Makeup for Glasses-Wearers



When I was about seven years old, I noticed I was having to squint quite often to see the chalkboard at school or while watching TV at home. After my first trip to the eye doctor it was deemed that yes, I needed glasses. And my vision has gotten progressively worse since then. While most people I know have boxes of contacts with their prescriptions reading around a 0.5-1.5, my number is -8.50. If I'm not wearing glasses or contacts, I can only see things clearly when I hold them up to an inch or two away from my nose. People don't have faces. Clocks don't have hands.

I usually wear contacts on a day-to-day basis, but every once in awhile I like to give my eyes a break and wear my glasses. I like to alter my general daily makeup on the days I wear my glasses since it's such a different look.

My face makeup doesn't change, although I do tend to pay more attention to covering every blemish, just because I don't feel as put together with my glasses on so I want my skin to look as flawless as possible (is that a logical reason?). I've been using my foundations/tinted moisturizers as normal but I've been loving the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer to make sure all blemishes and redness are covered. I put off buying this for the longest time because I was satisfied with a much cheaper concealer, but I got tired of its lack of longevity - it always completely melted off my face by lunchtime. This offering from Nars gives excellent coverage and lasts all day.  I also like to use a brightening concealer under my eyes since glasses will call attention to any darkness there. I alternate between the Marc Jacobs Remedy Concealer Pen and the Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer. I finish off with a neutral blush that won't overpower the look, like the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Exposed.

I focus on my eyes even more than usual when I'm going to be wearing my glasses. I always make sure I define my eyebrows so my thick frames don't overpower my face. I usually always go for the Anastasia Brow Wiz because it's easier to use than the Dipbrow Pomade when it's not exactly easy to see what I'm doing.

Since I'm so near-sighted and my lenses are so thick, glasses make my eyes look a lot smaller than they really are, so I try some tricks to make them look bigger. I like to start with a shimmery champagne eyeshadow all over the lid, like Kitten from the Stila In the Light Palette or Bootycall from the Naked2 Palette, to really brighten and emphasize my eyes.  I also create definition in the crease using a deeper nude shade such as Bliss from the Stila In the Light Palette or Tease from the Naked2 Palette. When not wearing glasses I usually shade the crease and also the outer corner of my eyes, but with glasses on I just leave it at the crease - I don't want to close the eye off at all. I'll usually take a little bit of this same shade on the outer third of my lower lashline to give some definition there.

I think I would love the clean look of liquid eyeliner with glasses, but as I can barely see when doing my makeup if I'm going to be wearing my glasses I stick to a blendable pencil liner. I always use a brown liner, too, because my frames are brown. I love the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencils because they're so easy to apply and stay put all day, even with my eyes getting a little watery. I use the shade Corrupt, a brown with a hint of shimmer to it.  I like to use a nude eyeliner in my lower waterline as well to counteract any redness and also make my eyes appear larger. If your glasses make your eyes look bigger than they really are, I'd suggest lining your waterline with a darker liner instead.  I always make sure I curl my eyelashes, but it's even more important when wearing glasses to open up my eyes and also make sure my eyelashes aren't constantly hitting my lenses. I like to use the mascara that I've found holds a curl the best to ensure this curl will stay, and that is the L'Oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions Waterproof Mascara.

The lip color I use depends on the rest of my outfit and how I've done my hair. If I'm wearing my typical fall uniform of a messy bun with a chunky scarf, I think a red/berry looks perfect. Like I said, wearing my glasses makes me feel a little less put-together, so I don't mind in this case using a bolder lip color. One of my favorites is the Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Hyde Park (color currently unavailable - a similar color is Majella). If I'm feeling a little more low-key I swipe on either just a lip balm or a MLBB shade, such as the Dior Addict Lip Glow.

Let me know if these tips are helpful, and please let me know if you have any tips as well!