When I wrote my first post on makeup for the bespectacled, I admitted I don’t really pay much attention to my eyes. EyeBROWS, yes. Love ’em, spend at least 20 minutes a day perfecting my arches. But liners and lashes have never really been my thing. Until I had a blunt fringe cut in…
My short fringe really frames my eyes and draws attention to that part of my face. I found that with a fringe, my normal eye makeup (light, natural shadow and lick of mascara) just wasn’t cutting it and my eyes were looking small and undefined. So I hotfooted it to the high street and treated myself to some lovely new products, all designed to make peepers pop.
I’ve mentioned before that I suffer from seriously dark under-eye circles, so first on my shopping list was a new ‘miracle’ cream to give me the bright, sparkly eyes I clearly deserve. I plumped for Clinique’s new Even Better Dark Circle Corrector, which the consultant tells me will erase my dark hollows within 12 weeks. It certainly brightens up the area but as for a permanent cure, I’ll have to wait and see.
I also bought the Bobbi Brown Corrector after reading a glowing review by Emma – a pink or peach-toned concealer (I was matched to the Bisque shade, which is pink) to counteract dark spots and even skin tone. So far, so good with this – it really does help brighten my under eyes.
To define my eyes and give them some standout behind my glasses, I wanted to use liquid eyeliner. I am rubbish to any kind of shadow blending and smoky eyes feel too heavy during the day, but after years as an emo teen I’ve got my liquid liner technique down.
I used FashionistA’s Gel Liner in black along my lid, flicking out at the end. To get the perfect line, I start in the centre of my eyelid and draw a thin line to the edge. The I go from the inner corner to the middle, connecting the two together. Using this as a guide I build the thickness and flick out for that cat eye look. Done in less than a minute!
The last step in my quest for bigger, better eyes came in the form of a Groupon voucher I’d bought months before. When it comes to Groupon I’m terribly impulsive, buying vouchers then forgetting about them almost instantly. When an offer for HD brows and Nouveau Blink ‘n’ Go lashes at a local salon came up, I bought it purely for the brows.
When I went in for my appointment I was completely perplexed by the lashes on offer – some looked decidedly drag queen – so chose the shortest, most natural style. They come in small clusters, are applied directly to your own lashes and last 2-3 weeks if you’re careful with them. It’s very hard to wash your face properly as you do have to avoid them, and I’ve already lost a couple due to heavy-handedness, but I just adore them. They’re fluttery, make my eyes look twice the size and they don’t brush against my lenses (a real concern as that would drive me mad) – great for special occasions or holidays, as you don’t need to wear mascara.
After the lashes I had my eyebrows dyed, waxed, threaded, plucked and filled in with the HD brows technique. Honestly, I wasn’t hugely impressed but I do like the shape and they’re much easier to fill in now they’re nice and neat. I find strong, shaped eyebrows open my whole face and help balance my frames, too.
As a spectacle wearer I’ve always presumed my eyes were a lost cause, hidden behind those panes of plastic, but with the right products and a little effort they look much more open and defined. I’ll definitely keep experimenting with eye makeup the same way I do with lipstick!
Do you wear glasses? What are your tips for emphasising eyes?
