Want to know how to make your eyes look bigger? People have been fascinated with eyes since the beginning of time. More than windows to the outside world, eyes are also portals inward. We gaze into them to learn someone's innermost thoughts. Or, we'll cast a smoldering look to tell someone we're interested.

The reason: Men are more attracted to a woman's eyes than her cleavage. Science says so. Studies have shown that big, bright eyes are more attractive to the opposite sex, because they signify youth and health. But if you have small eyes, don't despair. We tapped top makeup artists to share their tips on how to make your eyes look bigger, brighter and more youthful (read: like a Disney Princess).

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If you want to know how to make your eyes look bigger, you need to start by applying eye cream. This will help smooth, de-puff and prep your skin for a flawless concealer application (just imagine applying foundation without first applying moisturizer -- the result just isn't as flawless). Celebrity makeup artist Julianne Kaye says she typically applies hers before she brushes her teeth to give it plenty of time to soak into her skin before she applies her makeup.

Certain eye creams and serums, like Guerlain Abeille Royale Up-Lifting Eye Care, $125, contain ingredients that create the illusion of bigger eyes. Look for creams and serums with ingredients like caffeine, hyaluronic acid, peptides and vitamins C and E, which help keep skin firm, hydrated and smooth, or a product that comes with a cooling metal applicator, which will help calm puffiness and inflammation (bonus points for putting it in the fridge first).

For added lift, Marcus Monson, Guerlain National Celebrity Make-Up Artist, recommends applying serum with a technique he describes as "squeeze, massage and lift."

Squeeze a drop of serum onto your finger and press lightly under the eye from the inner to the outer corner. Apply another small amount, pressing it under your brow. When you reach your arch, lift and blink several times -- "almost as if you are doing Pilates and concentrating on a certain muscle, and this muscle is your brow." Then, move the wand up and toward your hairline. "You'll see an automatic lifting and arch to the eye."

You can also try Dior Capture Totale 360 Light-Up Open-Up Replenishing Eye Serum, $110, that features a two-sided cooling applicator; the first helps smooth and reduce wrinkles and creases, the second side is ridged to help lift, reshape and open up the eyes. The formula is made with sigesbeckia orientalis, which helps decrease the size of the fold of the upper eyelid, so eyes look more alert and youthful.

"Using concealer is a great way to make your eyes stand out," says celebrity makeup artist Mally Roncal, who knows a thing or two about how to make your eyes look bigger. For best results, use a yellow-toned concealer, which will brighten your eyes by making under eye circles look virtually nonexistent (we like Marc Jacobs Remedy Concealer Pen, $39, in Stand Corrected).

There's a certain finesse to applying concealer for optimal eye-opening results: "Gently pat the product, don't rub, so that it penetrates into your skin," explains Roncal. "Also apply the concealer to the inner dark caves of your eyes and out corners where they tend to appear darker.

Contouring doesn't just stop at your cheekbones. You can actually change the shape of your eye, depending on how you apply your eye shadow.

"When making eyes appear larger, it's all about placement," says makeup artist Sandy Linter. She uses the three lightest shades (yes, all three) from Lancôme Auda[city] in Paris Palette and sweeps them on to highlight her lid. Then, she uses the moderately deep shades from the palette and sweeps them onto her lid from the outer corner of her eye inward.

"To create a deeper crease, apply a light color shadow to the lid and a deeper color into the crease in order to pull the crease back and pull the lid forward," advises Kaye.

If you have close-set eyes, you want to focus on lengthening each eye. To do this, keep darker shadows confined to the outer perimeter (almost like a cat eye, Kaye explains), and use a light, shimmery color along the inner corner of your lid.

Roncal also says that a light, shimmery shadow applied to your lid will make your eyes pop, as it will reflect the light.

Another trick: Take a soft brown or taupe pencil and define your eye hollow (that bone underneath the brow). "After doing your eyeliner, this greatly enlarges the eye," says Linter.

To make your eyes as wide as a young ingénue's, Roncal suggests using a darker color of liner along your upper lash line and a lighter shade along your lower lash line. You want to get a really thin layer of eyeliner and push it into your lashes -- this thickens their appearance.

Try Mally Open Up! Eyeliner, $18, which features a superfine tip that makes it easy to get as close to lashes as possible. And while graphic liner may be in vogue, you should skip it if you want your eyes to look wider. Roncal says this actually makes your eyes look smaller.