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?

1- Natural

2- Natural Sweep

3- Cat-Eye

4- Dolly-Eye

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?

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

References

1. 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)
2. 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)