15 Ultimate Makeup Hacks for Making Protruding Eyes Look Less Prominent

Do you have wide set or protruding eyes that you wish looked less prominent? While the shape of our eyes is genetic, there are lots of makeup tricks that can help downplay protruding eyes for a more balanced look.

This article will provide 15 hacks to minimize the appearance of protruding eyes with makeup. From prepping the eye area to creating illusions with shadow, liner, lashes and brows, these tips will help you make your eyes look closer set and less wide.

Prep the Eye Area Thoroughly

Starting with a completely blank, primed canvas helps immensely when doing corrective makeup for protruding eyes. Prepping properly creates the ideal base.

Always Use an Eye Primer

Using an eye primer might seem insignificant, but it makes a world of difference for balancing out protruding eyes! Primers create tacky, grippy bases that eye makeup adheres to better. Products apply more vibrantly and stay put longer without fading or creasing.

Some top options include:

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion: This cult favorite comes in shades like Eden (a matte flesh tone), Sin (a shimmering champagne) and Original (a sheer beige). Apply it smoothly across the entire eye area up to the brow bone to prep lids for shadow.

NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base: This lightweight primer leaves just a hint of color to neutralize veiny lids. It works wonders at intensifying powder and cream shadow pigment for attractive makeup payoff.

MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre: The creamy, mousse-like texture offers full coverage for balancing uneven tones on eyelids. Use a dense brush to pat on this shade from lash line to brow.

Be sure your primer covers the entire eye area from lash lines up to the brow bone, as well as past the outer corners of eyes. Blend the product evenly before applying other eye makeup. Allow it to fully dry as well. This creates the ideal smooth, even base for your other corrective eye makeup.

Color CorrectDiscoloration and Dark Circles

Layering corrective color concealer over primer addresses issues like dark circles, puffiness, veiny eyelids and redness that emphasise protruding eyes. The idea is to neutralize those tones before foundation and other concealer.

Here are the two key color corrector shades to use:

Peach Corrector: Counteract blue/purplish discoloration under the eyes with peach shades. Apply sparingly only where needed.

Yellow Corrector: Neutralize patches of redness and ruddiness around the eye with yellow corrector. Pat on lightly just on the inner halves of lids near tear ducts if necessary.

Having flawless eye skin removes those detracting tones that accentuate protruding shape. Remember to use color correction sparingly though, and set with some translucent powder so it won’t peek through other layers of makeup.

Brighten With A Luminous Eye Concealer

After priming and color correcting, uniform brightening and coverage comes from an illuminating eye concealer. Look for creamy liquid formulas that offer medium-full, blendable coverage. Avoid heavy cakey textures.

Concealers that give radiance (rather than matte formulas) help minimize shadowy nooks that protrude eyes can have. Light-reflectiveness brings that area forward instead of receded back.

Apply your liquid concealer lightly across the entire eye and just past the outer corner with a small concealer brush. Gently pat to evenly distribute, taking care not to pull or tug delicate eye skin. Blend edges seamlessly into your foundation base.

Setting concealer with a light dusting of setting powder ensures it stays vibrant all day without settling into fine lines.

Overall, proper color correction, concealing and baking creates a flawless base for eye makeup that counterbalances protruding shape.

Define and Contour The Crease

Strategic definition and contouring of the eye crease area helps make protruding eyes appear less prominent. Warm, matte shadows recede the eyes back, while deft blending prevents any jarring sculpted effects.

Use Matte Browns to Add Depth to The Crease

Build dimension that sets back protruding eyes by applying a neutral matte medium brown eye shadow. Using a tapered blending brush, concentrate application of the matte brown starting from the middle of your upper lash line near the iris.

Softly diffuse the color upwards in a gradient effect, deeper near the lash line and lighter toward brow bone. Blend the matte brown shadow outwards as well, extending just past the tail of your brows.

This wide, lifted contouring essentially “pushes back” protruding eyes for a more balanced look. Keep depth focused on the outer halves of eyes near temples.

