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What are your best tips and tricks for making your makeup pop when wearing glasses?
What are your best tips and tricks for making your makeup pop when wearing glasses? Share your tips!
It’s not an area of expertise for me as I’ve never had to wear glasses regularly, and I no longer need them, but a few key tips I have: 1) keep your glasses around and put them on and take them off as you’re doing your makeup, so you can find the best shapes/see how it’ll look once you put glasses on; 2) eyebrows and eyeliner really help to frame and define the eye area. Hopefully those who wear glasses more regularly can share some of their tried and true tips 🙂
Thanks to Janie for today’s question! Do you have a question idea? Submit yours here.
Don’t use liquid foundation, ever! No amount of setting powder can prevent the certain smudging on the bridge/nose pad area. I learned this the hard way. Full coverage powder foundation works best!
Also, don’t go overboard with eyeshadow on your lower lids. You don’t need too much shadow there. You get enough from your glasses.
And mascara, mascara, mascara! Go overboard here. Make your eyes pop out with this and an eyeliner!
Hmmm… the only kind of foundation I use is liquid and I don’t have any problems with the bridge/nose pad area. I used to when I wore different glasses/sunglasses and a different brand of foundation… so I suppose it depends on the type of glasses you’re wearing and/or the formula of the foundation. I completely agree with you about the mascara!
Hi, Cat! May I ask for your HG liquid foundation? I desperately need it. I love powders, but I like to switch them up sometimes with liquid foundations.
Hello! =) I use two different liquid foundations; Make Up For Ever Liquid Lift and Guerlain Lingerie De Peau.
After thinking about it more, there may be several factors involved in my ability to wear a liquid foundation without any problems from my glasses. First, I have combination skin and the area around my eyes/bridge of my nose is dry. Second, I use a combination of products together. They are: Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, MUFE Full Cover waterproof concealer, a setting powder (one of three), and Skindinavia setting spray.
Oh my gosh I need to try this! I just got glasses and I wear liquid foundation and yep, I get these awful indents in my makeup on my nose bridge. Thanks for this tip!
Always welcome!
I’m going to try a thickening mascara, I think. Sometimes my eyes don’t like mascara – I joke that I’m not high-maintenance, but my skin is a total diva. I’m lucky to have dark, long, fairly thick lashes, but they almost hit my lenses as it is. If anyone else had the same lashes, sometimes I find it better to use clear mascara after curling, especially on light makeup days. ☺ It’s also great as a brow set – otherwise I end up looking like Gandalf.
I have long but thin lashes. I need volumizing ones. I think the clear mascara as brow set is a good idea. Thanks for the tip!
I’m a nearsighted and used glasses when my eyes too dry to wear contact lens thought.when I wear glasses I’ll do light eyeshadows and draw the eyeliner a little bit thicker than normal and used a bright lipstick and make sure you conceal a under eyes area,this way will make you still look fresh 😉
Absolutely on concealer! For anyone really pale, I’d recommend Physician’s Formula Gentle Cover Concealer Stick in Light. Stays put and isn’t too pale or dark. Works on blemishes as well for fuller coverage. Do NOT get the Yellow shade – it’s wayyyy too yellow. 😛
I wear glasses nearly everyday and I find it easier to do my make up for when I wear my glasses than when I’m wearing my contact lenses.
The thing I found out about doing make up when wearing glasses is you get away with a too heavy hand where eyeshadow and Mascara is at play. And with color, if you ever wanted to play with some colors outside of the neutral or classic smokey eye categorie glasses are your best friend.
I’m in love with MAC’s Lucky Green at the moment but can only get away with that color when I’m wearing my glasses at the moment.
Actually even brightly colored eyeliners are easier to wear with glasses.
I notice that a lot of magazines and beauty websites will tell you to go neutral on your eyes and avoid bright shadows if you wear glasses. I disagree that you “should” do that. If you want to, of course go neutral. I’ve always just worn my regular eye, face and lip makeup. Everything from nudes/neutrals to UD Electric Palette looks to smokey purple eyes. No matter what frames I’ve had over the past 30+ years, I think my makeup has always worked well.
