Knowing what are the different eyelash extension styles is crucial when picking a style that complements your eyes rather than one that takes away their beauty.
But did you know that not every style goes well with every eye shape?
That’s why I’ve also included a handy chart that matches the eye shape to the most suitable lash style.
So, after reading this article, you’ll be able to choose the best style for your particular eye shape and facial features.
Let’s shape up!
What Are the Different Eyelash Extension Styles?
The most common types of eyelash extension styles are:
- Natural
- Natural sweep
- Cat-eye
- Dolly-eye
- Squirrel
- Staggered
- Reversed cat-eye
The first 4 are generally the “go-to” styles offered in most lash salons.
1- Natural
The standard style of eyelash extensions, the natural style, aims to make your lashes look as realistic as possible.
Following your natural lash length and adding length and thickness. This styling will help emphasize the natural eyelashes and it will look as though you have very good mascara.
Here, a single lash extension is added to your natural lash with softer curls, unlike dramatic options.
This is the most popular style to achieve the most natural-looking eyelash extensions.
2- Natural Sweep
The natural sweep uses shorter inner corners and adds the same length throughout the rest of the lash line. This styling will help open and elongate the eye.
I love using this style for clients that have down-turned eyes because it helps create a more lifted look.
3- Cat-Eye
Adding the longest eyelash extensions to the outer corner of your eyes tapers the eye and creates a shapely cat-eye look.
In this case, you need to add shorter extensions towards the middle and inner corners of the eye.
This styling will help to elongate the eye. It’s the most requested style by far.
4- Dolly-Eye
The dolly style is used to open up your eyes and make your eyes look rounded. Here, lash techs add the longest lash extensions around the middle of the eye and shorter fibers around the outer and inner corners.
This styling will help round and open up the eye.
I usually use this styling when my client wants that barbie look with beautiful wide-opened eyes.
5- Squirrel
With the squirrel style, you start applying the shortest extensions in the inner corner of the eyes. Gradually increase the lengths until you reach the mid-point of the lash line. You then reduce the lengths until you reach the outer corner.
Although not frequently requested, I like to use the squirrel look on clients that really want a cat-eye look but don’t have the eye shape to pull it off.
6- Staggered
The staggered lash style is very similar to what you would get with a hybrid set. It’s achieved by alternating between long and short extension lengths. This gives the impression of “spikes” along the lash line resulting in a more messy finish.
7- Reversed Cat-Eye
The reversed cat-eye style is exactly what it sounds like, the opposite of a traditional cat-eye look. It has longer extensions on the inner corner and shorter ones at the outer corners. I love this style for clients that have wide-set eyes since it gives the illusion of drawing the eyes together.
Best Eyelash Extension Style for Every Eye Shape
| Eye Shape vs Lash Style | Natural Style | Natural Sweep | Cat-Eye | Dolly |
| Almond Eyes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Round Eyes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Upturned Eyes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Downturned Eyes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Small Eyes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Hooded Eyes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Monolid Eyes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
The table above shows the relationship between eyelash extension styles and eye shapes. As you can see, I focused on the 4 main styles you’ll typically encounter and the 7 basic eye shapes.[1][2]
Now, I will discuss in detail below the different eye shapes and why a particular lash style is better suited (or not) for it.
Certain eye shapes are better suited for certain styles. For instance, almond eyes will look beautiful with a cat-eye eyelash style while round eyes should avoid a dolly lash style.
The above table is key when deciding which lash styles would look best for you.
1- Almond Eyes
This is the most commonly found eye shape that’s also wider than the other shapes. The best way to identify almond eyes is by how it tapers around the inner and outer corners of the eye. If your eyes are almond-shaped, the outer edge of your cornea may be hidden beneath the eyelids.
Recommended styles:
- Choosing a Natural Style of lashes can accent the almond shape of the eyes.
- If you wish to open up your eyes, it’s good to go with the Natural Sweep Style.
- To make your eyes more proportional or fierce, the best choice is Cat-Eye Style.
- To prevent eyes from being hidden because of the almond shape, a rounder style like Dolly Style is a great fit!
2- Round Eyes
Typically protruding with larger-than-average sizes, round eyes don’t taper at the outer or inner corners. Moreover, this eye shape is easy to identify with the white of the cornea surrounding it from all sides. With the incorrect lash style, people with round eyes can look perpetually surprised!
