Rosamund Pike won best actress this week, but we crown this the best eye makeup for hooded lids we've seen all year

Following the 2026 Olivier Awards, a familiar message started to trickle through my WhatsApp chats. “Did you see Rosamund Pike’s beauty look?” one friend wrote.

Another followed shortly after – this time with a screenshot zoomed squarely in on her eyes. Dressed in a navy silk Burberry gown with her hair slicked neatly back, Pike looked effortlessly chic as she accepted her award for Best Actress.

Rather than leaning into heavy eye liner or deep smoky tones, makeup artist Kim Brown kept the eyes soft and understated, using a light-reflective, sand-toned shimmer – “a shell-like highlight that would last,” as she describes it – diffused beyond the lid for a lifting effect. It’s a technique that works beautifully on hooded lids.

Rosamund Pike's exact Olivier Awards eye makeup

Why this makeup works so well for this eye shape

If you have hooded lids, you’ll know the drill: liner transfers, smoky eyes disappear, and anything too heavy can make the eyes appear smaller rather than more defined. Here, it’s all about placement. Rather than concentrating shadow on the lid itself, where it’s easily obscured, Brown keeps the eyes “soft and understated”, blending Victoria Beckham Beauty’s EyeWear in shade Oyster up towards the brow bone so it remains visible when the eyes are open.

That placement is key. As makeup artist Dominic Skinner explains, “it’s all about understanding what is visible when the eye is open, not focusing on what your eye looks like when it’s closed.” In practice, that means keeping the definition where it can be seen – and avoiding anything too heavy through the outer crease, which can emphasise the hood rather than open the eye. “I lightly contoured the eye area using a Dior face Contour Palette to add subtle definition, before adding the highlight,” adds Brown.

Brows do a lot of the work here, too. “I wanted them to look groomed yet natural,” Brown tells us, sharing the exact product she used – MERIT’s Brow Gel. There’s also very little in the way of liner, which is what keeps the look feeling fresh. Instead, the lashes are curled and finished with mascara. Brown chose a waterproof formula (Dior’s Diorshow Waterproof Mascara) “to ensure longevity”, helping to prevent transfer onto the lid.

The rest of the look is intentionally pared back. “I mixed Augustinus Bader’s Rich Cream with Elemis’ Superfood Glow Primer to create a hydrated, radiant base that enhances the skin without appearing overly dewy or glitter,” says Brown. For complexion, she used a lightweight foundation alongside concealer, “buffing both into the skin for a seamless, natural-looking finish.” A swirl of cream blush and a layer of YSL Lip Blush Balm in a neutral, apricot shade completed the look.

This eye look also taps into something Pike herself has spoken about in an interview with Marie Claire UK – that she no longer feels the need to “strengthen” her eyes with smoky shadow or heavy lashes and now leans into something more delicate instead.