Cat Eye, Doll Eye, or Squirrel? Choosing a Lash Map for Almond, Round, Deep-Set, and Downturned Eyes

By Michelle Bodean, founder of Michelle Lashes-Brows-Beauty, 1202P 75th St, Downers Grove, IL 60516. Licensed esthetician and international lash judge.

Most people book a full set knowing whether they want classic, hybrid, or volume. Very few know which map they want, and the map often changes how a set looks on your face more than the type does. Put the same hybrid lashes on two people, one with the longest lashes over the middle of the eye and one with them at the outer corner, and they’ll walk out looking like they went to different salons.

A lash map is the plan for which length goes where along your lash line. Before I place a single extension, I write it on the gel pad under your eye, section by section from the inner corner out. Most of the styles you see online are versions of three maps: cat eye, doll eye, and squirrel. Which one flatters you depends mostly on the shape of your eye.

This guide covers almond, round, deep-set, and downturned eyes. Monolids work differently, so they have their own post on lash extensions for monolids, and lids that have changed with age are covered in eyelash extensions for mature eyes. If you’re looking for lashes in Downers Grove, our studio is on 75th Street, and you can take everything here to any lash chair.

Which lash map suits your eye shape: the short version

Eye shape	Maps that usually flatter it	Use with care	Why
Almond	Cat eye, doll eye, or squirrel	A steep cat eye on a small eye	Balanced proportions handle most maps, so it comes down to the look you want
Round	Cat eye or squirrel	A strong doll eye	Length toward the outer end stretches the eye sideways. Length in the center adds height and makes it rounder
Deep-set	Doll eye or a soft squirrel	A long cat eye	The center of the eye catches the most light. Long outer lashes sit in the shadow of the brow bone
Downturned	Squirrel	A cat eye that peaks at the very corner	A peak set in from the corner lifts the eye. A peak at the corner follows the slope down

The three maps, in millimeters

Maps are easier to picture as numbers. These are example classic maps, read from the inner corner to the outer corner. Your own lengths depend on your natural lashes, so what matters in each row is where the numbers peak.

Map	Example lengths, inner to outer (mm)	Where the longest lashes sit	What it does
Cat eye	8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13	At the outer corner	Pulls the eye outward and up, a lot like winged liner
Doll eye (also called open eye)	9, 10, 12, 12, 10, 9	In the center, over the iris	Makes the eye look rounder and more open from the front
Squirrel	8, 9, 10, 12, 12, 10	About two-thirds to three-quarters of the way out	Lifts the outer third without putting the longest lashes at the corner

Two variations come up a lot. A kitten eye is a softer cat eye, with smaller steps between sections and a less dramatic peak. A natural map follows the pattern your own lashes already grow in, only longer. Whatever the map, the inner corner stays short, because the lashes there are short and fine and long extensions in that spot poke when you blink.

When I map a squirrel, I usually line the peak up with the highest point of your brow. That puts the lift where your face already has it.

How to tell your eye shape

Stand at a mirror at eye level, relax your face, and look straight ahead. Skip the selfie camera held below your chin, since that angle changes how your lids look.

• If you can see white above or below your iris, your eyes are probably round.
• If your iris touches both lids, your eye is longer than it is tall, and the outer corner sits level or slightly up, they’re almond.
• Picture a line from your inner corner to your outer corner. If the outer corner sits lower, they’re downturned.
• If your brow bone sits forward and your lid looks set back in shadow, with little lid space showing, they’re deep-set.

Plenty of people are a mix, like almond and slightly downturned, or round and deep-set. When two things are going on, I map for whichever one changes the look more, and that’s usually the slope or the depth. Your two eyes rarely match exactly either, so I often map each one a little differently to make them look even when they’re open.

Almond eyes

Almond eyes are balanced, so the choice comes down to the look you’re after. A cat eye makes them longer and sharper, and it pairs well with eyeliner. A doll eye opens them up and shows more lash from the front. A squirrel sits between the two, with lift through the outer third and less drama at the corner.

On smaller almond eyes I watch the jump between the inner and outer lengths. When a cat eye climbs too steeply, the lashes look like they’re pulling off the side of the eye. Smaller steps, closer to a kitten eye, solve that.

If you can’t decide, a soft squirrel makes a good first set. At your next fill it’s easy to move the peak out toward a cat eye or in toward a doll eye.

Round eyes

Round eyes are about as tall as they are wide, and you’ll usually see some white above or below the iris. If you’d like them to look longer and more almond-shaped, put the length toward the outer end. A cat eye stretches the eye sideways. A squirrel does the same thing more softly, and it’s the better pick if your round eyes also slope down a little at the corners.

A strong doll eye goes the other way. Length over the center adds height, so round eyes look rounder, and on some faces that reads as surprised. Some people want exactly that doll look, which is fine as long as it’s what you’re choosing.

Curl plays into this too. A softer curl at the outer corners reads as length, while a strong curl over the center adds height. For round eyes I usually keep the strongest curl away from the middle.

Deep-set eyes

Deep-set eyes sit further back under the brow bone. The bone casts a shadow over the lid, so lashes can look shorter than they are, and the goal is usually to bring the eye forward.

A doll eye does that well. The center of the eye is where light hits, so length there makes the eye look less recessed. A soft squirrel works too. I’m careful with a long cat eye, because the outer corner is where the shadow is deepest and the lid space is smallest. Long outer lashes there either disappear or brush the brow bone.