I agree very much with Christine about having good brows and lashes, because glasses bring more attention to them. I’d recommend at least brushing your brows neatly, curling your lashes to help open up your eyes and using mascara. When choosing frames, don’t get ones that completely cover your eyebrows. It’ll look weird, and your face won’t seem as expressive to other people. Because glasses do draw attention to the face, I think it’s also a good idea to have some lip color. Lip color will brighten the face and help balance out the frames on the top part of your face.
On the flip-side, if you have bold or ornate glasses, you can cheat a bit and skip eyeshadow. Just wear liner and mascara on the eyes to open them up, brush your brows neatly, and use a lip color. If I’m in a hurry, or just being lazy, I’ll use this cheat. My glasses are matte purple metal, with openwork vines and green pearl leaves on the temples, so I still feel like my face is “on” when I wear them.
Your glasses sound awesome! Yay purple *g*
Thank you, El.
I want to see your glasses, they sound divine!
I changed my avatar so you can see them. Thanks for the compliment. 🙂
Yup, those be awesome!
Thank you, Jane.
I think it’s easier to make your eyes pop when wearing glasses than when not, especially when their frame is dark and in a flattering shape. I agree that eyeliner and brows are good 😀
Thanks, Sabine (always thought that was a cool name), Rachel, and Artemis, for your comments about vivid colors and frame types. I got a UD Vice palette because I love the saturated, unusual colors (I got the third one, Christine, as it was really marked down, but thanks for your remarks about how the first two are better quality). However, I’ve been hesitant to do more than washes. So I’ll experiment more. 🙂
As for glasses, since I wear mine every day – contacts just don’t jive with my allergies – I’ve always found it worth it to get more expensive frames. Cheap frames just don’t last, and they never look as good. One BCBG frame will last you ten years or more and stay much more in style. The “two for one” deals at Eyemart are no deal at all unless you change frames often. I buy what I love and as a result don’t get tired of them.
I do recommend half-frames (solid at the top, clear at the bottom) since you can still find unusual designs without dealing with the extra shadows of a solid material below the eye. If you’re blind like I am, though, you can’t do rimless – they won’t accommodate the lens thickness at the edge.
Proportion also matters – you can find that on the frame, two numbers with a square between them. 45 as the first number is hard to go wrong with if you want to keep the lens narrower at the edge. The more difference between the numbers, the thicker the lens edge, and the more distortion at the edge.
I’ve also found I never need the $100-a-pop lenses. Polycarbonate works just fine for me, has UVA and UVB protection (a must), and cost half as much. Reputable eyeglass sellers have told me the pricier lenses are really not worth it unless you have a special need. So save the big $ for the frame. My pair were $220. I’ve worn them six years now and only had one minor repair.
I tend to shy away from completely matte looks as I feel it can make my eyes look tired and sunken behind my glasses. I use a brighter, slightly shimmery colour just on my eyelid to make my eyes look more awake, and inner corner highlight is a must for me. I also steer clear of full on eyeliner on my top lash line as I feel it looks heavy behind my glasses. Instead, I tight line on my upper lash line to get a fuller effect on my eyelashes, which I feel brightens my eyes.
Also, I don’t skip on the under eye concealer. Dark circles get emphasised if I don’t cover them up!
Finally – and this sounds really obvious – but if you’re hopelessly shortsighted like me, invest in a really magnifying mirror. It makes applying eye makeup so much easier!
Ha, I totally get the mirror tip! 😀 Otherwise my back hates me for leaning over the dang counter so much! Though I learned the hard way to always back off repeatedly and check the effect from a distance. Otherwise I get the Mimi effect. Eek! Or you can’t even tell I did anything….
For wearing glasses for quite a long time and I have monolids, I have so many issues of trying to figure out how I should do my makeup with glasses. I have to balance out everything and be sure it’ll work with my face. I can honestly say it’s difficult because you have to be sure that things go right and for me it is a hit or miss issue. :C
Now this is what I do, I don’t know if it’s helpful but it comes in handy for everyday with me anyway. I make my brows a little darker and slightly full (I have sparse brows.) Afterwards I use neutral eye shadows and a satin highlight for my inner eyes, my brow bone and maybe with my lower lash line. It brings out my eyes through the frames and my eyeliner is thick and I extend it out so my eyeliner can stand out more. I’m easy with contour and blush and whatever lipstick I have, I’ll use it.
