Hunter eyes are deep set eyes under a low, straight brow, with a slight upward tilt at the outer corners and little visible eyelid. The phrase began on online looks forums, where it is paired with prey eyes. You can measure your own eye tilt and proportions with our free attractiveness test, on your device.
What hunter eyes are
Hunter eyes is not a medical term. It is slang that grew out of online forums around 2015, where users described eyes that looked narrow, focused and shaded by a strong brow. The name compares that look with a predator watching its prey, and it is usually used as a compliment.
Most descriptions agree on five traits that show up together.
- Deep set. The eyes sit a little further back under the brow bone, so the brow casts a soft shadow over them.
- A low, straight brow. The eyebrows sit close to the eyes and run fairly flat rather than in a high arch.
- A slight upward tilt. The outer corner of each eye sits a little higher than the inner corner, a positive canthal tilt.
- Little visible eyelid. The upper lid is mostly tucked under the brow, so you see little or no lid when the eyes are open.
- No white below the iris. The lower lid sits close to the bottom of the iris, so no white shows underneath when looking straight ahead.
Hunter eyes vs prey eyes
The forums that coined hunter eyes also coined prey eyes, its opposite. Prey eyes are rounder and more open, with a higher brow, a neutral or slight downward tilt and some white showing below the iris. Our guide to prey eyes explains that look in detail.
The pairing makes it sound as if one shape is better than the other. It is not. Plenty of admired faces have open, round eyes, and plenty have deep set, narrow ones. Large, open eyes are often described as warm, friendly and youthful, while deep set eyes read as calm and focused. Which look someone prefers is personal taste, and both are normal variations of the human face.
How to tell if you have hunter eyes
Look straight into a mirror in even light, with a relaxed face, and check each trait.
- Brow position. Is the space between your brow and your lash line small, with the brow sitting close to the eye.
- Lid show. Can you see much of your upper eyelid, or is it mostly hidden under the brow.
- Lower white. Does white show between the bottom of your iris and your lower lid.
- Tilt. Draw an imaginary line from your inner eye corner to your outer corner. Does it rise as it goes out.
- Depth. Seen from the side, do your eyes sit behind the line of your brow bone.
If most answers point to a low brow, hidden lids, no lower white and a slight upward tilt, you have what people call hunter eyes. You can measure the tilt exactly with our golden ratio face test, which reads the angle of each eye from a selfie.
What makes eyes look like hunter eyes
Hunter eyes come mostly from the shape of the bones around the eyes. A forward brow bone and cheekbones, together with the way the outer corner of the eyelid is anchored, set the depth and tilt of the eye. Genes decide most of this, which is why eye shape often runs in families.
A few everyday things change how the eyes read in a photo.
- Light. Light from above deepens the shadow under the brow, which makes eyes look more deep set.
- Expression. Relaxing the forehead lowers the brows slightly. Raising the brows opens the eye and shows more lid.
- Sleep and puffiness. Swelling under the eyes or on the lids softens the outline for a while.
- Age. Over the years the skin around the eyes loosens and the outer corners can sit a little lower, which is completely normal.
Can you get hunter eyes
You cannot change the bones around your eyes with exercises, massage or by holding your face a certain way, whatever some videos claim. Some online trends go further and promote risky procedures. Journalists and eye doctors have warned about people harming their eyes chasing this look, and we do not recommend any of it.
What you can do is play with how your eyes read, safely and for fun.
- Brows. Keeping the brows full and fairly straight, with the tail slightly lifted, frames the eyes the way hunter eyes are usually described.
- Liner. A thin line of soft brown liner along the upper lash line, extended slightly upward at the outer corner, adds a gentle lift.
- Shadow. A matte taupe shade blended into the crease deepens the eye area.
- Sleep and hydration. Less puffiness means a crisper outline.
All of these are optional. The more useful question is what you like about your own eyes, and how to show that off.
Why people care about eye shape
Eyes are the first thing most people look at in a face, so small differences in their shape and position get noticed. Research on facial attractiveness has found that features close to the average of many faces, and faces that are fairly symmetrical, tend to be rated as attractive. Specific named shapes such as hunter eyes have not been studied in the same way, and the online rankings that made the term famous are opinion rather than science.
That is also why our tools never call any eye shape good or bad. They measure angles and distances, then tell you how yours compare with the range we see in real faces. Every result comes with the same reminder, that geometry says nothing about your worth or how people feel about you.
Hunter eyes in women
The term is used mostly for men, but women have the same range of eye shapes. Deep set, slightly upturned eyes under a straight brow are often described in women as almond or siren eyes rather than hunter eyes. Makeup that suits them includes soft shadow in the crease, a thin lifted liner and lashes curled well, since deep set eyes can hide the lashes under the brow.
Hunter eyes on camera
If you like the hunter eye look in photos, a few camera tricks help without changing anything about your face.
- Take the photo at eye level or very slightly above, with soft light from the front and a little from above.
- Relax your forehead rather than raising your brows.
- Look just past the lens rather than straight into it for a calmer, more focused gaze.
For more ideas, our guide to almond eyes covers makeup that suits a long, tapered eye, which most hunter eyes are.