Kristen von Riesen - Pure Anada Makeup Artist
How to apply makeup for those who wear glasses... a question I get asked regularly. So I might as well tell all!
Ensuring your eyes are bright and big behind your glasses takes a few simple steps in your makeup routine. Once you've practiced them a few times, you'll have these tricks in your back pocket and you can make the most of your makeup look.
Glasses do affect how your eyes look - they can either make your eyes look smaller or larger than they are. I will give you a few tips on how to keep your eyes looking nice and big behind your glasses.
Wearing glasses also can cast a shadow on your eyes, so I will address that as well. And I will throw in a few extra tips while I'm at it!
Of course, as I have often said in the past, there aren't any hard and fast rules that you must abide by otherwise the makeup look will look terrible. In no way at all! Have fun, play with makeup, and try new things. But here are a few tips to coordinate makeup-wearing and glasses-wearing.
First, keep those eyes looking bright! Glasses cast a shadow underneath your eyes, so choose a concealer for under the eyes that might be a shade lighter than your skin tone. By wearing a lighter shade, you are counteracting the shadow. Then make sure you apply a highlight to the inner corners of your eyes - a light, slightly shimmery shade will do the trick!
I usually advise to glasses wearers that a smoky eye can look too dark behind glasses. But if you always wear glasses without exception, you don't want to be restricted to never doing a smoky eye if you want to! So, in this case, either go crazy and just have fun with a smoky eye look... or just smudge your eyeliner with a deep shade of eye shadow, to give the illusion of a smoky eye without making it so dark. Maybe add that deep shade to the outer corners of your eyes too!
Now, if you are like me and are near-sighted, your glasses make your eyes look smaller than they are. So I have a few tricks to keeping your eyes looking big and beautiful! Keep those shadow colours light to medium - avoid going super dark. Put a light shade on your eyelid, followed by a medium shade in your crease. If you really want a deeper shade, just add a touch of it to the outer corners of your eyes. Curl those eyelashes and apply a good amount of mascara to keep them curled and lifted. Curling your lashes opens up your eyes.
Eyeliner - this one changes depending on your style of glasses! Thick rims = thick line of eyeliner. Thin rims = thin line of eyeliner. My rims are thin and also light in colour, so I don't want to go super dramatic with my eyeliner - it is just a little too contrasting in style. But I have another pair of glasses with a thick rim on top, so when I wear those, I like to make my eyeliner (top lashline) a little more of a retro thick line.
Cat eye glasses? Try winging your liner a little! No rims? Just keep the liner very natural looking. Or wear a bold shade of lipstick - that always looks amazing with glasses.
Now, what colours to choose? There are many ways to do eye makeup with glasses, so don't feel restricted! I have 3 preferences for makeup looks with glasses:
1. Neutral shades on the eyes and a bright/dark bold lip colour.
2. Stick with a monochromatic look - use similar shades on your eyes as your eye glasses. For example, I have rosy eye glasses, so I could pair that with rosy shades of makeup.
3. Complementary eye shadow - using opposite shades on the eyes as the colour of your glasses (if you have brown glasses, try blue/navy shadow or liner. Green glasses, try plum tones on the eyes, etc.)
Don't forget about your eyebrows! You may think that your glasses cover your brows... but they don't. Ha ha! Fill in your brows, so they still frame your eyes, and don't get taken over by your glasses.
My Look:
Foundation:
Tinted Moisturizer in Very Fair, followed by Cream Concealer in Very Fair, and set with Pressed Mineral Powder in Very Fair.
Cheeks:
Just a bit of contour and highlight today - I didn't feel I needed blush. Contour in Alluring, Highlighter in Afterglow.
Brows: Brow Powder in Cliff.
Eyes:
Highlight (under the brows, and in the inner corners): I blended Ivory Tower and Whisper shadows.
Eyelid: I applied Water Lily to the inside half, then Clouded to the crease and outer half.
Outer Corner: Grape shadow.
Under Eyes: I smudged Onyx and Clouded to the outer corner.
Eyeliner: Black Pureline Pencil, smudged in with Onyx shadow. Then I applied the thinnest line of Ink Liquid Liner right along the lashline.
Mascara: Black Mascara.
Lips: Lovely lovely Lavish Lipstick in Esteem.