But the struggle is SO REAL when your glasses smudges even with setting powder. It’s a pain in the butt. It helps out a lot if you have primer and maybe better setting powder? I dunno. But maybe someone can help me here. I set the powder on the bridge of my nose and it smudges up there. :C I have no clue what to do here.
Victoria, I’ve worn glasses since I was 10 and am now 65. I have never been able to solve the smudge issue. I just carry a small bottle of lens cleaner and a microfiber cloth and clean them several times a day.
I don’t have a solution either. 🙁 I find frames with nose pads have less of that issue, but that’s about it.
Actually, I don’t know! Gonna keep an eye on the comments for my friend 🙂
I think it really depends on whether your glasses are for up close (those really magnify your eyes) or distance. Mine are for distance and for the most part, I just wear what I like and don’t worry about my specs but a light shade on the lid or inner third of the lid (something like MAC All That Glitters or Stila Starlight) will brighten and make your eyes more noticeable.
I keep my lid neutral and use coloured eyeliner to make my eyes pop. My glasses make my eyes look tiny so I do a smokey eye to try and compensate for that. I prefer to wear wire frame glasses rather than thicker plastic frames so they don’t compete with my makeup as the focal point. I also wear colour on my lips more as opposed to MLBB.
I tend to focus more on lips and cheeks when I wear my glasses. I’ll wear a bright red lip and a rosy blush. I’ll just conceal around my eyes and do a little neutral eyeshadow and mascara.
Yeah eyeliner is a big must. However I always have to be careful about how I apply it. I always strive for the effect of making the eye appear bigger, because they already appear smaller when wearing glasses.
For anyone, curl your eyelashes so they don’t hit your lenses. If you’re nearsighted and wear lenses that make your eyes look smaller, emphasize them with eye liner but don’t overdo it. You may be able to get away with a little more sparkle and shimmer than you might without the glasses. If you’re farsighted and wear lenses that magnify your eyes, keep makeup more subtle so it doesn’t look alarming.
Also a tip for anyone else like me who is so extremely nearsighted that you must have your face very close to a mirror when applying makeup — use travel-sized brushes instead of regular ones, because the handles are shorter and less likely to get in the way of close-up work. 🙂
Yup, hitting the mirror with the brush handles happens to me everyday! 😀
I do this all the time. I got so frustrated once trying to line my eyes that I snapped the brush in half. I still have it and use it!
Most of my brushes get modified as soon as I buy them. I cut off part of the handle and sand down the end.
To the previous five commenters: yup, I am blind. – 7.5 in each eye. Things get blurry all of five inches from my face. Thankfully I have large eyes (another reason not being able to wear contacts annoys me), but it’s still a challenge. I find lining the inside of my lower lid with a thin layer of white or even silver helps combat the “smallifying” effect, since it reflects light into the eye and makes them appear brighter. I haven’t tried the smoky eye, though, but I’ll see if that works with the uplighting as well – thanks!
The brush smacking into the mirror is hilarious. 😀 I totally have that issue. Plus my bathroom is teeny. I wish larger brushes came with a shorter handle option, but I suspect pigs will fly first. 😛
Sadly I find wire frames don’t work on me – I’m just too pale – but yeah, those are great for a lot of folks. A number of friends tend to decide metal color based on what metal of jewellery they wear most often, but face hue is so different from skin elsewhere, I’m not sure that’s always the best choice.
Whoa, Janie, I think you just voiced a fantastic idea — makeup brushes whose handles detach so you can switch between standard handles and shorter ones for travel or for us legally blind people!
Agree. That would be awesome. I’m not legally blind, but I prefer shorter handles for some parts of my eyes. They’re just easier for me to maneuver.
As someone who absolutely MUST wear corrective lenses at all times I picked up a few tricks. Despite glasses being more fashionable than ever before I really dislike them on me and much rather deal with contacts. However, for the times I can’t avoid the specs:
* bright/dramatic lips are my friends. Granted, I have unremarkable brown colors eyes and a light, pink “winter complexion with dark hair, so that’s a no brainer for me. I go for shimmery neutrals all over the eyelid with dark liner and subtle shading in the crease, a shimmer highlight is nice in the tear duct (I avoid the browbone, seems a bit overkill. Soft mattes there look nice with a dark frame.
