa Snowdon and Trinny Woodall, has worked with some of the world’s top beauty brands.
She’s represented Maybelline at London Fashion Week, styled numerous shoots for the likes of Essie and NYX, and had her work published in magazines including Tatler, Vanity Fair and Vogue ES.
Her experience as a make-up artist has enabled her to identify and understand individual eye shapes and create tailored lash extensions to suit her clients’ looks.
Here she shares with FEMAIL the common mistakes people make when applying eye make-up and lashes, and which style to go for to best flatter your peepers.
Make-up artist Edy London, who names Ellie Goulding, Mel B, Vanessa White, Lisa Snowdon and Trinny Woodall among her famous fans, spoke to Femail about the common mistakes people make when applying eye make-up and lashes, and which style to go for to best flatter your peepers
MONOLIDS
You know you have monolids like actress Lucy Lui if have no crease in your eye or a less obvious crease. These are very common in people of Asian descent.
I usually recommend a gentle curl and longer lashes to be applied at the outer corner.
Most women with monolids have a high set brow, so a little bit of a length won’t hurt to fill in the space between the lash line and the brow.
Lucy Lui, pictured at the Tory Burch Fall Winter 2020 Fashion Show in February, has monolid eyes
Edy explained that people with monolids have little to no crease in their eyes. These are very common in Asian descent
ROUND EYES
Round eyes are very feminine; they are usually quite large. Study your eyes to see if you can see any white all around your iris.
For these I recommend very subtle-looking lashes with a light and wispy texture, using a variety of thicknesses and curl.
I’d aim for a shorter lash in the inner and outer corner, with the longest lashes in line with the highest point of the eyebrow.
Katy Perry, pictured here on American Idol last week, has round eyes. Edy recommends a subtle eyelash for this type
Edy described round eyes as ‘large and very feminine’ and suggested lashes with a light and wispy texture and a variety of thicknesses and curl
ALMOND EYES
Almond eyes are one of my favourite shapes to work on; they are slightly pointed towards the end of the eye, with a wider centre.
The iris is slightly hidden by the lower and upper eyelid. They are usually wider in width.
In terms of eyelashes, the sky’s the limit. On an eye shape like this, almost everything looks good.
I am willing to go quite dramatic on the outer corners; I recommend using smokey liner on a lower eyelid to emphasise your shape.
Almond eyes are slightly pointed in shape towards the end of the eye, with a wider centre. Angelina Jolie, pictured at the Maleficent Premiere in October last year, has almond-shaped eyes
Edy explained that ‘the sky’s the limit’ with almond-shaped eyes, as almost every style looks good on them
DOWNTURNED EYES
Downturned eyes feature a downward tilt at the outer corners. It makes your upper lid look much larger, which creates more space between the brow and outside corner.
With this shape we need something to give them a lift; I recommend a dense lash line with cat eye shape eyelashes.
Avoid creating too much of a flick at the end; this would most likely weigh down the lid even more, creating a sad eye – which we definitely don’t want!
Anne Hathaway, pictured in New York last year, has downturned eyes, where the outer edge points away from the forehead
For downturned eyes, Edy recommends a dense lash line with cat eye shape eyelashes without too much of a flick at the end
UPTURNED EYES
Upturned eyes, often described as a ‘cat eye’, are as common as almond shaped eyes – in fact they are very similar, as they too are oval in shape and usually the lower lid appears longer.
This type of eye shape suits any lash extensions – in particular a gentle B curl (a smaller curl that is very natural) with similar length eyelashes all the way across, apart from the inside corners, which need to be much shorter.
The fact that the eye is already upturned means you don’t need to play around with the length too much, as it will naturally give a subtle cat eye look,.
If you want to exaggerate the natural eye shape, you can add a few longer lashes at the end.
Mila Kunis, pictured at the Sundance Film Festival in January, has upturned eyes – also known as ‘cat eyes’
Upturned eyes are as common as almond shaped eyes and are oval in shape, with the lower lid usually appearing longer
DEEP-SET EYES
Deep-set eyes are set deeper in the eye socket which creates the illusion of a more prominent bone brow.
Many people with this eye shape want to find ways to brighten up their eyes and bring them out.
Deep-set eyes are the only shape that require extra length – mainly for the eyelashes to be more visible, as part of the eyelash is concealed by the depth of the socket.
The curl needs to be very subtle, as often C or D curls (a large, dramatic curl) can look uncomfortable and unnatural on deep-set eyes.
I usually recommend a J curl (a long, curly natural lash) or a B curl in order to look nice and in proportion; anything curlier than this may end up touching your brow bone.
Deep set eyes like Keira Knightly’s – pictured at the premier of Misbehaviour in London this week – create an illusion of a prominent brow bone
Deep set eyes are the only shape that requires extra length in the lashes, mainly because part of them are hidden by the depth of the socket
HOODED EYES
You know you have hooded eyes when you have an extra layer of a skin that droops over the crease. Sometimes it can make you look tired – even after eight hours’ sleep!
