Hooded Eyes
An eye shape where a fold of skin from the brow bone droops over the upper eyelid crease, partly hiding the mobile lid when the eye is open.
Hooded eyes are one of the most common eye shapes on the planet — present across every ethnicity, and frequently cited as one of the most striking and attractive eye shapes. If you've ever wondered whether you have them, or how to work with the shape, this page covers it plainly.
What are hooded eyes?
Every upper eyelid has a crease — the horizontal fold that separates the mobile lid (the part that moves when you blink) from the brow-bone skin above it. In most eye shapes, this crease is visible while the eye is open, giving the lid space to show eye makeup, shadow, or simply the natural skin tone above the lash line.
In hooded eyes, the skin of the brow bone extends further downward and drapes over that crease when the eye is open. The fold of skin “hoods” the upper lid, partially or fully hiding the mobile lid from view. The amount of lid that remains visible varies from person to person — some people have just a slight fold that softly sits on the crease; others have a more pronounced drape that covers the lid almost entirely.
The key thing to understand: the hooding is created by the brow-bone skin, not by the eyelid itself. The eyelid still opens normally; the pupil and iris are fully exposed. What changes is the amount of lid skin that is visible above the lash line when you look straight ahead.
Hooded eyes are extremely common. They appear across all ethnicities and all age groups. Many people are born with them; others develop a more pronounced hood over time as the brow-bone skin naturally loses some elasticity with age. In either case, they are a normal anatomical variation — not a flaw, not a medical issue, and not something that needs correcting.
Do I have hooded eyes? How to tell
The fastest way to answer "do I have hooded eyes" is the visible-crease check — a 30-second mirror test. All you need is even lighting and a relaxed face.
Stand in front of a mirror with good, even lighting
Avoid lighting from below or directly above — both can cast shadows that distort the result. A ring light or a window facing you works well.
Look straight ahead with a completely relaxed face
Do not raise your eyebrows. Do not widen your eyes. A neutral, relaxed expression is essential — raising the brows lifts the hood and can give a false reading.
Look at your upper eyelid crease
Can you see the full crease — the fold above your mobile lid — while your eye is open? If yes, you likely do not have a hooded shape. If the crease is hidden under a drape of brow-bone skin, or if the skin above the lid sits right at the crease line, you have hooded eyes.
Check whether any lid space is visible
If you can see little or no skin between your upper lash line and the brow-bone fold when your eye is open, that confirms a hooded shape. The more of the lid that is covered, the more pronounced the hood.
Not sure after the mirror test? Hooding is often partial, or stronger on one eye than the other — the borderline cases are genuinely hard to self-judge. The free AI Eye Shape Detector reads your lid presentation (hooded, monolid or visible crease) from one selfie, along with your eye outline, tilt and how closely your two eyes match.
Hooded eyes vs. droopy eyes vs. monolids
These three terms are often used interchangeably but they describe distinct things. Understanding the difference makes it easier to identify your own eye shape accurately.
Hooded eyes
The brow-bone skin drapes over the upper eyelid crease, hiding some or all of the mobile lid. The actual eyelid opens normally — the pupil is fully exposed — and lid function is unaffected. A shape variation, present from birth or gradually developing with age.
Droopy eyes (ptosis)
The upper eyelid margin itself sits lower than it should, sometimes partially covering the pupil. This is caused by a weakened levator muscle (the muscle that lifts the lid), not by brow-bone skin. Ptosis can be congenital or acquired. When the lid droops enough to affect vision, it is generally treated medically. Mild ptosis can look similar to hooded eyes but the underlying cause is different.
Monolids (epicanthal fold / single eyelid)
Monolids are eyes with little to no visible crease. The brow-bone skin connects smoothly to the lash line without a distinct fold line. Most common in East Asian and Southeast Asian populations, but can appear in any ethnicity. Monolid eyes may or may not also be hooded — the two can overlap.
Are hooded eyes attractive?
Yes — and widely so. Hooded eyes are one of the most frequently cited “striking” eye shapes in discussions of facial aesthetics. The heavy-lidded appearance they create is often described as intense, relaxed, or effortlessly alluring.