Recommended styles:
- Opting for a Natural Style is ideal as it defines the shape without making the eyes of your client from looking surprised.
- When you want to add a soft taper to round-shaped eyes, it’s best to go for the Natural Sweep Style.
- For a dramatic taper, Cat-Eye Style is an excellent choice as it sharpens the outer corners and elongates the round shape.
3- Upturned Eyes
Resembling the almond shape of eyes, upturned eyes exhibit an upward flick around the outer corners of the eyes. In this case, lashes turn up and give a natural cat-eye appearance. As a result, people with this eye shape can carry most lash styles gorgeously!
Recommended styles:
- If you want to define your natural cat-eye shape without drama, go for a Natural Style lash treatment.
- For softly accenting the shape of your eye with a bit of drama, choose the Natural Sweep Style.
- When you want to look super-gorgeous, Cat-Eye Style can add maximum drama to your natural cat-eye shape.
- For clients who want to open up their eyes and make them more rounded instead of tapered, Dolly Style works the best.
4- Downturned Eyes
As opposed to upturned eyes, downturned eyes have lashes flicking down around the outer corners. If people with downturned eyes are styled incorrectly with lash extensions, they might look tired or sleepy.
Because this type of shape has a drop at the edges, lash techs shouldn’t use the cat-eye style as it exaggerates the downcast drop.
Recommended styles:
- Accenting the original shape and natural lashes with a Natural Style treatment will define the shape better.
- The Dolly Style eyelash extensions can open up the downturned eyes and make them look brighter and shapely.
5- Small Eyes
If your eyes look smaller when compared to other features such as your mouth and nose, you might have small eyes. However, you can have small eyes with almond, round, upturned, or downturned eyes too.
Recommended style:
- Choosing the Dolly Style for small eyes is a clever way to open up and enlarge your eyes besides making them more rounded.
6- Monolid Eyes
When the fold of your eyes doesn’t create a crease but occurs precisely at the lash line, it’s a monolid type of eye.
Typically seen among Asians, this type of eye shape doesn’t go well with cat-eye styles as long lashes can poke into the eyelid.
Recommended styles:
- The best way to define and outline your lash line for monolid eyes is with Natural Style that doesn’t taper any corners.
- Getting Dolly Style eyelash extensions is a great way to open up the monolid eyes and shape them up!
7- Hooded Eyes
Hooded eyes are often confused with monolid eyes, but they are not the same. Hooded eyes can still have a crease but are characterized by excess skin from the brow bone that folds on top of the upper eyelid.
This eye feature is very common in mature ladies since the skin can start sagging with age.
Recommended styles:
- I really like the Dolly Style for hooded eyes since it helps to camouflage the excess skin. It also brightens the eye by opening it up.
- The natural style is also always a great choice for this eye feature.
How to Choose a Style That Will Suit You Best?
There are 5 steps to consider when choosing the best eyelash extension style for you:
- Find your eye shape
- Find your eye size
- Find your eye proportion
- Find your eye structure
- Find the growth direction of the lashes
As a lash tech, considering these 5 factors for every client is crucial because it helps me create a personalized style that fits their profile.
We’ve already discussed the importance of considering the eye shape of the client when choosing the best eyelash extension style. However, there are 4 other factors to consider.
I’ll discuss them below.
1- Find The shape of Your Eyes
As we’ve seen, this is the number 1 factor to consider.
Just as knowing the shape of your body helps you find the best-fitting clothes and the shape of your face helps you do flawless makeup, the shape of your eyes builds the foundation for your lash extension treatment.
In this article, I’ve narrowed down the standard eye shapes you’ll encounter such as: almond eyes, round eyes, upturned eyes, downturned eyes, small eyes, monolid eyes, and hooded eyes.
2- Find The Size of Your Eyes
Depending on the vertical and horizontal dimensions of your eyes, the size of your eyes can be referred to as large, average, or small. Another rule based on practice to verify the size is to compare your eyes to other features on the face.
As a reference, Anne Hathaway has big eyes, and Yeardley Smith has small eyes.
3- Find The Proportion of Your Eyes
The proportion refers to the distance between your eyes or where they’re set concerning each other.
