Tap your eye shape, the look you want and your longest lash: the lash map drawn on your eye, the length for each part of the lash line, and whether lash guides pick that look for your eyes.
Eyes: almond · longest 12 mm
Natural lash mapShortest at the inner corner, longest just past the middle, a little shorter again at the outer corner.
8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 11 · 10 mm, inner corner to outer
A guides’ pick for almond eyes.
What the guides say
Maps from Vinlash, London Lash Pro, Borboleta, Charmlash and The Lash Spa; looks for each eye shape from House of Lashes, The Lash Spa, Vinlash, Borboleta, London Lash Pro, Charmlash and Sense Lashes. Checked 2026-10-02. Ours: the seven zones, 1 mm a zone, and the drawing.
Quick answer: a lash map says how long the lashes are along your lash line, and its name says where the longest sit: natural just past the middle, cat eye at the outer corner, doll eye (or open eye) in the middle over the pupil, squirrel halfway between the middle and the outer corner. Hooded and monolid eyes: doll eye. Round: cat eye or squirrel. Downturned: squirrel, not a cat eye.
How to use it
Tap your eye shape (the Eye Shape Finder tells you in three mirror checks), the look you want and the longest lash you want. The finder prints the length for each of seven zones from the inner corner to the outer, draws the lashes on an eye of your shape, and says whether lash guides pick that look for your eyes — every look they pick gets a ★. Take the map to your lash artist, or use it to cut and place strip lashes and clusters.
The four lash maps
| Lash map | Where the longest lashes sit | What it does | 12 mm longest, inner to outer (mm) | Guides |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural | Shortest at the inner corner, longest just past the middle, a little shorter again at the outer corner. | Your own lashes, fuller: it follows how lashes grow and keeps your eye shape. | 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 11 · 10 | Charmlash, London Lash Pro, The Lash Spa |
| Cat eye | Shortest at the inner corner, longer and longer to the longest at the outer corner. | Stretches the eye outward and up, like a winged liner. | 7 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 | Vinlash, The Lash Spa |
| Doll eye / open eye | Longest in the middle, over the pupil, shorter toward both corners. | Makes the eye look bigger, rounder and more awake. | 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 11 · 10 · 9 | Borboleta, The Lash Spa, Charmlash |
| Squirrel | Short at both corners, longest halfway between the middle and the outer corner, under the arch of your brow. | Lifts the outer half of the eye without dragging the corner down. | 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 11 | London Lash Pro, Vinlash |
The lengths are ours, built on the guides’ rule: the lash line split into seven zones, the zone where the map peaks gets your longest length, and each zone away from it one millimetre less, as London Lash Pro steps a squirrel set, never under 7 mm. Doll eye and open eye are one map here: the guides draw both with the longest lashes over the middle, and they disagree on which tapers harder (Hergina tapers the open eye more gently; Charmlash tapers it sharply). Vinlash’s natural map keeps rising to the outer corner instead of shortening again there. Sources for the maps: Vinlash, Borboleta, Charmlash and The Lash Spa.
The lash map for your eye shape
| Eye shape | The guides pick | A guide warns against | Guides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Almond | Natural, cat eye, doll eye / open eye and squirrel | — | House of Lashes, The Lash Spa |
| Round | Cat eye and squirrel | Doll eye / open eye (Sense Lashes, Charmlash) | The Lash Spa, London Lash Pro, Vinlash, Charmlash |
| Hooded | Doll eye / open eye | — | Borboleta, The Lash Spa, House of Lashes |
| Monolid | Doll eye / open eye | — | Charmlash, The Lash Spa |
| Upturned | Cat eye | Doll eye / open eye (Charmlash) | The Lash Spa, Vinlash |
| Downturned | Squirrel and doll eye / open eye | Cat eye (Vinlash, London Lash Pro) | London Lash Pro, Vinlash |
Not every guide agrees. The Lash Spa picks a cat eye for downturned eyes, where Vinlash and London Lash Pro warn that it drags them down. London Lash Pro picks a natural map for hooded and upturned eyes and spiky Manga lashes for monolids; Vinlash’s map list offers a fox eye, long at the outer corners, for hooded and downturned eyes, and Vinlash likes a doll eye on upturned eyes, which Charmlash warns against. For hooded eyes House of Lashes adds a denser base, so the lid does not hide the lashes. Sources for the eye shapes: Vinlash on downturned eyes and on upturned eyes, London Lash Pro, Sense Lashes, Charmlash on squirrel lashes.
Three worked examples
Downturned eyes, a cat eye, 12 mm: 7 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 mm, the longest at the outer corner. Two guides warn against a cat eye on downturned eyes; a squirrel map, 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 11 mm, puts the longest a zone before the corner instead.
Hooded eyes, doll eye, 11 mm: 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 10 · 9 · 8 mm, the longest over the pupil, where Borboleta and The Lash Spa put it for hooded eyes.
Round eyes, squirrel, 13 mm: 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 13 · 12 mm: the length sits in the outer half, which draws a round eye longer.
Common mistakes
- A cat eye on downturned eyes. The longest lashes land on the lowest point of the lash line and weigh the corner down; two of the guides warn against it (The Lash Spa disagrees).
- A doll eye on round eyes. Length over the middle makes a round eye rounder; Sense Lashes and Charmlash warn against it, and Sense Lashes keeps the longest lashes at the very end instead.
- Thin, sparse lashes on hooded eyes. House of Lashes asks for a denser base, because the lid tends to cover lighter lashes.
- Choosing by the name alone. Salons use the same names for slightly different maps: ask where the longest lashes will sit.
More on Needle Style
Classic and hybrid lash looks, eyeliner for hooded eyes, where each part of your makeup goes, natural glam bridal makeup and the no-makeup makeup look. Then find your eye shape and your brow shape.
Lash maps from Vinlash, London Lash Pro, Borboleta, Charmlash and The Lash Spa; looks for each eye shape from House of Lashes, The Lash Spa, Vinlash, Borboleta, London Lash Pro, Charmlash and Sense Lashes. Every guide re-read word for word on its own page. Checked 2026-10-02.
FAQ
What is a lash map?
The plan of your lash lengths along the lash line, from the inner corner to the outer. A lash artist marks it before applying extensions; the map’s name says where the longest lashes sit.
Which lash map is best for my eye shape?
Hooded and monolid eyes: doll eye (open eye). Round eyes: cat eye or squirrel. Upturned: cat eye. Downturned: squirrel or doll eye. Almond eyes suit almost any map.
What is the difference between a cat eye and a squirrel lash map?
A cat eye puts the longest lashes at the outer corner; a squirrel map puts them halfway between the middle and the outer corner, under the arch of the brow, and shortens them again at the corner.
What is the difference between doll eye and open eye lashes?
Both put the longest lashes over the middle of the eye. Guides disagree on the rest: some taper an open eye more gently than a doll eye, others more sharply.
What are the best lashes for hooded eyes?
A doll eye or open eye map, with the longest lashes over the pupil (Borboleta, The Lash Spa), and a denser base, because the lid tends to cover lighter lashes (House of Lashes).
What lash styles are there?
The four maps most guides name are natural, cat eye, doll eye (open eye) and squirrel. Each is named for where its longest lashes sit.