Using Make-Up to Help Disguise a Lazy Eye

Using Make-Up to Help Disguise a Lazy Eye

Posted on January 8th, 2021

Sometimes one eye can appear smaller than the other or the eyelid can appear more closed over the eye. This may be just the way you are or have developed from a lazy eye (amblyopia), a facial palsy or following eye surgery.

You’ll find a small number of tutorials on YouTube and I have put together a step-by-step guide to using basic make-up to help disguise a lazy eye as part of your daily routine and taking it further for special occasions.

1. Apply a light toned shadow e.g. beige, taupe or stone, across the full eyelid and into the socket line. Apply the same light toned shadow to the lower lid also.

2. Use a mid-tone shadow across the lid but on the lazy eye apply to the inner and centre of the lid only.

3. Using a darker shadow follow you natural socket line but taking the shadow a little above the natural socket line at the outer edge. Blend well. The idea is to keep the outer edge of the eye as open and light as possible.

4. Using a pencil, gel or liquid liner, line the top lid as near to the lash line as possible. On your lazy eye increase the thickness of the line from the centre to the outer corner of the lid. If the lid droops significantly stop the liner just short of the end of the lid.

5. Apply a white or nude waterproof kohl pencil to the lower, and if possible, upper waterline of the lazy eye.

6. Curl lashes, apply mascara to upper and lower lashes focus on creating an upward and outward look at the outer edge of upper lashes.

7. On special occasions, apply half of a strip lash to the outer half of the upper lid, squeezing your own lashes into the false lashes to create a smooth lash line.

8. Check that your eyebrow shape is not accentuating the droop or smallness of an eye – avoid downward or rounded eyebrow shapes that close off the eye area. You eyebrows don’t have to be identical so make some subtle changes if necessary.

Shading and highlighting with make-up products are basic techniques for good professional make-up artists. These techniques can also be used as part of skin camouflage to help disguise or bring out certain features. If you’d like more information about any aspect of make-up or skin camouflage please email or call.