Fox Eyes: What the Look Is and How to Create It

How to tell if you have natural fox eyes

“Fox eyes” is mainly a makeup look, but some people’s natural eyes fit it closely. You’re likely one of them if:

1. Your eyes are long and narrow, clearly longer than they are tall.
2. Your outer corners are strongly upturned, noticeably higher than your inner corners.
3. Your inner corners are sharp, pointing slightly down and in.
4. Your brows rise toward the tail, or naturally angle upward.
5. Little white shows above or below the iris.

The detector reports your corner angle in degrees. Fox is the look it suggests when the outer corners are clearly lifted; a gentler lift points to siren eyes.

What does it mean to have fox eyes?

Having fox eyes means your eyes look long, narrow and lifted at the outer corners, with a sharp, feline quality. It’s a style label and a makeup trend rather than an anatomical eye type, though some people have naturally strongly upturned eyes that fit the look.

Fox eyes vs cat eyes vs siren eyes

For the anatomy underneath these looks, see the guide to every eye shape.

Fox eye makeup tutorial

1. Brush the brow tails up. Use a brow gel to lift the last third of each brow upward, and fill the tail with fine strokes angled up. This sets the direction for the whole look.
2. Prep the lid with primer.
3. Find your angle. Hold a makeup brush from the outer edge of your nostril past the outer corner of your eye toward the brow tail. That line is your wing direction.
4. Draw the lower line. Starting from the outer third of the lower lash line, draw a straight line along that angle, longer than a usual wing.
5. Draw the upper line from the tip of the wing back to the upper lash line, keeping it straight rather than curved, and fill the space.
6. Extend the inner corner with a short, sharp line pointing down and inward.
7. Shadow up and out. Blend a warm brown or taupe from the outer corner up toward the brow tail, keeping it soft at the edge. Lightly shade the outer lid too.
8. Keep the center of the lid matte and light, so the lift stands out.
9. Lashes: mascara on the outer lashes, brushed toward the temples, or a few individual lashes at the outer corner.

A softer, everyday version

Skip the liquid liner: smudge a brown pencil along the outer thirds of the upper and lower lash lines, extend it up toward the brow tail and blend with a small brush. Lift the brow tails with gel. It reads as a subtle fox eye.

Fox eyes on hooded, round and downturned eyes

• Hooded eyes: draw with your eyes open, and keep the upper line thin until the point where the hood ends. See hooded eyes.
• Round eyes: the extended corners add length; keep lower liner off the center of the eye.
• Downturned eyes: start the upward line a little before the outer corner, and lift the brow tails a little more.

About the fox eye lift trend

The popularity of the look led to a cosmetic procedure sometimes called a “fox eye lift” or “fox eye thread lift”, in which dissolvable threads are placed under the skin to lift the brow tail and outer eye area temporarily. Medical sources describe risks including bruising, asymmetry, skin dimpling, visible or migrating threads and infection, and results fade over months (Cleveland Clinic; review of complications). We don’t recommend any procedure. If you’re curious, speak to a board-certified facial plastic or oculoplastic surgeon, and remember that makeup creates the same look with no risk.

Common fox eye makeup mistakes

• Curving the wing. A curved flick reads as a classic cat eye. Keep the fox wing straight and aimed at the brow tail.
• Forgetting the brows. The lift at the brow tail is half the look. Without it, the eye liner can look disconnected.
• Blocking out the lid. Heavy dark shadow across the whole lid pulls focus from the corners. Keep the center of the lid light and matte.
• Going too long on hooded lids. Very long wings can fold over a hood. Shorten the wing and angle it a little higher instead.
• Matching liner and shadow too harshly. Blending the outer shadow softly into the wing keeps the look polished rather than graphic, unless graphic is what you want.

Fox eyes for different eye colors

Warm browns and bronzes suit almost everyone and make the look feel natural. Cooler taupes and charcoal give a sharper, editorial effect, especially on cool undertones. For color, try a deep plum wing on green or hazel eyes, a copper wing on blue eyes, or a navy wing on brown eyes. The color analysis shows which shades fit your coloring.

Fox eyes in men

Men with naturally long, upturned eyes have a fox-like shape. Keeping brow tails tidy and slightly lifted emphasizes it. Angular or browline frames echo the upward line.

Myths about fox eyes

• “You need a procedure for fox eyes.” Makeup and brow styling create the look on almost any eye.
• “Fox eyes and cat eyes are the same.” A cat eye is a liner flick; fox eyes reshape the whole eye area, including the brows.
• “Fox eyes are an eye type.” It’s a style. Your natural shape could be almond, round or hooded underneath.
• “Upturned eyes are better than other shapes.” Corner angle describes shape only. Every angle is normal and common.

Curious which look suits your natural eyes? Try the eye shape detector.