Simple make-up tricks that can disguise heavy, droopy eyelids

Heavy, drooping eyelids can make you look far more tired than you feel, as well as making it tricky to stop your eye make-up from becoming creased and cakey.

But Priceline Pharmacy beauty director Sarah Laidlaw has some simple tips for combating the ageing effect of hooded eyes. She shared them with comedienne Jean Kittson, who represented Starts at 60 at the recent Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Week.

“As we get that slight crepiness and hooded eye – don’t put anything shiny on it,” Sarah advises. “Metallic brings out texture so if you put metallic shine on your cheek it’s going to show every pore, every wrinkle, crevice, everything, and it’s the same on your eyelid.”

Instead, Sarah recommends matte tones such as a pale taupe that’s “just a shade darker than your skin” to give the illusion of causing your eyelids to recede, without drawing attention where you don’t want it.

“Then a little bit of mascara, a couple of coats of it, so you thicken up that lash and curl them,” Sarah added. “When you have a lash in front of that hooded eye, you look at the lash not at the hood.”

Hooded eyes are common as we age, and are caused by the forehead muscles losing their tone and looser, sagging skin pushing the eyelid down, sometimes even resting on the lashline. They tend to be hereditary and at their worst, they can make the eyes feel heavy and hard to open, and even affect vision, although that’s reasonably rare.

Surgical treatment for extreme cases is sometimes funded by Medicare, but most people who’re very bothered by their heavy eyelids seek the help of a cosmetic surgeon privately for a procedure called a blepharoplasty. 

But Sarah advises making a bit of effort with make-up first, to see if that alleviates your concerns about the look of hooded eyes.

  “I think a lot of people think they need to [have surgery] because they’re not 12 anymore, but that’s not the point,” she says.

“The only reason you should do it is if it’s actually interfering with your vision. Women are beautiful no matter what. You earn all that magic on your face!”

Do heavy eyelids cause problems with your vision, or are you bothered by their appearance?