Makeup Tips for Glasses

In one of my recent social media posts, a past client expressed that she found it difficult to know what sort of makeup to wear with her glasses, and I thought, what a great topic for a blog post!

Read on to find out my top tips for wearing makeup with glasses...
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Foundation

Make sure your foundation around the nose area isn't 'cakey' as it will transfer onto your glasses and create little indents in your foundation. Just a light layer of foundation over the area is best. If you need a lot of coverage in that area, use a high-coverage foundation, as the high pigment means you only need a small amount to cover any discolouration. Make sure it's long-lasting, as it is less likely to transfer. If you have oily skin, a matte foundation will help control the oil. Make sure to thoroughly set the entire area with powder to ensure long-lasting, shine-free coverage.
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Longsighted Glasses

If your glasses are longsighted, they'll magnify the eye area which will make your eyes look bigger as well as make your makeup much more noticeable. Here are a few tips: 

1. Your glasses make your eyes look bigger - use this to your advantage! Go with simpler eye makeup and let your eyes shine. A classic cat eye is perfect - elegant and dramatic!
2. Make sure your makeup is well blended and applied beautifully with minimal mistakes. You don't have to be pedantic about this, but remember to take this into consideration as your glasses will magnify any mistakes. This means making sure your mascara isn't super clumpy, as your glasses will pick this up and magnify it!
3. ​Try to avoid glittery or shimmery eyeshadow - particularly during the daytime - unless you're really comfortable with this look, as any glitter will be magnified due to the nature of your glasses. A matte shadow will keep your eyes classic and understated.
4. If you already have large eyes and are worried your glasses will make them look too big, wear dark liner on both the top and bottom lashes - particularly on the bottom waterline. This closes off the eye and makes it look smaller. 
5. Wear a separating mascara to avoid the clumpy look. A volumising or 'false lash effect' mascara may be too much for your lashes. Be sure to curl them beforehand so that they're less likely to brush against your frames. If your mascara transfers to your lenses, wear a waterproof or long-lasting formula.
6. Wear your eye colour's complementary colour as eyeshadow or eyeliner. This will enhance your eye colour and make them shine! If you have blue eyes, wear browns, beiges or golds; if you have green or hazel eyes, try violets, purples or mauves; and if you have brown eyes, go for blues or greys. 
7. Since your eyes stand out so much, you have two options. You can run with it - enhance your eyes with a bold look and keep the rest of your makeup minimal with nude-toned lips. Or, you could keep the eyes as simple as possible with just mascara and perhaps a little liner, and go bold with the lips. Just don't do both at the same time!

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Shortsighted Glasses

If your glasses are shortsighted, they'll make your eyes look smaller, so it's important to use a few simple makeup tricks to enhance your eyes and make them look bigger. Here are a few tips: 

1. Use lighter colours in your eyeshadow to bring your eyes forward. Don't be afraid of shimmer or glitter! They'll make your eyes sparkle and will enhance them. Use a light colour over the whole lid and a midtoned colour in the crease for definition. This will make your eyes look bigger. 
2. Skip eyeliner altogether to avoid closing up/minimising your eyes, or just go with a thin line on the top lash line. For underneath, apply the eyeshadow you used in your crease with an angle brush just to the outer third of the eye for a softer liner look. We want to keep the eyes as open as possible. 
3. Apply either a bright white or off-white/nude eyeliner (depending on your colour code) to the bottom waterline to open up the eyes and make them look bigger. You'll be amazed at the effect this gives!
4. Apply lots of volumising mascara! The thicker the lashes, the larger your eyes will look. Of course, you don't want to go overboard in the daytime. And make sure to curl your lashes before applying mascara so they don't brush against your glasses. If your mascara transfers to your lenses, wear a waterproof or long-lasting formula.
5. Don't be afraid to go bold with your eye makeup. It will draw more attention to your beautiful eyes. To make your eye colour pop, go with a complementary colour: for blue eyes, wear browns, beiges or golds; if you have green or hazel eyes, try violets, purples or mauves; and if you have brown eyes, go for blues or greys. 
6. Use highlighter on your eye area to make your eyes appear bigger and be more eye-catching. Apply it in the inner corner of the eye, underneath the brow on the brow bone, and right in the centre of the lid, making sure to blend well. 
7. If you choose to go for a bold eye look, keep the rest of your makeup simple and wear a nude lip. If you want a bold lip look, make sure your eyes stay simple. I'd recommend going with a shimmery, pearl-coloured shadow, no eyeliner and lots of mascara. This will keep your eyes large and open while staying simple so your bold lip does all the talking. 

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Coloured vs. Neutral Glasses Frames

Finally, I just wanted to mention a few tips for coloured frames and neutral frames.

If your frames are neutral (black, charcoal, grey, navy, brown, taupe, white, or even clear) you can wear a bolder, more colourful eye look. Experiment with colours that enhance and complement your eye colour to make your eyes stand out!

On the other hand, if your glasses are in one of your pop colours, it may be difficult for you to pull off a coloured eyeshadow look without appearing overdone. Go a little simpler with the eyes and wear a bold lip! Don't be afraid of a colourful lip with coloured glasses. As long as they're both in your colour code, they'll harmonise. Of course, this gives quite a dramatic effect, and may not be comfortable for those of you with a gentler, more reserved personality, so don't do it unless you're comfortable.

I hope you learned something from these tips! If you have any questions about this topic (or anything else for that matter!) just pop them below and I'd be more than happy to answer. 

Until next time,

Kiarra