They are also so common that singling them out as a trait worth worrying about would be like worrying about having an oval face. A significant portion of the global population has some degree of upper-lid hooding — it is not an edge case, and it is not a deviation from a more desirable norm.
The perception that hooded eyes are somehow “less open” or “tired-looking” is almost always a product of makeup not being adjusted for the shape (more on that below), or of low-contrast lighting that flattens the eye area. With appropriate grooming and makeup, hooded eyes are striking on any face.
The Face Symmetry Test assesses how balanced your facial features are as a whole — which is a stronger predictor of perceived attractiveness than any single feature like eye shape.
Makeup & grooming tips for hooded eyes
The core challenge with hooded eyes is that shadow, liner, and crease work placed in the “standard” position — right on the lid — disappears when the eye is open because the hood covers it. The solution is to work above where the fold lands with the eye open, not where the crease sits with the eye closed.
Map your open-eye hood line first
Before applying anything, open your eyes and look straight ahead in the mirror. Mark (or just note mentally) where the brow-bone skin meets the lid when your eye is open. That line is your placement boundary — everything decorative needs to sit above it to remain visible.
Blend eyeshadow above the crease
Use transition shades and deeper colors starting just above the fold, blending upward toward the brow bone. When your eye is open, this brings the shadow into the visible zone. Going deep into the crease alone will hide most of your work.
Focus darker shadow on the outer corner
Concentrating color on the outer third of the eye and diffusing it upward and outward creates lift. It makes the eye appear more open and defined without requiring visible crease space to work.
Adjust your liner wing
A classic horizontal wing often disappears under the hood. Instead, angle your liner wing slightly upward as it extends past the outer corner. This keeps the wing visible when your eye is open and creates a lengthening effect.
Keep liner thin on the inner two-thirds
A thick liner across the full upper lash line shrinks the visible eye opening further. A thin, close-to-the-lash line — getting slightly thicker toward the outer corner — keeps the eye looking open.
Groom brows to create vertical space
Well-shaped brows lifted slightly above the natural brow bone create visual space between the brow and the lash line — effectively making the eye area look taller. This is one of the highest-impact changes for hooded eyes.
Understand your full facial structure
Eye shape is one piece of your overall facial geometry. The Face Shape Detector maps your face shape in seconds, while the Face Symmetry Test scores your bilateral balance across eight measurements — both free, no sign-up.
Related terms
Analyze your full facial structure
Symmetry IQ scores eight symmetry metrics from a single selfie, tracks your progress over time, and builds a personalized daily routine around your specific results.
Frequently asked questions
What are hooded eyes?
Hooded eyes are an eye shape where a fold of skin from the brow bone droops over the upper eyelid crease, partially covering the mobile lid when the eye is open. The amount of lid that is hidden varies from subtle to quite pronounced.
How do I know if I have hooded eyes?
Look straight ahead in a mirror with a relaxed face. If you can see your full upper eyelid crease (the fold between the lid and the brow bone) while your eye is open, you likely do not have hooded eyes. If the crease is hidden — or the brow-bone skin sits right at or below the crease — you have hooded eyes.
Are hooded eyes the same as droopy eyes?
No. Droopy eyes (ptosis) refers to the actual upper eyelid — the lid margin itself — sitting lower than normal, sometimes partially covering the pupil. Hooded eyes are about the brow-bone skin fold sitting over the crease, while the eyelid opening (pupil exposure) is usually unaffected. Hooded eyes are a natural shape variation; ptosis is a structural or muscular condition.
Are hooded eyes attractive?
Yes — many people find hooded eyes striking and attractive. They are extremely common across all ethnicities and age groups, and associated with a relaxed, heavy-lidded appearance that is widely considered appealing. Countless models and public figures have prominently hooded eyes.
What makeup techniques work best for hooded eyes?
The key principle is to place eyeshadow and liner above where the fold lands when the eye is open, so the color stays visible. Keeping darker shadow on the outer corner and blending upward, using a thin or lifted liner wing, and grooming brows to create vertical space all help define the eye without the effect disappearing when you blink.