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How to nail your make-up when you’re wearing glasses

1 July, 2024 . 0

Achieve a great make-up look when you wear glasses with these eye-opening tips from the pros.

If you’re a glasses wearer, you may have wondered how best to get a beauty look that wows.

While choosing a flattering pair of spectacles will go a long way to achieving just that, you may want to rethink your make-up, which may need to be tweaked when you throw eyewear into the mix.

Here’s how to achieve a flattering result.

Consider your lenses

A key concern of glasses wearers is often how the lenses can distort the appearance of the eyes.

It’s a problem easily solved, according to optometrist Peter Larsen, joint managing director of Optometrist Warehouse.

“Opt for lenses with an anti-reflective coating,” Peter says.

Do you wear glasses? Listen to ophthalmologist Dr Lana Del Porto talking about the rise of short-sightedness on The House of Wellness radio show.

“This coating helps reduce reflections and glare, which can contribute to distortions in the appearance of your eyes.

“It allows more light to enter the eye and improves the clarity of vision, making your eye make-up more accurately visible.”

He says you could also choose high-index lenses, which are lighter and thinner than standard lenses, or polycarbonate lenses, made of a lighter material than standard lenses. Both can help reduce potential distortions of the eye.

Focus on the eyes

Glasses draw attention to your eyes, so embrace make-up that makes them pop.

“It can depend on the type of frame, but as someone who wore glasses for most of my life, my go-to beauty look was a liner and lash combo,” make-up artist Vic Anderson says.

“(Use) either a liquid liner for sharp angles, or a softer pencil that can be blended out on time-poor mornings.

“Then curl your lashes, particularly if they’re long, so they don’t hit the lens when you blink. Load up the mascara and away you go.”

Choose the right textures

A key concern of wearing make-up at the same time as glasses is transferring foundation or concealer to your frames.

“Choose a matte or semi-matte finish then set with a setting powder so nothing can transfer from the skin to the frame,” make-up artist Michael Brown advises.

Brighten under the eyes

The lenses in glasses can often cast shadows on the eyes, making dark circles more pronounced.

To neutralise this, Michael says to use two shades of concealer.

“First, apply a concealer that is slightly deeper with a warmer undertone to counteract the blue of dark circles. Then pop a lighter shade over the top. The effect is eyes that look more refreshed,” he says.

Combat the bridge problem

“Glasses are notoriously frustrating when it comes to rubbing off make-up on the bridge of the nose,” Vic says.

“I love a primer applied first, then minimal foundation coverage, then set well with a powder pressed in, preferably with a puff or sponge on either side of the bridge.

“This will give your make-up more staying power.”

Match brows to frames

As a general rule, Michael says the look of your brows should be the opposite of the style of your frames.

“With bold frames you don’t want a structured brow but something that has a softer, rounded effect, so brushing your brows up is perfect.

“For minimalist frames it’s important to have a more defined look to your brows so it allows them to pop from behind the frame.”

What about make-up with contact lenses?

If you wear contact lenses, keeping things hygienic and comfortable is key.

Peter says to always wash your hands before handling contact lenses, to prevent bacteria or make-up residue transferring to the lenses and irritating the eyes, and to insert lenses before applying make-up and remove them before taking make-up off.

Opt for hypoallergenic or water-based make-up.

“These are less likely to cause irritation or interact negatively with contact lenses compared to oil-based or heavy cream products.”

Choose the right mascara.

“Waterproof mascara on lower lashes can sometimes flake or transfer on to the lenses, leading to discomfort. Consider using regular mascara on lower lashes to minimise this risk.”

Don’t apply eyeliner or eyeshadow too close to the lash line.

“This helps prevent make-up particles from coming into direct contact with the lenses.”

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Written by Tania Gomez.