A few weeks ago I wrote a post about my everyday makeup and the products I use. Since then, I’ve had a few emails asking about makeup for spectacle wearers, and after seeing a fab post by Keiko Lynn entitled ‘Makeup Classes for Girls with Glasses’ I thought I’d share my thoughts on beauty for those of us who look at the world through a permanent window. And yes, I shamefully stole my title from Keiko. Hope she doesn’t mind (full creative credit goes to her on that one!).
Benefit Porefessional primer, Estee Lauder Double Wear Light in 001, Benefit Boi-ing concealer in 1, Rimmel Hide the Blemish in Ivory, Mac Mineralize Skinfinish powder in Medium, Benefit Hervana powder, Benefit Hoola bronzer, Topshop Neon Rose cream blush, Urban Decay Naked 2 eyeshadow in Bootycall, Shavata brow pencil in Dusk, Benefit They’re Real mascara in Black, Revlon Just Bitten Kissable lip balm stain in Cherish.
I’ve been wearing glasses since I was 11, and started wearing them full time around age 14, so I don’t really have any reference for how different it is to wear makeup with added face furniture. But I’ve had a long time to figure out what works, and what doesn’t, when your makeup has to content with a pair of glasses. So here are my tips for a natural, everyday look…
- No matter how thin your frames or how much you pay for anti-glare lenses, glasses DO cover your eyes. They reflect the light, they get smudged, they put a barrier between you and everyone you look at. No amount of eye makeup will change that. So, I prefer to keep my eyes neutral and focus on other areas instead – sticking to a natural shadow (I love the Naked 2 palette) and defined lashes means I can ramp up my lip colour instead.
- Unless you’re going for the Deirdre-Barlow-circa-1992 look, your frames shouldn’t cover your eyebrows, and neatly-groomed brows will give you a more wide-eyed look. I have mine threaded and fill them in with a brow pencil, accentuating the arches. Comb through afterwards for a natural look.
- Heavy frames like mine can be very hash against pale skin (again, like mine), so I use a peachy blush and a light bronzer to add colour and definition to my skin, helping it warm up against the thick black of my glasses. In the past I’ve had coloured frames which are much easier to wear than classic black… strangely enough!
- Finally, a more practical tip – smudges and marks on my lenses are the bane of my life and I’m constantly borrowing my boyfriend’s t-shirt (while he’s wearing it!) to clean my specs. I avoid sticky lip products at ALL COSTS because hair+gloss+wind+glasses = an absolute nightmare to clean. Instead I like matte finishes, or coloured balms like this one from Revlon.
I’m hoping to do a series of posts on makeup for long/short sighted ladies, covering a range of looks for different occasions. Let me know if there’s anything specific you’d like to see… something I’m toying with at the moment is whether to wear my glasses at my wedding and how that would work with makeup, so when I’ve cracked it I’ll let you know! And if you wear glasses, share your own makeup tips in the comments – I’d love to hear them.
PS – The only editing I’ve done on these photos is cropping and fixing the light. I wanted to show the makeup as true-to-life as possible!