* consider the type of frame. The chunky dark ones are hip, but if you like a softer looks or just find them too overwhelming there are some nice thin, feminine wire frames available that are super subtle and don’t impact eye make up as much. They tend to be more expensive. You could compromise and get medium tortoise shell frames in a variety of tones to suit your skin tone that gives off a funky but more natural tone, so really heavy eye make up can clash a bit. I like a matte skin tone eyelid shade with a pop of colored metallic liner there, with lots of black mascara. Or if you like variety, not a bad idea to start a collection of frames, if your budget allows for it. Might as well make it fun.
* hardly a new concept, but if you have bright colored eyes, complimentary colors are great, or use colors in the same family as your eye color but a bit more subdued, your color with pop out like crazy in comparison. Paired with a neutral frame it can be especially arresting!
Thanks so much for all that – I have largely the same coloring. (Hey, brown eyes are not unremarkable! Give yours more credit! 🙂 ) I find the classic 40s-50s look with bright lips does work really well too. I just feel like I get stuck in a rut with it sometimes. But it’s a great go-to.
Have you tried a lavender or translucent violet frame? They’re surprisingly neutral with brown and pale tones. I tried some on a few years ago and should have bought them. That color was really popular 4-5 years ago – I think it was the Pantone color of the year or something. Done well, the shade picks up whatever is next to it. If you find some, definitely try them! I never would have picked them up if a savvy saleswoman hadn’t suggested them.
I wear glasses, and have for over twenty years. I wear my makeup however I please! My glasses are part of who I am and they are an awesome accessory. One thing I have found is that I prefer thickening mascaras – not lengthening, since my eyelashes tend to touch my lenses due to how long they already are.
I tend to wear dark dramatic plastic frames so when I am wearing glasses, I prefer just the basics.. good base layers, well groomed brows, mascara, a one and done shimmery shadow on the lid blended into crease and tighlining the upper lashline to add some dimension to the eye. For cheeks, it depends on where your frames fall so I go for just a hint of neutral blush as a light contour and for lips either a bright bold structured lip to balance the frames or a shimmery neutral pink or plum that just lends enough definition to the mouth that it doesn’t disappear. The glasses do the work of adding interest and accessorizing my face. To be honest, when I wear glasses, I usually don’t bother with makeup and the messier my hair the better too. Some people look amazing with quite heavy and dramatic eye makeup and glasses, for me it drags me down and makes me look drawn and tired. I think you have to experiment to find what works best for you.
I use the loreal tubing mascara so my glasses don’t get smudged with product. I’m also heavy handed with black gel liner and brow powder. I use an undereye brightener for dark circles. I like a pop of color on the lips as well.
My foundation does smudge my glasses throughout the day, but I carry around the CVS lens wipes that completely fixes this.
I like to make sure I’m wearing blush, and I think a bold lip looks great with glasses. If you have sparse brows, you can fill them in. I tend to not go bold with my eye makeup (and often will not wear any at all) because the frames already emphasize your eyes. I don’t wear mascara ever because it makes my lashes brush against the lenses.
You can definitely get away with heavier makeup with glasses than without, so don’t be afraid of having too heavy of a hand or wearing bright colors (especially if you have plain black frames)!
Also, I think glasses draw the attention closer to the center of the face (they compensate for my flat nose) and I balance this out with a more winged cat-eye with my shadow to the sides, which would make my face look really wide without the glasses.
And of course, curl the lashes, so they don’t hit the glasses!
I still haven’t solved the problem of foundation under the nosepads, but I usually just rub my fingers under there periodically to “remix” the foundation, and it looks fine throughout the day. If I know I won’t be taking my glasses off for the whole day, I’ll try not to apply too much in that area.
I wear glasses on work days (Mon-Fri) and I mostly focus on eyebrows and lips, it’s just easier that way. For eye makeup, it’s great to have shorter brushes or travel size brushes, and short travel sized eyeliners so you can get close to the mirror without knocking the handle against the glass (keep an eye on the Sephora 100 point perks for small eyeliners). Or products like chubby eye pencils and the Coulourpop shadows where you can blend with fingers are great. The good thing is if your eyeshadow/liner is a little uneven the glasses will camouflage it.
I’d also recommend getting some kick ass frames that are stylish on their own and flattering to your face. Liking my frames so much allows me to skip eye makeup all together most days. You could even get multiple pairs (if you can find a deal. They’re so expensive!).
