Different types of Monolids

So we all know that it is quite difficult to apply eye makeup on monolids, even professional makeup artists get baffled as to where to put the colors or how to accentuate the eyes. The main reason (I think) why makeup artists have difficulties figuring out how to apply eye makeup onto these eyes, this that,they haven’t really realized that there is more than one type of monolid. If you realized this then you will understand that each type may required different approach as to eye makeup application.

Below I have compiled a few photos of monolids as well as non monolids for illustration
(images courtesy of the internet)

Puffy Monolids – puffy appearance of the eyelids due to fat deposits

Sunken Monolids – deep sunken appearance of the lid around the eye socket

Flat Monolids – neither puffy nor sunken these lids are just plain flat.
Hooded Lids – these eyes have double eye lids but is hidden when they look straight

Asymetical Eyelids – uneven eyelids one is mono while the other has a double eyelid or demi eyelid like the sample

Demi Eyelids – similar to double eyelids however it only shows half of the double eyelids.

Double Eyelids – shows the presence of a crease (i know this is not a monolid but i just added it so you can see the difference of a demi and a full double eyelid.)

As you can see there are several differences that we should consider when applying eye makeup in each scenario, like for instance when you have a puffy monolid it is not advisable to fake a crease because it would just look very fake and well…wrong. However if you have sunken monolids you can take advantage of this feature by applying deep colors onto the sunken area to create an illusion of a crease and this will not look odd at all. In the case of flat eyelids, you get a plain flat surface that is quite versatile, because it is flat you can may create a fake crease with the proper colors and application techniques.

With hooded eyelids the problem area is that the hood covers the makeup that you have applied, to fix this simply apply color up to the tip of the hood so the colors will show. I find it more flattering for hooded lids to apply makeup in color gradation lighter on top going darker as you approach the lash line. another problem with hooded lids is that the eyeliner or shadows tend to migrate to other parts of the eye. to minimize this try using a liquid liner or a liner that is less prone to smudging and setting it with a light dusting of eye shadow. Eye Primers as well as makeup fixer spray also helps in keeping the makeup in place

For asymmetrical eyes, makeup can be a bit tricky cuz if you follow the natural lines and crease of your eyes you might end up with one eye appearing larger than the other. Try to check your eyes if it’s the type where you can fake the crease or not (refer to my makeover entry) if not then you may want to make sure to apply your make up in a way that makes your eyes look even when opened since majority of the time our eyes are opened rather than closed.

The application of eye makeup for Demi-lids usually is the same as that of a double eyelid, however sometimes some demi-lids are closer to a Hooded-lid if this is the case then you might want to try the application method for Hooded-lids.

I hope this entry gives you a little insight to monolids. I’d love to post actual scenarios of these however as of now I don’t have anyone with these types of lids to work with. But no worries if I do get my hand on them I’m going to make a new post on these.

Update: I just added the flat monolids, aside from these type i have listed I know there are more however these are the most common and the most basic varieties in my opinion, and makeup application would probably revolve around the techniques presented here with a little tweaking. 🙂