Monolid, creased, hooded—no matter what type of lid you’re working with, we know each can present its own predicaments. The ladies with a single lid know that when it comes to eye makeup, it can be hard to define your eyes without looking overly done. To guide us on the best eye makeup for monolids, we reached out to professional makeup artist Ricardo Costales for his expert, single-lid tips.

1. Think Soft

Because a single lid is a great canvas for makeup, things can get too dramatic and undefined easily. Costales says the best eye makeup for monolids is soft eye makeup. “You can create definition on a monolid eye by applying a soft matte shades like soft grey, soft peach or even soft neutral rose, then finish it with a light gel liner or a soft kohl liner in brown or grey. This will create definition with a soft touch,” Costales suggests.

2. Avoid Sparkles or Frosted Textures

While soft, matte colors are the sweet spot, Costales recommends avoiding “sparkly or frosted texture shadows that create lots of dimension in one small area, making the shape and look of the lid unfinished.” If you’re looking to add some glitter or flair, keep the texture to a sparkly liner as an accent—or take inspiration in our Glitterati Glam look and add a touch of glimmer in just the corner of your eye.

3. Blend, Blend, Blend

“A monolid is prettiest when there are no harsh areas that are badly blended. Harmony is achieved with shadow application and a perfectly lined lash area,” Coastales says. Cosmetic harmony? Sign us up. If your blending skills aren’t up to par, check out these 5 makeup artist brush tricks.

4. Add Depth Gradually

While a soft lid is beautiful, sometimes a gal needs a little more drama. “My best tip to create a smoky eye is to apply a gel liner in black or dark brown close to the lashes, blending it until it is softer. Then set it with either a black or dark grey shadow for more drama.” Remember to build color gradually, keep the majority of pigment close to the lash line.

Do you have any monolid makeup tips of your own? We’d love to hear them below in the comments!

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