How to apply makeup for those who wear glasses... a question I get asked regularly. So I might as well tell all!
Ensuring your eyes are bright and big behind your glasses takes a few simple steps in your makeup routine. Once you've practiced them a few times, you'll have these tricks in your back pocket and you can make the most of your makeup look.
Glasses do affect how your eyes look - they can either make your eyes look smaller or larger than they are. I will give you a few tips on how to keep your eyes looking nice and big behind your glasses.
Wearing glasses also can cast a shadow on your eyes, so I will address that as well. And I will throw in a few extra tips while I'm at it!
Of course, as I have often said in the past, there aren't any hard and fast rules that you must abide by otherwise the makeup look will look terrible. In no way at all! Have fun, play with makeup, and try new things. But here are a few tips to coordinate makeup-wearing and glasses-wearing.
First, keep those eyes looking bright! Glasses cast a shadow underneath your eyes, so choose a concealer for under the eyes that might be a shade lighter than your skin tone. By wearing a lighter shade, you are counteracting the shadow. Then make sure you apply a highlight to the inner corners of your eyes - a light, slightly shimmery shade will do the trick!
I usually advise to glasses wearers that a smoky eye can look too dark behind glasses. But if you always wear glasses without exception, you don't want to be restricted to never doing a smoky eye if you want to! So, in this case, either go crazy and just have fun with a smoky eye look... or just smudge your eyeliner with a deep shade of eye shadow, to give the illusion of a smoky eye without making it so dark. Maybe add that deep shade to the outer corners of your eyes too!
Now, if you are like me and are near-sighted, your glasses make your eyes look smaller than they are. So I have a few tricks to keeping your eyes looking big and beautiful! Keep those shadow colours light to medium - avoid going super dark. Put a light shade on your eyelid, followed by a medium shade in your crease. If you really want a deeper shade, just add a touch of it to the outer corners of your eyes. Curl those eyelashes and apply a good amount of mascara to keep them curled and lifted. Curling your lashes opens up your eyes.
Eyeliner - this one changes depending on your style of glasses! Thick rims = thick line of eyeliner. Thin rims = thin line of eyeliner. My rims are thin and also light in colour, so I don't want to go super dramatic with my eyeliner - it is just a little too contrasting in style. But I have another pair of glasses with a thick rim on top, so when I wear those, I like to make my eyeliner (top lashline) a little more of a retro thick line.
Cat eye glasses? Try winging your liner a little! No rims? Just keep the liner very natural looking. Or wear a bold shade of lipstick - that always looks amazing with glasses.
Now, what colours to choose? There are many ways to do eye makeup with glasses, so don't feel restricted! I have 3 preferences for makeup looks with glasses:
1. Neutral shades on the eyes and a bright/dark bold lip colour.
2. Stick with a monochromatic look - use similar shades on your eyes as your eye glasses. For example, I have rosy eye glasses, so I could pair that with rosy shades of makeup.
3. Complementary eye shadow - using opposite shades on the eyes as the colour of your glasses (if you have brown glasses, try blue/navy shadow or liner. Green glasses, try plum tones on the eyes, etc.)
Don't forget about your eyebrows! You may think that your glasses cover your brows... but they don't. Ha ha! Fill in your brows, so they still frame your eyes, and don't get taken over by your glasses.
My Look:
Foundation:
Tinted Moisturizer in Very Fair, followed by Cream Concealer in Very Fair, and set with Pressed Mineral Powder in Very Fair.
Cheeks:
Just a bit of contour and highlight today - I didn't feel I needed blush. Contour in Alluring, Highlighter in Afterglow.
Brows: Brow Powder in Cliff.
Eyes:
Highlight (under the brows, and in the inner corners): I blended Ivory Tower and Whisper shadows.
Eyelid: I applied Water Lily to the inside half, then Clouded to the crease and outer half.
Outer Corner: Grape shadow.
Under Eyes: I smudged Onyx and Clouded to the outer corner.
Eyeliner: Black Pureline Pencil, smudged in with Onyx shadow. Then I applied the thinnest line of Ink Liquid Liner right along the lashline.
Mascara: Black Mascara.
Lips: Lovely lovely Lavish Lipstick in Esteem.
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