10 essential makeup tips for girls with glasses

If you love playing with makeup as much as we at Project Vanity do, you might have gotten a bit frustrated when it comes to doing makeup when wearing glasses. You may have even neglected or skipped doing your eye makeup under the assumption that they won't be seen, or that everyone’s going to be looking at your eyeglass frames or lips instead. Been there, done that; including coming up with practically every excuse to avoid wearing makeup!

Makeup for girls who wear glasses is basically the same as makeup for daily wear but you do need to know the basics and figure out which look will suit you best. Here are ten of the best makeup tips for wearing glasses we follow!

Image via alicdn.com

1. Identify the tools you need

A magnifying mirror may be your new best friend. For near-sighted girls like me, it helps you to actually see the makeup you’re applying. For those who are far-sighted, the magnifying mirror mimics the effect your lenses will have on your eye makeup.

You might also want to invest on a good travel-sized makeup brush set. Travel makeup brushes are usually short-handled to decrease the weight you carry plus the space they take. The short handles are essential to the near-sighted! If your eye grade is anywhere near mine at around 700, you know you need to be this close to the mirror just to see what you’re doing. Check out the Suesh Brush Sets or the Charm Travel Pro Set for options.

Image via theeyedepartment.com

2. Pay attention beyond the makeup.

Do not neglect this basic rule – clean your glasses! Dirt, dust, as well as our natural facial oils contribute to making our glasses one big, grimy mess. Remember to give your frames a good wiping down with alcohol or antibacterial wipes. Be careful not to overdo it and use harsh chemicals which may cause the materials to strip down. Pay extra attention to the areas that touch your face: the nose pads, the lower side of the frames, and the stems. Make sure to clean them to avoid potential skin issues like milia.

Also, wipe your lenses! Your eye makeup won’t matter if you can’t see it behind foggy and dirty lenses. Bring a lens-cleaning cloth made especially for this function. Your trusty hanky or pack of tissues may do more harm than help.

3. Use a primer

This is a crucial step. You certainly don’t want any of your makeup to slip and slide around throughout the day, especially where your glasses touch your face. Use a face primer to keep your foundation in place and to help keep your face from getting too oily. Use an eyeshadow primer all over your lids and even under the eyes if you plan on wearing any eye makeup. With the special attention your eyes will be getting from wearing glasses, you want to make sure that everything will stay on point!

Read more about primers in our Primer for Makeup Primers, and find ones that fit your budget in our list of best face primers under P500 and best eyeshadow primers under P500.

4. Work with your sheerest base possible

Too many layers on your face mean more chances of your glasses moving the base around. You certainly don’t want those unsightly clumps of makeup pooling around your nose pads or above your cheeks right?

Use a sheer, lightweight base whenever possible. There are a lot of different face bases to choose from but we suggesting going for a matte finish to avoid competing with the lens reflections. Should you need heavier coverage, here’s a tip from K-beauty vlogger, Pony: put on your glasses and press it down on your face. There should be a mark where the frame touches your skin. Try to remove as much makeup on those areas, blend the edges, then dust it over with powder!

5. Brighten up with concealer

Your glasses cast a shadow on your face, which emphasizes under eye circles more than usual. Avoid looking tired by using a brightening concealer. Some even suggest going lighter than normal to compensate for the additional shadows. Extra dark circles may require the use of a corrector like these ones from Suesh. You can also try the red lipstick concealing trick!

If you’re on the go and forgot your concealer, lightly pat face powder on the area to correct the discoloration.

Image via Lisa Eldridge

6. Adjust your eye makeup according to the type of lenses you wear

When wearing glasses, your makeup should focus on the eyes. Do take note if you’re far-sighted or near-sighted as this detail would require your eye makeup to adapt. Far-sighted lenses make your eyes look bigger while near-sighted lenses make your eyes look smaller.

This effect can be good or bad depending on the size of your eyes. Professional makeup artist, Lisa Eldridge elaborates on this on her Youtube tutorial for eyeglasses. You basically have to adjust your makeup techniques depending on your needs.

To make your eyes look smaller:

• Give your eyes more definition by using a darker eyeliner all around the eyes. This will “limit” your eyes from looking too big.
• Blend your eyeshadows and liners well as extra magnification will showcase your makeup skills.
• Opt for matte shadows to help soften the lids without adding extra detail like glitter.

To make your eyes look bigger:

• Use two shades of eyeliner: a darker shade on the upper lash line and a lighter shade on the lower lash line. This will help “open up” your eyes.
• Apply nude, white, or light pink liner on your waterline. This adds to the “opening up” effect.
• Opt for lighter shades of eyeshadows for your lids to bring in more light to the eye area. You can also use shimmery eyeshadow for added effect.

7. Enhance with mascara

Mascara is often skipped on any glass-wearing girl's makeup list because the eyelashes often end up hitting the lenses. To avoid this, start with an eyelash curler to make the lashes curl upward. So learn how to curl your eyelashes correctly!

To make your eyes look smaller: Use lash separating mascara for definition. Your far-sighted lenses will show the world any clumps a volumizing formula tends to make. If your lashes need volume, you can comb out your lashes to prevent mascara build-up and use a volumizing mascara or opt to use a lash serum to thicken them up.

To make your eyes look fatter and blacker: bring on the volume! Use a volumizing mascara to further the effect of the eye-opening makeup you did in the previous tip. Check out our staff picks for reliable and dramatic mascaras.

As a general rule, avoid using lengthening mascaras. Focus also on the roots instead of the tips of your lashes to keep them from brushing against your lenses. You can also opt to keep your lash tips clean and try the root stamping technique.

8. Groom your eyebrows

Go for clean and polished eyebrows. Even if your glass frames cover your eyebrows, you still don’t want them looking too unruly. Use an eyebrow pencil for quick definition. If you have dark colored frames, you might want to use a lighter-colored brow mascara to avoid competing with the glasses as both your brows and your glasses help frame your eyes. Use a clear brow mascara if you just want to keep the strands in place.

9. Complement with color on your cheeks and lips

Don’t forget to add a flush of color on your cheeks! Wearing glasses, even if they partially cover your cheeks, does not mean that your cheeks have to be bare. Use your favorite powder blush and apply a light dusting. Cheek stain can also be used but avoid the heavier cream blush formulas that may move at the glasses’ prodding.

For the lips, you can go from neutral shades to the hot and neon ones especially for summer. You can choose to color coordinate your lips and glass frames for a preppy look or opt to make either just your eyes and glasses or just your lips pop with color.

10. Experiment and have fun!

Successfully pulling off anything, whether it’s makeup or your glasses, ultimately boils down to going for it with confidence. Play with different makeup colors to help you figure out which shades you love best or which suit your personality the most. While you might want to consider using makeup that is safe for work, you can practice using colored eyeliner when you can to liven things up. You can also use colored mascara for an unexpected peep of color beneath your glasses.

Do you wear glasses? How do you do your makeup?