Eyes and lids
Almond, round, hooded, monolid, upturned and downturned eyes, and the epicanthic fold. 18 face guides on EveryFaceShape so far.
Eyes differ in shape, set and lid: almond, round, hooded, deep-set, monolid, upturned and downturned, with or without an epicanthic fold. All of these come from the eyelids and the bones around the eye, since the eyeball itself is round in everyone. Every eye shape is found among many peoples, and none is better than another. EveryFaceShape describes them for makeup, eyewear and plain curiosity.
Lids and creases
Many upper eyelids have a crease a few millimetres above the lashes, where a band from the lid-lifting muscle meets the skin. Lids without a visible crease are monolids; lids where a fold of skin covers the crease are hooded. An epicanthic fold covers the inner corner of the eye. These forms are common among peoples of East, Central and North Asia, the Americas and parts of Africa, and in babies everywhere.
Tilt and colour
Canthal tilt is the angle of the line from the inner to the outer corner of the eye; most people's is slightly upturned. Iris colour comes from melanin: brown, the world's most common colour, has a lot; blue has little. Many genes are involved, so eye colour does not follow the simple rules once taught in schools. Heterochromia, two colours, is uncommon and usually harmless.
Framing the eyes
Eyes are where some of the oldest makeup is worn: kohl in ancient Egypt, kajal in South Asia and surma across the Islamic world. Makeup artists adapt liner and shadow to each lid, and opticians check that frames sit at the right height for the eyes and the brow. Lash length and thickness are largely inherited.
Famous eyes face guides
Still to be written: Heterochromia.
Further reading
WorldLimbal ring
A dark band encircling the outer edge of the irisEyes
WorldSclera
The tough outer coat that creates the pale background of the eyeball.Eyes · Most faces
WorldEyelid
A thin fold of skin that covers the eye and keeps it moist.Eyes · Most faces
WorldHooded eyes
An eye shape where excess skin from the brow bone folds over the eyelid crease.Eyes · Most faces
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Epicanthic fold: Sarang, Public domain, source
- Limbal ring: Chianti, FAL, source
- Sclera: Jo Naylor, CC BY 2.0, source
- Eyelash: Rapidreflex, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Eye color: LeuschteLampe, Public domain, source
- Monolids: Unknown author, Public domain, source