Further Define With Matte Burgundy Shadow Through Crease

Deepen definition using a matte burgundy shadow, hugging it tighter through the actual crease, especially in the outer corners.

Burgundy nicely complements brown tones. Take an equally tapered crease brush, run it through the burgundy shade and tap off excess. Starting from the upper outer eyelid, trace it into the crease in a subtle sideways V-shape. Blend with small circular motions to diffuse edges.

Both the brown and burgundy shadows neatly recede protruding eyes. Eliminate any visible harsh lines by gently smoothing them out. Soften and widen shadow placement rather than leaving it tight to mimic natural contours.

Well-blended matte definition flatters all eyes shapes. The deeper hues recede protruding eyes while opening up wide set ones.

Cut The Crease Slightly For Balance

Cut creases involve “cutting out” a lid space for eye shadow using concealer to prime that specific area. It helps sculpt widened, rounded eyes that protrude outward.

With a thin, flat concealer brush, paint on some of your liquid concealer about two thirds across your lid, leaving the inner third near tear duct bare. This shapes your natural lid space.

Next, pack on a light, shimmery eyeshadow like champagne, rose gold or taupe onto the blank canvas you created to define that custom lid area.

Blending the defined lid color into the matte crease shades gives a subtle cut effect. The contrast helps balance eye shape, making protruding eyes less bottom-heavy.

Cut creases work best on small-medium eyes. Choose shimmers rather than bold mattes or dark shades to avoid closing up eyes. Extend the creased effect slightly past the outer corner of eyes as well for corrective widening.

Soften Edges For A Seamless Look

While sculpting and defining adds flattering contour, any blunt, harsh edges tend to accentuate protruding eye shape instead of minimizing it. Be sure to soften shadow borders and fade liner for a seamless effect.

Soften Matte Shadow Borders by Blending

Take a clean, fluffy blending brush to gently smooth over any hard lines left from applying your brown and burgundy matte eye shadows. Blur those demarcations at the crease, towards the nose bridge, outer corners and lower lash line.

Use a light hand and blend in windshield wiping motions to seamlessly transition hues for rounded shaping. Defined yet diffused shadow mimics smooth natural contours that help protruding eyes.

You can also soften shadow edges by spraying brush tips lightly with setting spray. The added moisture helps sheer out pigment for airy blending.

Apply Inner Corner and Brow Bone Highlighters

Additionally, brightening the inner eye corners and just under the brow arch opens up wide set eyes.

Take a matte nude or subtly shimmery highlighter on a pencil brush and glide it across tear ducts, inner lid area and brow bone. Subtly highlight above protruding eyes to bring that region forward, balancing their bottom heaviness.

Try highlighter shades like a champagne luminosity, pale gold sheen or an iridescent white glow. The goal is obvious – yet blended – strobing.

Pack On Shimmer Shadows Across Lids

For maximum softness and protrusion reduction, swipe softly glittering metallic and shimmer shadows atop your eyelid base. Cream and liquid formulas like molten metals work beautifully to minimize unevenness.

Iridescent textures catch and reflect light. This brightens up shadowy, deep set areas around protruding eyes for a lifted effect.

Use your finger or a dense makeup brush to press on a mix of pink and bronze shimmers across lids. Soften their edges into the matte contour shades lining lids. The interplay of faint shimmer and mattes comes together attractively.

Lift The Eyes Upwards For Balance

Since protruding eyes tilt downwards and bulge outwards, creating an upwards lifting effect through lashes, liner and brows helps neutralize that heavy appearance. Elongating the upper eye area restores harmony.

Curl Lashes and Apply Mascara Selectively

Curled lashes instantly open up wide set eyes, while mascara definition helps recede protruding ones upwards and back.

After curling upper lashes with an eyelash curler, apply black mascara in a wiggling motion just to the top lashes. Skipping lower lashes keeps that area minimized. Focus mascara coats on the outer corner lashes to visually lift temples.