I wish I could afford multiple frames right now! 🙁 But as I mentioned earlier, I just can’t bring myself to buy cheaper ones. They always turn out to be a mistake. I have three pairs of sunglasses that still need lenses. :-/ Those at least I can try on in the store and then cull through eBay or resale sites for.
I finally found a way to get away from the works-but-gets-boring tortoise style. Mine are dark copper half-frames with tortoise sides accented by deep turquoise. I loves ’em.
Ummmm do you have a picture of those frames? My head kind of exploded.
X-D Google “BCBG Minerva brown” and you should get some OK images. The turquoise details on the arms are pretty obvious. I suspect my descrip sounds pretty frightening, but the actual frame is quite striking.
As someone who has had to wear glasses from 14 y.o. on up, there was a lot of trial and error especially during my teens! That said, I did learn by 18 or 19, that I absolutely had to do my brows, eyeliner and a lot of mascara at the very bare minimum. Although I find that due to not having an easily visible crease ( double curse: glasses AND very hooded double eyelids! ), I need to create dimension by contouring one via a softened cut crease. One and done lid color just doesn’t work so well on me.
I forgot to mention: I always tightline my upper lashline to fill in the base of my lashes, and then I curl my lashes upwards and high before adding an outer lid only cat-eye. This brings attention to the eyes bigtime! Another must-do is inner corner brightening because glasses tend to make eyes appear closer together.
Also, I totally agree with Sabine and Rachel R. that yes, you really CAN get away with far more intense and/ or colorful eyeshadow and liners than if you didn’t wear glasses!!!
You can get away with much bolder looks with glasses. There have been several times when I’ve done my eyes and thought, “this is too much! I’m going to look crazy!” and then I put my glasses on, and you can hardly see it.
Yup, I hate it when I’ve gone to the trouble to do lid, crease and browline work, maybe even with a graded lid look (inner, say, a matte, and outer a shimmer), and then it all flattens out and looks uniform under my specs. I’m going to have to learn to treat eyeshadow more like stage makeup, with bolder application and clearer demarcation, I think. That’s hard for me since it seems cross-purposes with a vivid but sophisticated look. Live and learn….
I wear glasses daily for distance, and by “distance” I mean like two feet in front of my face lol! I wear black plastic frames and I find that defining your brows is a must, as they will disappear behind a thicker frame.
As far as eye shadow, I find that you can go heavier/brighter than you think you can because once you put your glasses on, it kind of tames whatever look you did. I agree about under eye concealer being helpful. I didn’t used to wear it, but once I tried it, my eyes looked brighter behind my darker frames.
As far as the bridge of the nose interference with foundation, there’s not much you can do about that. I keep my glasses on all day, so there wouldn’t be any way for anyone to see that unless I took them off.
I’ve worn glasses and done my makeup with them for quite a while now, and frankly, most online advice is total BS.
Want to play up your eyes? Break out your neons and do it. Want to play up your lips? Snag that Maybelline Vivid lipstick and do it. There are no color rules (UNLESS! I’ve seen some girls with bright colored frames, and if that’s the case, be careful what eyeshadow colors you pick. You don’t want some hideous combination when you put your glasses on, or a weirdly out-of-season holiday one, like green eyeshadow with your red glasses in the middle of June.)
Make sure to curl your lashes; there’s nothing more annoying than your lashes bumping your frames when you blink.
You will get the weird spots on the bridge of your nose. If you’re like me and wear glasses nearly all the time, that’s not an issue, because no one ever sees. If you take them on and off for reading or the like, it depends a lot on your foundation and skin type. I’m super oily and will usually wear a cream or liquid foundation topped with powder. So I just kind of blend it back with my finger, and it looks fine. For dry girls, I’m not really sure. Maybe spritz with some setting spray and blend it with your finger?
Eyebrows are a must, and eyeliner is important IF it suits your eye shape. I have hooded lids, so liner up top just smudges and makes a mess; so for me, it’s better to have a neat look than a lined one.
