Genius Tricks To Make Your Eyes Look Brighter

Whether you had a late night or an early morning, your eyes can be a dead giveaway that you need a lot more bed (or caffeine!). Lucky for our summer social life, there’s lots of beauty tricks to make your eyes appear whiter and brighter — no matter what you have going on! Take a look at the genius tips below on how to make your eyes look brighter, bigger, and all around better!

White eyeliner
The easiest way to brighten eyes is with a great white eyeliner and a dab of metallic powder on the tear duct. The white eyeliner makes your eyes look the brightness, says makeup artist Karuna Chani of KC-Makeup. Try a white eyeliner like MAC Fascinating or NARS Larger Than Life paired with a metallic powder like BareMinerals Celestine.

True blue
“Try experimenting with blue liner instead of black or brown. Blue tones will make the whites of your eyes look brighter,” says Maybelline’s Global Makeup Artist Yadim. Try Maybelline Master Kajal by EyeStudio Cream Kohl Eyeliner in Navy Night.

MORE: Colored Eyeliner: Ways to Wear the Trend (Plus Which Products to Use)

Counteract redness and dark circles
Use a concealer with pink or yellow undertones and finish with an illuminating veil to set the concealer. Don’t use a heavy powder; use a very light mineral veil with illumination, says K. Moehr, an esthetician and makeup artist.

Always line the water line of your lower lashes
This area is often red or pink and by lining with a light color, you will make your eye brighter. You can use a light pink, lavender, green, gold, or bronze, says Moehr. This will lighten and brighten your eye area without making your eyes look smaller the way a dark liner would.

Play to your eye color
To make eyes appear brighter, you can play with eyeshadows that will brighten your eye color, says celebrity makeup artist Troy Jensen. For instance, blue eyes love rust and terracotta brown shades, while bronze eyeshadows with flecks of gold can pop brown and hazel eyes.

MORE: Lucy Hale’s Makeup Artist Jamie Greenberg Shows Us How to Get Her Double Cat Eye

Get your brows shaped
A well shaped brow will also frame the eyes and make them appear brighter and give you a finished look, says Annie Mayo, founder of Advanced Mineral Makeup.

Size matters
If you have small eyes, avoid applying eyeliner from corner to corner – it will make your eyes appear even smaller (especially if using black or brown eye liner). To make small eyes appear bigger, apply eye liner from the center to the outside of your eye and blend, says Sharon Pichoto, an esthetician at Suede Salon Spa and Body.

Add some shimmer
Take a tiny little brush or Q-tip and dip gently in a sparkly, loose eyeshadow. Choose a shade that’s close to your natural skin tone and just outline the inner eye corners with the makeup. Just highlighting that area always accents the eyes and makes them appear bigger and brighter, says Marilyn Young, CEO of Marilyn Young Cosmetics. Try MAC shadow in Nylon or Urban Decay shadow in Sin.