Rules Of Use: Wearing Makeup with Glasses

We’ve all seen the movies: the ugly duckling undergoes a dramatic makeover and is turned into the most beautiful, most popular girl at school. And what’s the first thing to go during the makeover: the glasses.

Fortunately, this aversion to glasses is waning as specs become more stylish and less, well, Napoleon Dynamite-esque. Today, glasses can be more of a fashion accessory than just a piece of health-related gear. In fact, many style lovers have begun sporting clear lenses and it’s never been more popular to look like a “nerd”.

Now that wearing glasses in public is socially acceptable, it’s time to understand what makeup techniques work. Because most lenses tend to have a magnifying effect for your eyes, or at least draw more attention to those baby-blues, read on to learn to how to really make them stand out!

Less is More 
People typically load on the eye makeup believing that they need to compensate for the fact that their eyes are taking a backseat to their glasses. Not the case. Lenses typically magnify your eyes and thick frames draw added attention to them. So for eye makeup with glasses, less is definitely more.

Lisa Loeb Rocks These Pairs With Minimal Makeup

Be sure to match your skin tone and take care to blend any lines as mistakes will be more noticeable behind glasses. Banish the under-eye circles with a high-quality concealer. Head to your local beauty store and take the time to get your perfect skin tone match from a beauty consultant. The price is worth it.

Work with Your Frames
Let your cute frames do the talking for you! If you have thick or colourful frames, tone down your makeup and stick with neutral colours. Line your upper and lower lids with soft black or brown eyeliner. If you’re going to wear shadow, reach for nudes, beiges, or other neutral hues.

Katy Perry Combines Dramatic Liner and Fuchsia Lips With Retro Glasses  

If you’re sporting thick, colourful frames, be sure to balance this burst of colour by wearing a rich colour on your lips. No need to match the hue—bright purple frames do NOT give you the go-ahead to wear bright purple lipstick—but do pump up the colour a bit.

Rashida Jones Plays Up Big Frames With Red Lips 

How to Go Rimless 
If your glasses don’t have frames, you can play-up your eyes a little more. Feel free to try bolder shadows like gray or bronze. Smudge your eyeliner for a more dramatic look and add an extra coat of mascara—though stick with volumizing mascara as opposed to lengthening so you’re not brushing them against your lenses.

Nix the Glitter 
Stick to a neutral colour palette if you’re going to wear eye shadow. Avoid frosty or glitter shadows have a metallic sheen that may compete with the reflective nature of your lenses. Plus, many of these types of eye shadows tend to flake, leaving you with a makeup mess on your frames.

Anne Hathaway Dons Nerdy Glasses With Neutral Eye Makeup 

Reduce Smudging 
Speaking of a makeup mess, getting makeup on your lenses or frames can be frustrating and can ruin your look. To reduce smudging, avoid powder shadows. Use cream or waterproof eye shadows instead, as they’re less likely to flake. Women with long lashes should curl their lashes and apply a volumizing mascara. Curling them will keep lashes from brushing the lenses and irritating your eyes. Finally, let all liquid makeup thoroughly dry before putting on your glasses. 

Non-Makeup Tips 
If you have a hard time seeing without your glasses, purchase a pair of inexpensive magnifier specs to wear while you apply makeup. If you can apply without specs, be sure to try them on a few times as you apply makeup to see if any adjustment is needed. Your eyebrows frame your face and well, your frames, so be sure those brows are well groomed. Finally, wear sunglasses! Squinting in the sun and years of sun damage will lead to fine lines and wrinkles, stock up on shades for the beach!

Bottom line: less is truly more. Don’t fall prey to the common misconception that wearing glasses means you need to pile on the makeup. Keep it simple!

Guest Post By Maggie Voelker.
Maggie is a writer for the Affordable Style Network specializing in budget-friendly accessories like reading glasses, bifocal sunglasses, scarves, and handbags. As a glasses wearer herself, she struggled with applying eye makeup and spent many hours at the beauty counter figuring it out. Outside of work Maggie enjoys running, cooking (or trying to cook), cheering on her favourite sports teams, and spending time with family.