A lot of folks have helpfully suggested curling lashes, and I need to learn how to do this since I’m getting older and my lashes are straighter now. But I am clueless as to how to do this well. What are the best lash curlers out there, if you’ve got one you love? I’m willing to pay more for a tool that is really reliable, will last, and helps compensate for dumbness on my part. 😀 I feel like I end up just crimping my lashes, and am a wimp about getting the curler close enough to the base of my lashes. And my lashes tend to resist curling, to a point, since they’re long and fairly thick. :-/
Janie, I like Tarte’s eyelash curlers the best, though I haven’t tried many high-end brands. Tarte’s fit my eyes perfectly, are cushioned well and curl my lashes beautifully. Maybelline’s and Revlon’s have worked fine for me in the past, but I rarely curled my lashes before this year. E.l.f.’s were the worse for me. They were too big and didn’t fit my eyes. They felt overall too large and heavy for my liking. (I’m 45 and my lashes are getting straighter with age, so I just this year started curling them every day.)
I make sure I use plenty of mascara and I always do my brows even if I’m doing a minimal look. I reach for brightly colored liner and shadow because it’s already hard to see my shadow because of my nodded lids. I also think that your actual frames can play a part. I recently went from plain, discreet, black wire frames to grey/green cat eye frames and I feel that, between the new frames and a sormewhat unusual hair cut, I can get a little more bold. When one of my friends saw my new frames she said, “you should always wear red lipstick with those.” And I find that I do reach for brighter or darker lipstick than I used to.
– don’t be afraid to go bold. Your glasses will tone it down.
– don’t forget to take the color of your frames in consideration when choosing your shades. Neutral frames are easier to pair with any color and style (that’s why it’s good to have 2 pairs of glasses, a fun edgy one and a more understated, classic one. Some optometry stores offer a 2nd pair for free sometimes, otherwise consider keeping the old pair when you get your new ones).
– adapt your makeup to your lenses. Thinned lenses can make your eyes appear much smaller or bigger, depending on your eyesight.
Oh and if your eyelashes touch the glass when you have mascara on, go back to the optometry store and have them adapt the part that sits on your ears to avoid it. If your glasses have little pads that sit on your nose (attached to the frame by a small piece of metal) they can also move them around for a better fit.
I honestly just don’t wear any eyeshadow or foundation when I’m wearing my glasses (which is every day). I save full face looks for when I’m going to wear contacts.
As for what I will wear with glasses, I do my brows and will wear lipstick or gloss and mascara. Sometimes, I’ll do a bit of lower lash line eyeshadow or liner for a pop of color, and/or some nude brightening liner on my waterline. I’m nearsighted, so my glasses make my eyes look smaller.
I don’t do anything in particular except not put much product on my nose bridge. I find that even if you mess up or put too much shadow on the glasses will help tone it down which is nice.
I wear glasses all the time. I agree that eyebrows and liner are important. Eyebrows should be above the frames or aligned with them. Under the frames looks ridiculous. I also think colors of shadows need to be a bit brighter and applied just as bit darker. Nothing extreme. I also use a magnifying mirror to look for mascara spots. Oh yes, curl lashes and wear mascara.
I have worn glasses since I was 5 years old and I am shocked by so many people asking me how my makeup can look good whilst I wear glasses. The way I see it is your eyes are behind something so they need an extra pop to shine through, any look can be done by people who wear glasses you just have to go a bit bolder. I always do the 3 points on the lids, the dark crease, the light, sparkle or shimmer middle colour and then a really bright inner corner then when I line my eyes I never go right into the inner corner, I always start a little way back so that the inner corner remains bright as it tricks the light through the glasses to make your eyes look bigger and more colourful even behind the glasses. With that technique I just then play with colours and glitters.
Wear a bolder cheek and lip color. More dramatic eyeliner so it stands out behind the glasses. Contour your face with your glasses on first so it frames your face and glasses. Then blend it out with out the glasses on.
i wear glasses 24/7 & i go neutral and bold depending on my mood & not my glasses. I find though that I can get away with darker/heavier eye makeup during the day & usually I have to go a little bolder otherwise you cannot see it. at least that’s what i think…what other people who are looking at me think, i have no clue nor does it matter lol
Lots of great advice here, much that I practice myself. One tip I didn’t see: if you enjoy wearing makeup and like colored plastic frames (rather than wire), be sure that the frame you’re considering doesn’t suck the coloring out of you. Go try on frames in full makeup you’d wear with glasses. As you try on frames, you’ll see big differences in how your makeup translates with black, tortoise, red, blue, etc frames. In most cases, the color of the frame reflects back to some degree on your skin. So if you have natural ruddiness or dark shadows, red frames make things worse Black can shrink what appears as your eye space while lighter frames open it up. Also, the glasses prescription can distort your eye area, often making it appear smaller than usual. Finally, make sure the frame color works with the type of makeup you wear. I loved the burgundy frames I had a few years back but I couldn’t wear plum or similar lipstick since I looked like I was trying to match. Frames should work with not fight, how you like to look.