When the distance between your eyes is average, it’s a balanced-eye setting. Moreover, wide-set and close-set eyes are set far and close, respectively.
For reference, Gemma Ward has wide-set eyes, Jennifer Lawrence has proportional eyes, and Miley Cyrus has close-set eyes.
4- Find The Structure of Your Eyes
When your eyes are set deep into the eye cavity, they’re referred to as deep-set.
People with protruding eyes have a doe-eyed stare. It’s also known as the prominent, bulging, or protruding eye shape.
Finally, shallow-set eyes are characterized by the orbital bone being less prominent and the nose having a small bridge.
For example, Emma Watson has deep-set eyes, and Mila Kunis the prominent variety.
5- Find The Growth Direction of Your Lashes
When it comes to the way lashes grow, there are three main directions: upward, straight, or downward.
The direction of lash growth is essential in deciding the curls for a lash tech.
For instance, Asians typically have downward-growing lashes that require stronger curls.
FAQ
What lash extensions are best for almond eyes?
How many eyelash extension styles are there?
Which eyelash extensions are best for small eyes?
What lash extensions are best for big eyes?
The Bottom Line
Although each person’s eyes are shaped differently and everyone has a different taste, some generalizations can be made as to what style looks best for each shape.
Remember that there are 4 main styles to get you started:
- Natural
- Natural sweep
- Cat-eye
- Dolly-Eye
Choosing the most appropriate style is done by evaluating 5 aspects:
- Eye shape
- Eye size
- Eye proportion
- Eye structure
- The growth direction of the lashes
Designing a perfect set of eyelashes for a specific set of facial characteristics highlights the eye’s strengths while simultaneously hiding its shortcomings.
If you’re not sure about which eyelash extension style you want to get, share your question below, and I’ll help you narrow down the best options!
– Asako 🙂
Additional Readings on DivineLashes.ca: If you want to up your lash game, check out my article on classic, volume, and hybrid eyelash extensions where I explain each technique in-depth or my advice on achieving the most natural-looking eyelash extensions. Also, learning how to create a stunning look with the mega volume technique is an important tool in your arsenal.
References
- Dr. Melody Huang (2021). What are the Different Types of Eye Shapes? Retrieved from https://www.visioncenter.org/conditions/eye-shapes/ (Accessed on 21-01-2022)
- Joumana Medlej (2014). Human Anatomy Fundamentals: Advanced Facial Features. Retrieved from https://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/human-anatomy-fundamentals-advanced-facial-features–cms-20683 (Accessed on 21-01-2022)
Perfect. 🌹🌹🌹thanks
Thanks Raheleh 🙂
I’ve learned more on how to be a little more knowledgeable, confident, now that I’m a little older when it comes to choosing to wear lashes again. Thank you so much for sharing this information.
Fantastic, I’m glad it helped!
Thank you so much, this was very helpful. Will it be possible to send you an email for more specific enquiries?
Hi Betty,
I would be happy to see you in our salons if you live in Canada. Unfortunately, I don’t make 1-1 email inquiries because of time constraints.
Hi, thank u so much. Am just starting out and that as helped me understand so much. My sister wants me to do her eyes. She has a round eye which I was going to do a cat eye look but they are also small so was confused what to do. what would you suggest please? X
Hi Gemma,
Thank you for your kind words 🙂 I’m glad it was helpful. You’re in a rough spot since you have to competing characteristics. You could try a cat eye, but not overly exaggerated so that the small eyes feature is not accentuated.
Thank you for providing such an insightful and informational guide to choosing purchased eyelashes. As a 65-year old Filipino woman, I’m looking to update my look. Have you written a guide for magnetic lashes?
Keep up your great work.
-Eileen
Hi Eileen,
Thank you so much for your kind words 🙂 Yes I have! Here’s a quick guide on magnetic lashes: https://divinelashes.ca/blog/magnetic-lashes/. I hope you find your desired look.
What if I have very fine and little eyelashes? Is it suitable for eyelash extension and makes it more hassle to maintain?
Hi Rykiel,
I would need to take a look at your lashes, but in general, you can still have extensions. Your stylist will just need to use smaller diameters to ensure the extensions don’t weigh down your natural lashes.