Most lash menus give you a style label - "cat eye", "doll eye", "wispy", "Kim K". They are useful as a shorthand, but the same label can produce wildly different results depending on the shape of the eye underneath. Here is how we map four common shapes we see at the atelier every week.
Hooded eyes
The hooded eyelid drops over the lash line in the inner two-thirds, which means a tall curl placed at the inner corner gets buried under skin. The trick is to push the visual weight outwards. We map shorter, gentler curls (C or CC) at the inner third, then graduate to D curl and the longest length in the outer third. The eye reads lifted and open without the curl fighting the lid.
Almond eyes
This is the eye shape lash styles are designed for. Most maps look good here, which is also why almond clients sometimes leave with a style that looks identical to the salon's last 30 customers. We push for variety by introducing slight asymmetry - a half-length-longer outer corner, a slightly higher CC curl in the centre - to make a set that feels custom rather than catalogue.
Monolid eyes
Without the secondary fold, the lash line sits flat and the curl has to do all the lifting. We use D and L+ curls almost exclusively, with longer fibres at the centre rather than the outer corner. The illusion target is a soft arch in the middle of the eye, which opens the look without pulling the outer corner down.
Downturned eyes
The outer corner sits below the line drawn through the inner corner and the iris. A standard cat-eye map exaggerates the droop. Instead, we lift the centre and the outer-centre, keep the very outer corner short, and use a strong L+ curl in the last third to fight the natural downward angle.
Round eyes
Round eyes already look open. A doll-eye map (longest in the centre) can make the eye read startled. We prefer a cat-eye approach with C curls in the inner half so the lash line lengthens horizontally - more elegant, less anime.
Why we map every session
The map is not just for new clients. Your eye shape shifts subtly with age, swelling from a long flight, or the angle of the brow after a lamination. We redraw the map every time because a great set on November-you might be slightly wrong for March-you.
What to bring to your first session
- A clear photo of you without makeup, eyes open
- A second photo of you with your favourite eye makeup on - what you usually wear
- Two reference photos from Instagram or Pinterest that you keep coming back to
From there, we will draw your map together, in front of you, on tracing paper - and we will explain why we are choosing each curl. The map stays in your file for the next visit.
Get your eye shape mapped.
The mapping conversation is free, in the chair, and built into your first booking. Send us your reference photos and we will draw the map before you arrive.