Great advice. I had a pair of glasses a number of years ago that had a white inner rim where the grooves hold the lenses (the frames were a matte burgundy metal) and it was amazing how that really brightened up my face. A lot like the common practice of using white or light coloured eyeliner on the lower waterline! I was very sad when the company altered the frames and they didn’t work on my face anymore, because I adored those glasses and would probably have kept getting the same ones.
Although I love my current glasses too, which are cat-eye shaped metal with white frames on the face bit and black arms.
“What are your best tips and tricks for making your makeup pop when wearing glasses? ”
“Making makeup POP when wearing glasses?” Well, go colorful and/or bold if you want your makeup to stand out–glasses or not. The easiest would simply be a cat eye, undereye concealer and a bold lip. If I want to use eyeshadow, then Christine’s tip about taking off and putting on glasses as you work is very helpful–bc I like to work with the shape of my lens as I do my eyes.
Personally, it’s hard for me to see my makeup without glasses unless I get very close to the mirror so to make things easier, my eye looks are rarely elaborate when I’m wearing glasses. By elaborate–I mean, I won’t do a bold sunset eye or anything that requires exact placement, precision, and several brushes. I also don’t wear glitter, metallic or super sparkly eye makeup if I’m wearing glasses–the reflects and how the light bounces off things through your lens can be odd.
I think no matter what–everything around the eyes should be smudge-proof, long-wearing and set with powder.
Being a long time glasses wearer (cannot wear contact lenses), I find I do take my glasses off and on to check what I am doing.
Eyebrows are important, also you don’t need to wear “lengthening” mascara as your eyelashes will put stripes on your glasses – very annoying.
I also avoid matte shadows (like Madeline above) because they can make your eyes look tired.
Depending on the shape of your eyes, you can wear bright, satiny shadows easily – with eyeliner if you so prefer. Emphasis on the crease will add to the effect too.
I definitely make sure I use mascara (I have naturally long lashes but it makes them stand out from behind my glasses) and I always do interesting liner on my lower lash line, such as a gradient from light blue (inner corner) to dark green/turquoise (outer), or some variation thereof with other colors that can blend into one another. Also, I rarely use eyeliner on my upper lash line, as I think my glasses are generally bold enough in that area.
I am far sighted and wearing tinted glasses with sturdy black frames. For eyes anything goes colorwise. I always though use at least an eyeshadow with satin finish on my lids als matte finishes dull the eye and make me look tired unless I would wear a bold color. And always, always brigtening concealer underneath my eyes. Thw rest of the face though is as important: a bold lip balances the heaviness of the black frames, a shiny highlighter framing the outer edge of the glasses. If I wear a nude lip, I go heavier on bronzer/blush to avoid looking too “nerdy”.
I stay really neutral with my eye shadows, no brights or light pastels to fight with my eyeglass frames. My glasses prescription magnifies the appearance of my eyes somewhat, so I take it easy with the eyeliner as well and then do 2 good coats of mascara. This has been the best look I’ve found in all of my years of wearing glasses.
I forgot to mention, scrupulously groomed brows are a MUST!
Geez, I didn’t realize how many replies I entered – I feel as if I took over the discussion, ugh! All the comments were really helpful, though, so even if I didn’t reply to yours specifically, I still appreciated it and took something from it. 🙂 Thanks especially for the encouragement to try bolder hues – I’m always afraid I’m going to end up overdoing it. Time for that UD teal shimmer liner to get a tryout, I think!
And thanks especially to you, Christine, for posting the question. I’m mostly a gifted amateur with makeup – I have some artistic training, but that’s enough for me to know how little I know about actual application and technique. I’ve learned to like glasses now that they aren’t treated as an irredeemable fashion mistake, but they’re still a challenge as far as getting the look I want versus an “ye gods and little fishies, that is NOT what I meant” result. 8-( 😉
One of the YouTube MUAs I follow did a post/video on glasses makeup earlier this year: http://sharonthemakeupartist.com/makeup-for-glasses/
The funny part was, much like the comments here, she got totally conflicting advice and concluded there isn’t a “one size fits all” for glasses wearers any more than for the non wearers, which I agree with. There are definitely some specific challenges, but how to deal with those is very individual.
