Eye shapes, spacing
Wide-set eyes: how to tell, and makeup that balances them
Wide-set eyes have more space between them than the width of one eye: a third eye would fit in the gap with room to spare. They give the open, youthful look that many models are known for, and they are more common in faces with a broad nose bridge or a fold over the inner corner. Makeup can play the width up or bring the eyes visually closer by adding depth at the inner corners.
How to tell if you have wide-set eyes
Look straight into a mirror in daylight, with your face relaxed and your chin level, and check these:
- Imagine a third eye between your inner corners: it would fit with space left over.
- Your nose bridge is broad and fairly flat between the eyes.
- Your inner brows start well apart, often further out than your inner corners.
- In a straight-on photo, the gap between your eyes measures longer than one eye.
How wide-set eyes vary
Average spacing varies between groups. In one photo study the gap between the inner corners averaged about 33 mm in East Asian adults, against about 29 mm in non-Latino white adults, while eye width differed by only a millimeter or two (Fry et al., 2017). A fold over the inner corner, common in East Asian eyes, adds to the look by covering the inner corner.
In medicine, eyes set unusually far apart are called hypertelorism, a feature of some genetic conditions that is assessed by doctors in childhood. That is different from wide-set eyes as a shape, and there is no perfect amount of space between the eyes (Cleveland Clinic).
Spacing reads differently with the rest of the face. A broad nose bridge, brows that start far apart, and a wide face all make eyes look further apart.
Wide-set vs close-set vs monolid eyes
Wide-set vs close-set
Opposite ends of the same measurement. Close-set eyes have less than one eye width between them; wide-set eyes have more.
Wide-set vs monolid
An inner corner fold, common with monolids, covers part of the inner corner and can make eyes look wider apart than they measure. Lift it gently to see where your inner corner really is.
Makeup for wide-set eyes
Eyeliner
Bring the liner all the way into the inner corner, and keep the outer end short, finishing at the corner or just past it. A line on the inner half of the lower lash line also draws the eyes in.
Eyeshadow
Put a medium or deep shade on the inner third of the lid and into the inner corner, blended toward the nose, and keep the outer corner lighter. Contour lightly along the sides of the nose bridge to narrow it.
Mascara and lashes
Even lashes, or slightly fuller lashes toward the inner corner, keep the eye from stretching outward. Skip long outer-corner flares.
What to skip
- Long wings and outer-corner flares: they stretch the eyes further apart.
- Bright highlight in the inner corners: it adds space where you have plenty.
An everyday look, step by step
- Blend a medium shade on the inner third of the lid and into the inner corner.
- Keep the outer third lighter, with a soft transition shade.
- Line the upper lashes from the inner corner to the outer corner, without a wing.
- Add mascara evenly, a little more at the inner lashes.
- Fill the front of the brows slightly toward the center.
Brows and glasses for wide-set eyes
Brows
Start the brows slightly closer to the center than they grow, filling the front edge with fine strokes, and keep the tails from extending far past the outer corners. That brings the frame of the eyes inward.
Glasses
Frames with a dark or bold bridge, and lenses centered close to the nose, bring wide-set eyes visually closer. Make sure the frame width matches your face so the lenses do not push the look outward.
Common combinations
Each eye shape describes one part of the eye, so most wide-set eyes come with other traits too. These pairings come up most often:
An inner corner fold with a monolid can add to the width. Shadow at the inner corner draws the eyes in.
Round, wide-set eyes look open and striking. Keep color at the inner third for balance.
Prominent, wide-set eyes take deeper matte shades well, focused on the inner lid.
Check your eye shape from a photo
The detector divides the gap between your inner corners by the average width of your eyes. Over 1.35 eye widths reads wide-set. The face model marks each inner corner where the white of the eye ends, a little outside the pink corner you would measure from in a mirror, so its gap runs a little wider than a ruler's; the bands allow for that.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my eyes are wide-set?
Look straight into a mirror and compare the gap between your inner corners with the width of one eye. If the gap is clearly larger, your eyes are wide-set. The eye shape detector measures both from a photo.
Are wide-set eyes attractive?
Wide-set eyes are often described as youthful and open, and many models have them. Spacing varies a lot between faces, and there is no correct amount.
Do wide-set eyes mean something about health?
Not on their own. Doctors assess very widely spaced eyes in children (hypertelorism) as part of checking for some genetic conditions, but wide-set eyes in an adult with no other concerns are simply a face shape (Cleveland Clinic).
How can I make wide-set eyes look closer?
Line into the inner corner, put deeper shadow on the inner third of the lid, keep wings short, and fill the front of your brows slightly toward the center.
