Eye Makeup Looks: Siren, Fox, Doe and More

What you need for these eye looks

Very little. A neutral matte shadow a shade or two deeper than your skin gives you structure, and a shimmer in champagne or bronze handles the light. Add a brown or black gel liner (a pencil works if you smudge it straight away) and a mascara you already like. A small angled brush is the one tool I’d buy if you don’t own one, because it makes a wing much easier to place than a felt-tip pen does.

If you’d rather buy one palette for all six, Clinique’s All About Shadow 8-pan in Nude Honey Mood covers the lot. Mahogany and French Roast smoke out the siren and fox wings, and All About Eve brightens the centre of the lid for doe eyes. French Vanilla keeps the lid clean under a floating crease. For the halo, Amber/At Dusk is the gold in the middle with Dark Brown in the corners, and Dark Brown pressed over a puppy liner softens the edge. Put a primer on first. It stops shadow creasing, which matters most on hooded lids.

Shop similar: Clinique All About Shadow 8-Pan Palette, Nude Honey Mood — Amazon →

Shop the tools: Clinique All About Shadow Primer for Eyes — Amazon →

Different eye makeup looks explained

Every look below uses the same hazel eye and the same warm browns, so the only thing changing is placement. Watch the angle of the wing and where the light sits.

01 — Siren Eyes

Long, smoky and horizontal

Siren eyes stretch the eye outwards. The liner runs along the upper lash line and carries on past the outer corner in a long wing that runs out almost horizontally, more sideways than up, then gets smoked out with a deeper brown so the edge looks soft. A little of the same shadow goes under the outer third of the lower lashes and meets the wing.

Keep the inner corner fairly clean. If the liner gets heavy all the way across, the eye closes up and you lose the elongated shape that makes this look work. It’s the most evening-ready look in the set, and it lengthens almond and round eyes beautifully.

02 — Doe Eyes

Round, open and soft

Doe eyes go the other way. Instead of pulling the eye outwards, you make it look rounder and wider. Keep a soft brown shadow rounded around the eye, then put a light shimmer in the centre of the lid, right above the iris, so the middle of the eye looks brighter and more open. Liner stays thin and close to the lashes, a touch thicker in the middle, and there’s no wing.

Mascara does most of the work here. Concentrate it on the middle lashes, top and bottom, and add a little shimmer to the inner corner to open everything up. It’s the look I’d pick for daytime, and it makes smaller or deep-set eyes look more open.

03 — Fox Eye

Sharp outer corner, lifted angle

The fox eye is all about the outer corner. Where the siren wing runs outwards, the fox wing points upwards at a much steeper angle, aimed at the tail of the brow, and the shadow is swept up and out in the same direction. You can take a fine line along the inner corner too, which makes the whole eye look longer and more feline.

Line the wing up with the tail of your brow rather than the edge of your eye, or it can tip from lifted into surprised. On a downturned eye, it visibly lifts the outer corner.

04 — Graphic Floating Crease

Negative space, editorial finish

This is the one people stop scrolling for. Instead of shading the crease, you draw a fine line just above it, following the natural curve of the socket, and leave the space between the line and the lashes almost bare. A small classic wing at the lash line finishes it.

It looks complicated, but it’s mostly one careful line. Look straight ahead into the mirror with your eyes open and sketch it in with a brown pencil first, then trace over it with liquid or gel once you’re happy with the curve. Placing it with your eyes open matters most on hooded lids, because the line has to sit above the fold to stay visible.

05 — Halo Eye

Light in the centre, depth at the edges

The halo eye is a smoky eye with a spotlight in the middle. Deeper brown goes on the inner and outer corners, and a bright shimmer sits right in the centre of the lid. When you blink or turn your head, the centre catches the light and the eye looks more three-dimensional.

Press the shimmer on with a fingertip instead of a brush, which gives a more metallic finish. Then take a clean, fluffy brush over the edges where the shimmer meets the darker corners, so the light fades into the shadow instead of sitting on the lid as a patch. Of the six, this is the easiest to wear on almost any eye shape, and it photographs beautifully.

06 — Puppy Eyeliner

Downward wing, soft finish

Puppy liner flips the usual wing. Draw along the upper lash line as normal, then at the outer corner let the line follow the curve of the eye gently downward instead of flicking up. Keep it thin and slightly smudged so it looks soft, not droopy.

It gives the face a gentler, sleepier expression, which is a nice change if you normally reach for a sharp wing. On upturned eyes it softens the natural lift, and it’s the most relaxed look in the set.

Which eye makeup look suits you?

Your eye shape changes how these looks sit, but it doesn’t decide which ones you’re allowed to wear. A lifted wing can change the appearance of a downturned corner, while a rounded placement makes an almond eye feel softer. For hooded lids, the placement matters more than the label: draw your lines with your eyes open so you can see what will actually show.

So try the one you like the look of first, and adjust the angle until it sits right on your face.

Eye makeup looks: quick questions

What’s the difference between siren eyes and doe eyes?

Siren eyes pull the eye outwards with a long, smoky wing, so the shape looks lifted and elongated. Doe eyes keep the depth in the centre of the lid and skip the wing, which makes the eye look rounder and more open. Siren leans evening; doe leans daytime.

Which eye makeup look is best for hooded eyes?

The graphic floating crease, because the line sits above the fold and stays visible when your eyes are open. A halo eye also works well, as long as you keep the shimmer in the centre of the lid where it isn’t hidden.

Is fox eye makeup the same as a cat eye?

They’re related. A cat eye is mostly about the winged liner, while a fox eye also sweeps the shadow up towards the brow and often adds a fine line at the inner corner, so the whole eye looks longer and more angled.

What is puppy eyeliner?

It’s a winged liner that points slightly down instead of up. Kept thin and a little smudged, it gives a softer, sleepier expression, and on upturned eyes it softens the outer corner.

If you’d rather play with colour than shape, my smoky eye makeup ideas use one technique across six shades. And if your eyes are hazel like the ones here, Best Makeup for Hazel Eyes shows which colours bring out the green and gold. There’s more in the Beauty Edit.

Further reading
Smoky Eye Makeup Ideas →
The Best Makeup for Hazel Eyes →
Makeup Look Ideas →
The Five-Minute Face →