Waterproof mascaras help achieve intense black definition that lasts without smudging or transfers. Try tubing mascaras as their formula wraps around each lash evenly emphasizing length and lift.

Line Waterlines to Brighten Eyes

Lining waterlines (or inner rims) counteracts redness and brightens entire eye area for accentuated lift and width.

Glide a soft nude or white eyeliner pencil along lower and upper waterlines. Nude liner blends better for fluid lining while white liner (used sparingly) truly widens eyes reducing the zoomed-in protrusion effect.

Be sure waterline liner connects from tear ducts fully to outer corners for complete opening up of eyes. Smudge some along the inner corner upper lash line as well. Buff color out slightly for that flawless no- makeup makeup eye trick.

Lengthen With Natural-Style False Lashes

Applying lightweight, natural looking strip lashes exclusively along the upper lash line adds balance to protruding eyes. Expansive lower lashes emphasize bulge, so stick to elongating just upper eye shape.

Look for tapered or crisscrossed lash strips with longer lengths focused on outer corners rather than overly volumizing or blunt-cut falsies.

Use black latex-free lash glue to apply strips, allowing it to slightly tack up first before pressing along upper lash line tilting outwards. The extensions should criss cross your natural lashes for seamless blending while opening up eyes width and structure wise.

Frame Eyes With Brows and Liner For Balance

Arching, framing and accentuating brows coupled with subtly angled liner provides symmetry that balances out protruding eyes beautifully.

Give Brows An Upwards Arch and Lift

Defined, fuller brows with an angular upwards arch help contrast protruding eyes for proper alignment. Use brow pencil, pomade and mascara to fill in gaps for a complete look.

Map brows using brow pencils like Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz to outline ideal shape. Remember to draw straighter lines across the top with just a slight upturned arch.

Then use a tinted brow mascara to brush hairs upwards and outwards, extending their look towards temples. Follow by neatening and sculpting tails with a brow pomade like Benefit’s KaBrow.

Beautiful brows help frame wide set eyes for prominence reduction.

Draw Subtle Winged Liner angled Correctly

Winged eyeliner styles tend to suit protruding eye shapes better when kept subtle in length and drawn at specific upwards extending angles rather than pulling eyes down more.

Use a matte liquid or gel liner formula that gives you fluid control. Keep wings short – extending them too far vertically or horizontally exaggerates protruding eyes.

Flick liner up and out from the outer corner at a 45 degree angle towards temples rather than too sharp or too subtly. Blend liner edge properly so it fades rather than abruptly ends.

Waterline tightlining paired with this technique helps define eyes suitably. Remember to keep liner thin through the rest of upper lash line to keep eyes wide and lifted.

Additional Tips and Tricks For Reducing Protruding Eyes

A few extra techniques help pull protruding eyes out and forward to aesthetically balance face better:

• Apply some highlighter on top of cheekbones near outer bottom portion of eyes. Add a second swipe to chin and center forehead as well for symmetrical strobing that leads the gaze upwards.
• When applying face makeup, contour only under cheekbones to visually minimize wide appearance of eye area. Skip any shadow contouring near temples or side of eyes.

• Curl lashes properly before and after mascara for eye opening lift. Use lash combs between coats as well to prevent clumping.
• Set undereye concealer with loose translucent setting powder using a damp sponge for crease-free lasting coverage throughout the day.

Conclusion

In summary, while the position and prominence of our eyes depends largely on genetic factors, makeup techniques can help reduce the heavy bulge of protruding eyes. Prepping the eye region thoroughly by priming, concealing and correcting lays the groundwork.

Strategic contouring paired with soft blending sculpts wide set eyes back. Shimmery shadows brighten while artful liner, lashes and brows balance eye shape.

With practice, you can adapt these methods for maximizing and accentuating your eyes beautifully! Makeup should enhance natural features rather than drastically alter them.

With some practice, the ideal enhancing makeup for your unique protruding eyes will come easily. Have fun playing up your eyes!