It is a very beautiful shape if you have naturally long lashes, but hooded eyes are very tricky to style with cosmetics because they make even big eyes look smaller than they are.
I am very critical about them because it’s my eye shape, and even though I’m a make-up artist, I struggled with it until I found extensions (the fact that I naturally have very short lashes didn’t help).
Eye-liner never used to show up, while smoky eyes never worked quite right. Extensions are the one thing I found can rescue the situation; if you have a hooded shape I recommend them to make your eyes pop.
I’ve even talked some of my clients out of having a Blepharoplasty – surgery to remove the extra layer of skin in your eyes – and encouraged them to get lash extensions instead.
I recommend medium length, and a C curl (a natural curl that’s bigger than a B curl) to go over and cover the lid. I personally like mine longest underneath the highest point of my eyebrow.
Jennifer Lawrence, pictured at the Christian Dior Womenswear launch at Paris Fashion Week in September, has hooded eyes, where there’s an extra crease below the brow bone
Edy explained hooded eyes are difficult to make up, as it’s easy to look tired no matter what
Edy reveals how to get the right lash extensions for you – and stay safe in the process
Edy told Femail how her passion for individual eyelash extensions was born out of frustration towards the strip lashes and mascaras on the market.
‘Having to work on big shoots with absolutely stunning models who weren’t blessed with long eyelashes, I quickly realised that no mascara was good enough to extend and thicken long lashes,’ she said.
‘Very often, even the best quality mascara would smudge or look clumpy in various weather conditions. I was also getting fed up with false eyelashes, which are not suitable for some eye shapes. Often they are too long on the lash line, or can make round eyes look sad or droopy.
Ellie Goulding is pictured wearing Edy’s eyelashes at the BRIT awards last month
‘My eyelash extensions last between three and six weeks based on how well they are maintained and combined with the natural speed of eyelash growth.’
Edy prides herself on providing her clients with longer, fuller, natural-looking lashes. She applies individual eyelash extensions using the ‘1 Lash per 1 Lash’ technique.
‘This is the safest option and makes the lashes feel weightless if they are chosen and applied properly,’ she said.
Mel B, is another of Edy’s clients, she is pictured here wearing her lashes
Here she shares her top tips for getting the right extensions for you…
GET A GOOD TECHNICIAN – AND AVOID RUSSIAN LASHES
For ladies who are looking for a lash technician, always go with a good recommendation. It is worth investing time in research to make sure your eyelashes and eyes stay safe.
Try to avoid volume lashes (often called Russian lashes) unless it is a one-off treat for a party. They don’t look natural.
3D eyelash extensions will triple the number of your natural lashes – and let’s be honest, no one has 450 lashes per eye. Plus, your natural lashes can’t carry on having them done continuously without causing damage.
They will look too heavy and too obvious and the natural beauty of your eye will get lost behind a big black fan.
They are also very often poorly applied; when they first come into contact with water, they tend to clump until they fall out.
Lisa Snowdon has praised Edy’s eyelashes on Instagram, sharing stunning pictures of the extensions
KEEP IT NATURAL
Eyes are our most beautiful and noticeable feature. Working on somebody’s eyelashes, I focus on keeping them the centre of attention, not the eyelashes.
Sadly with some falsies, we see a woman’s eyelashes before we even see her face.
Eyelashes are there to enhance the natural beauty of the eyes by opening them up, framing them, enhancing their colour or fixing imperfections.
False lashes should usually be no longer than 2-3mm from the natural eyelash to make sure they’re not obvious and remain in good condition.
Always go for thin, fine-looking lashes; I recommend no thicker than 0.10mm per lash. These will ensure they’re lighter and more comfortable, and it will be less obvious to see where they join the natural lash.
ADD COLOUR NOT LENGTH FOR A DRAMATIC LOOK
Colour lashes are designed to enhance your natural eye colour in a much more subtle way than coloured mascara, as you can place a few here and there.
There are couple of ways to enhance your eye colour. You can go for the same colour of your eyes in a darker shade – for example, I often offer my blue-eyed clients a couple of navy eyelashes just above the iris to bring out the blueness of their eye, especially in the sunshine as it looks incredible.
Or you can play with contrast. For example, if you have green eyes, they will look more intense with a few purple lashes thrown in.
I would ONLY advise trying out colour eyelashes when using the very best technicians as it requires a very precise application and a lot of creativity.
Trinny Woodall (pictured) is one of Edy’s most loyal clients, having been with her eight years
AVOID TOUCHING YOUR FALSE LASHES
In order to make your eyelashes last longer, remember not to tug at them while applying make-up.
Try to avoid rubbing or picking your eyes, as in the long term it can cause lash loss.
Do not pull them out! This is the most common reason for lash damage.
Avoid using alcohol-based products around your eyes as they are usually drying.
Finally, only use products designed for eyes; you can use a sponge, but aim for one without coarse fibres which could tangle with your lashes and pull out extensions.