MAKEUP FOR SMALL EYES

Dear Jellybean,

Ever since second grade I've had glasses. This year I'm getting contacts. The problem is... my eyes are a little small for my face. When I wear my glasses they magnify my eyes to a normal size, but without you can tell how small my eyes are. Do you have anything that I can do to make my eyes pop/stand out more? Please Help Me!!!
-Small Eyes

Dear Flex,

There are lots of makeup tricks you can use to enhance small eyes and make them seem more prominent in your face. Check these out:

First, make sure you know what your best makeup colors are. Then you can use shades that are truly flattering, and your makeup application will do the most for your beauty. Check out the Myjellybean Makeup Generator to find out your best colors.

When you've got your colors, tailor them for your small eyes. That means, using light shades of those colors (light shades make eyes look bigger). So if your best shadow color is purple, for example, use lavendar - not violet, Also, consider using eye shadows that have a slight shimmer, which will open up your lids and make eyes stand out more.

For your makeup application, start with an irridescent highlighter pencil (or pearly white shadow). Dot just under outer brows and in the inner corners of eyes (on either side of the nose) and blend.

Apply a light color of eye shadow (in your best color) all over lids, from the lash-line into the crease.

Next, if you're into eyeliner, do a "Cat's Eye" application. That means starting with a thin, fine line at the inner corner of your eye, very close to your lashes, and thickening the line more toward the outer third of your eye. Extend the liner just a smidge beyond the outer corner of your eye (and slightly upwards), to open your eyes. Bonus - this also makes lashes look thicker and longer.

Bring home this effect by curling your top lashes, and applying mascara ONLY on the outer lashes.

Note: If you do that eyeliner-all-around-the-eye look (aka "Raccoon Style"), stop it! Lining your entire eyes just makes them look smaller. In fact, skip colored liner on bottom lashes altogether. Instead, steal a celebrity trick: Apply white eye pencil on the inside rim of lower lashes. This will give you a fresh, wide-eyed look.

Finally, don't neglect those all-important eyebrows! Even without a stitch of makeup, eyes look instantly wider when they're framed by groomed brows. You could visit a salon pro for perfect tweezing, or try it yourself by using tweezers to remove any stray hairs under the arch of your brow. (Visit this page for good brow tweezing basics).

To make close-set eyes appear wider apart, tweeze your brows a little further out (tweezing for normal set eyes starts in line with the corner of the eye). Space your brows about an eye length apart if unsure. And take a few steps back from the mirror after EVERY hair you tweeze, just to take a good look and make sure you haven't over-plucked. When you're done grooming, hold brows in place all day with a swipe of clear mascara, or hair gel applied with fingers.