For nearsighted folk like me, the facts are that the lenses will: make your eyes look smaller and closer together; tone down the effect of colours; and cast shadows. If you happen to have large, wide-spaced eyes, that first fact may be a welcome effect that you don’t want to change. Colours, you may want to take advantage of the dimming and wear bright shades, or forego colours in favour of neutrals. Most of us will want to deal with the shadows, though – undereye concealing becomes your best friend. For myself, I also usually skip mascara on the bottom, and often skip any other eye makeup on the bottom, leaving the concealer to do its thing and focusing the attention on the top lid.
The frames themselves will also create challenges, depending on the style and shape and how that works with your eyebrows, etc. – I’ve had glasses that emphasised my brows and ones that overshadowed them, and my makeup routine has adjusted for that as needed.
As others have mentioned, the nose pad prints in your foundation are pretty inevitable. Sharon’s video tackles some options for that but personally, I do the same as others and just pat any creases back into place, assuming I even take my glasses off whilst out and about ;-).
Really, I don’t think glasses limit your makeup options. Hair styles, now, definitely! That whole sideswept long fringe thing I loved as a teenager is a distant memory, lol. When I do have bangs, they always need to be shaped with my glasses in mind, and usually dry-snipped a bit at the end of the process, once I put the glasses back on and we can see how the hair falls once it’s dry.
#1 – if your makeup looks immaculate from 3cm away from the mirror, it will look flawless to everyone else (if you’re hella short sighted like I am)…
#2 – coloured eyeliner with neutral eyeshadow – pick something bright and banging and go all out, soft cheek with a complimentary lip or gloss and just rock sparkly purple or green glitter liner at 36 because no one else is going to do it for you.
3# – travel eye brushes are awesome, the Eco-tools set is great. Anything short handled is fabulous and easy to wield for makeup magic.
4# – if you have thick frames, especially dark ones these will cast a shadow on your upper cheeks so a bit of illumination or highlighter just under where they sit never hurt no one…
5# – groom your brows regularly if you have definitive frames and if all else fails, a bold lip cancels everything else out.
I’ve worn glasses my whole life and LOVE eyeshadow. My friends call me the shadow queen because my collection of shadows is well into the 500 mark now. My tips ? Go bold. You can get away with a lot more behind glasses than without because it’s harder to see what’s going on back there. Play worth color. Go big or bright if you feel like it. Experiment with neon and brights. But make sure your brows are in order because your bold eyes will draw attention and make sure you make your liner and lashes bold enough to see. Sometimes they get lost begins the lenses. I also wanted to say i use liquid foundation everyday and have never had a problem with the bridge of my nose either so it must be the type of makeup or the glasses that one use is having a problem with. Love your skin but better CC cream from IT cosmetics. Flawless perfection on am otherwise very flawed face !! Go bold ladies. ..you only live once !!!
Don’t know if folks are still reading/posting to this query, but karma seems to likey us bespectacled babes: Urban Decay is having a ONE-DAY TWO FOR ONE SALE on its 24/7 eyeliners (including the Velvet 24/7 shades). That’s almost fifty hues to pick from! I just nabbed four. 🙂 Hee hee!
I like big and bold glasses, so I usually line the bottom lash, I like putting some shadow there when I have time – otherwise I find there’s a lot of empty space and my dark circles look more pronounced, if that makes sense.
Filled in brows are a must!
Super late to the party, but I just wanted to say how… validated?… the comments made me feel! I am very nearsighted and, like some of the other commenters, wear a prescription too high for rimless or open-bottom frames. I have found that a defining mascara, eyeliner, and undereye concealer are the most critical and consistent parts of my eye makeup.
I think many “makeup for glasses!!!” tutorials and blog posts create a specific look that works with the frames and eye shape of the person making the tutorial. I’ve seen a number of them focus on a bold winged liner, which is pretty, but doesn’t fly on my hooded lids. My frames are neutral (dark brown and gold) and I find my color choices in eyeshadow are limited by my skintone and eye color more than the glasses – I’m very fair with gray-blue eyes, so if I go too dark it’s overpowering.