Eyeliner Is All You Need For Doll-Like Eyes - Here's Why

Beauty ideals vary from culture to culture. For instance, while under-eye bags are considered less than ideal, according to Western beauty standards, they're desirable in many parts of Asia like Japan. Many Asians are obsessed with a doll-like babyface resembling manga characters, as it makes the person look more cheerful and youthful.

A flat, highly contoured face with defined features is not the most feminine or appealing when it comes to Asian standards. That's why many Asians use makeup tools to highlight their eye bags to add vitality to their eyes and create the illusion of larger eyes. This makeup trend has even been given a name by K-beauty enthusiasts: "aegyo-sal," which is Korean for "cute" or "endearing." In the C-beauty realm, this eye contouring trend is commonly referred to as "wòcán" (卧蚕), which means "a lying worm." 

Although there are certain makeup tools that help you create doll-like eyes, you don't need to invest in additional stuff when you can get the same doe-eyed effect with just eyeliner. Check out these tips.

To make your fake puffy eyes look as natural as possible, use eyeliner in the shade of brown or taupe for the contouring. First, though, apply some primer under your eyes to help the eyeliner glide on smoothly and stay on longer. It also helps to prevent your eye makeup from caking around your eyes.

Now, look into the mirror and make a big smile to locate the most visible line of your eye pudge. Then, starting from the outer part of your eye, trace the eyeliner along the bottom line of your eye fat inward. The length of the line should be about two-thirds of that of your eye, just like your natural eye bag. The goal is to just bring out your natural pudge, not extend it or shorten it. Do not go too low or it will look like your eye bag is sinking, which makes you appear older. 

Then, use a brush dipped with some loose powder to gently blend out the harsh edges and give the line a more lived-in appearance. To prevent your eyeliner from melting throughout the day, be sure to apply transparent setting powder on top of the line. To add a subtle pop to your eye bags and brighten up your eyes, pick up some highlighter or shimmer with a brush and fill in the space between your contoured part line and your water line and dab some highlighter over the inner corner of your eye.  

When people think of doll-like eyes, they tend to picture big eyes with voluminous lashes on top and bottom. However, makeup is all about optical illusion. If your lower lashes are thin and sparse and mascara alone cannot make them pop, draw your own lower lashes instead of reaching for the faux lashes. In fact, Marilyn Monroe's makeup artist also used a similar DIY trick to give her eyes a siren-like effect. Nobody can tell that you draw your own lashes unless they stand very close to you.

To create your own lashes, draw a couple of strokes under your bottom lashes and leave some spacing in between each stroke so they don't look clumped. The length of each stroke should not be significantly longer than real lashes or they will look fake. To make your drawn lashes look believable, use brown eyeliner instead of a pitch-black one. The idea of the trick is to create the impression of fuller lashes. Using highly pigmented colors on your lower lashes will make you look like you're cosplaying as a doll instead of looking like a doll.

You can use a double-eyeliner wing to enhance your eye shape and make your eyes look more mesmerizing. However, for your bottom lash line, use a waterproof white liner instead of a dark-colored one to further open your eyes and make your drawn lashes pop.