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How to… make small eyes appear bigger

We asked make-up artist Cassie Lomas for her tips

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Cassie reckons you can't make small eyes look big, but you can accentuate them so they become a more prominent feature within your face as as a whole, which draws attention away from their actual size.

1 Lighten up

Dark colours recede so go for light shades of eyeshadow. Use the shadow to contour the eyes, blending the lightest of the light shades all over the lid and a slightly darker tone on the outer corners and into the socket to create depth, which makes eyes stand out. A little sparkle on the inner corners draws attention to eyes, too.

2 Draw a line

Liner draws attention to eyes and can 'open out' their shape – especially if you 'wing' it out at the sides. Don't draw too thick a line, though; it can make eyes look heavy and hooded. And because dark colours recede, avoid black and go for maroon, grey, blue-grey or green. Don't use it on the inner lids – it can make eyes look closed in. And particularly avoid the old trick of using white eyeliner on the inner lids: Cassie says it's too obvious and rather than making the eye appear larger, simply makes it look like you're, well, wearing white eyeliner.

3 Lash out

Thicken and lengthen lashes to make them look as lush as possible, with several layers of mascara - don't wait for it to dry between layers or it will clump - which is the simplest trick for drawing attention to the eye area. Then add individual false lashes to the outer corners only, which makes eyes look wider and more open.

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