Curl depends on which way your natural lashes grow. If they point up, a CC or D curl pushes the tips out past the brow bone. If they grow straight or slightly down, a flatter base gets the lift started sooner, which is where M and L curls come in. If you wear glasses, watch the combination of strong curl and long length, since the tips can touch your lenses.

Deep-set and hooded get mixed up a lot, and many people have both. Deep-set means the whole eye sits back. Hooded means a fold of lid skin covers the crease, and with a hooded lid the curl matters as much as the map, because the lashes have to clear that fold before anyone can see them.

Downturned eyes

Downturned means the outer corner sits lower than the inner corner, and this is where a cat eye goes wrong most often. Long lashes at the very outer corner follow the slope down. As the set grows out and the weight moves further along each lash, that corner starts to look heavier.

A squirrel map handles this. The lengths climb, peak about two-thirds to three-quarters of the way out (roughly under the arch of your brow), and then step down at the corner. You get lift where you want it with nothing long at the corner to drag it down. A bit more curl in the outer third, or an M curl in that section, adds to the lift.

If you come in asking for a cat eye and your eyes turn down, this is usually the version I’ll suggest: the same winged shape, with the peak moved in a section or two.

How the map works with classic, hybrid, volume, and wispy sets

The map and the set type are separate decisions, and any of these maps can be done in classic, hybrid, or Russian volume. Volume makes the map easier to see because each section has more density, while classic keeps the shape subtle. If you’re still choosing the type, the flowchart I use at consultations walks through it.

A wispy set adds longer spikes on top of a map, and the spikes follow the same logic. On a cat eye they gather in the outer third. On a doll eye they run through the middle.

Mapping isn’t priced separately on our menu. For reference, a full set at our studio is $170 for classic, $195 for hybrid, $200 for wispy, and $210 for Russian volume, and L or M curls are a $40 add-on. Current prices for everything are on our services page.

Your natural lashes set the limits

A map has to fit what your natural lashes can carry. A cat-eye peak only works if your outer lashes are long and strong enough to hold the extra length. If they’re fine or sparse, I shorten the peak or move it in a section, even when that makes the set a little less dramatic than your inspiration photo.

Extensions that are too long or heavy for the lash they sit on keep pulling at the follicle, and traction alopecia (losing natural lashes to that pull) is listed among the complications of extensions in the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s EyeWiki entry on eyelash extensions. So if your outer lashes can’t take a 13mm peak, I’ll offer 11 or 12 and get the drama from curl or density instead.

What to expect when we map your set

I choose the map while you’re sitting up with your eyes open and looking straight ahead, because that’s how everyone else sees you. Lying back in the chair changes how your lids sit, so a map chosen lying down can look different once you’re upright.

Bring two or three photos of sets you like, and look at the model’s eyes as well as the lashes. A cat eye photographed on almond eyes won’t look the same on round, deep-set eyes, and I can tell you which parts of a photo will carry over to your face. Then I write the map on your under-eye pad, show it to you, and we adjust it before I start. There’s more about that conversation in why lash consultations matter.

You can change your map later. Moving the peak a section in or out at a fill is easy. A full switch, like cat eye to doll eye, can look uneven until the old lengths shed, so if you want a big change before an event, a new full set gives a cleaner result.

Common questions about lash maps

What’s the difference between cat eye and doll eye lashes?

A cat eye puts the longest lashes at the outer corner, which lengthens and lifts the eye. A doll eye puts them in the center over the iris, which makes the eye look rounder and more open.

What is a squirrel lash map?

The lengths climb like a cat eye, peak about two-thirds to three-quarters of the way along the lash line, and then get shorter at the outer corner. It lifts the eye without putting the longest lashes at the corner.

Which lash map looks the most natural?

A natural map, which follows your own lash pattern a little longer. Of the three main maps, a soft squirrel or a gentle doll eye usually looks closest to your own lashes, and a steep cat eye looks the most styled.

Do cat eye lashes work on downturned eyes?

They can if the peak sits a section or two in from the corner and the last section steps down. A peak right at the corner tends to pull a downturned eye further down.

Can I change my lash map at a fill?

Small changes, yes. A bigger switch looks cleanest with a new full set, because the old lengths need time to shed.

Does the lash map change the price?

Not at our studio. Mapping isn’t priced separately on our menu, and the only related extra is the $40 L or M curl add-on.

Do I need to know my map before I book?

No. Bring photos of sets you like, and we’ll look at your eyes together at the start of the appointment and decide.

Visit our lash studio in Downers Grove

We’re at 1202P 75th St in Downers Grove, a short drive from Woodridge, Westmont, and Lisle. You can see finished maps on real clients in our lash gallery, and if you have a question before booking, send us a message or call.

Michelle Lashes-Brows-Beauty
1202P 75th St, Downers Grove, IL 60516
(630) 822-0201

About the author. Michelle Bodean has more than 10 years of experience as a lash artist. She started her career in Europe, earned her esthetician license in the US in 2019, and opened Michelle Lashes-Brows-Beauty in Downers Grove in 2022. She has won lash competitions including The Beauty Factor Miami, Pro Championship UK, and Lash Championship Nederland, and she works as an international lash judge and educator.