5 makeup tips everyone who wears spectacles needs to know

Lipstick Makeup

Balance out glasses with a bold lip.
Gleb Garanich/Reuters
  • When applying makeup as a spectacles-wearer, you'll want to invest in a good magnifying mirror.
  • Remember that different makeup rules apply for nearsighted and farsighted glasses.
  • To prevent foundation and concealer from sticking to your frames, be strategic about application and be sure to use setting spray to keep the makeup in place.
  • Opt for a lengthening mascara rather than faux eyelashes.
  • Balance the look with a bold lip.


In recent years, eyeglasses have really come into their ain equally a chichi fashion statement.

The four-eyed among us may have painful memories of junior-high teasing and "Harry Potter"-esque cleaved frames, but thank you to tendency-setting celebs like Zooey Deschanel and Karlie Kloss, glasses now rank amidst the hippest accessories effectually.

Of course, applying makeup can be catchy when impaired vision and bold specs enter the equation. INSIDER consulted a panel of makeup artists to assemble their top tips for putting on your confront while wearing glasses.

Here'south what we learned.

Shell out for an excellent magnifying mirror.

A practiced mirror makes all the difference.
Kristian Dowling/Getty Images

Because spectacles-wearers frequently need to remove their specs in order to utilise eye makeup, they need a vision-improving tool. According to U.k. makeup creative person Elaine Wilkinson, "the first investment [for glasses-wearers] should be a quality magnifying mirror."

These reflecting surfaces allow nearsighted clients the ability to clearly come across what they're doing, fifty-fifty without the help of their glasses. Brands like Hollywood Mirrors , Miusco , and Chende craft mirrors that are pricey, but if you're wearing middle makeup on a daily ground, their technical precision and excellent lighting make them well worth the dough.

Call back that different makeup rules utilise for nearsighted and farsighted spectacles wearers.

Different prescriptions require different makeup.
Flickr/Jim Fischer

If y'all're wearing glasses due to nearsightedness, your lens prescription can have a shrinking effect on your eyes. Luckily, some strategic makeup choices tin counteract this illusion. "If yous're wearing glasses that make your optics appear smaller, I similar to utilize eyeshadows with a sheen. A satin or shimmer finish will help draw attention to the eyes," recommends NYC-based makeup artist Margina Dennis .

For this purpose, Dennis peculiarly likes the shimmery shadows from Natasha Denona and Past Terry . In terms of eyeliner, Dennis suggests a defined liquid or gel liner on the lashline and a highlighting liner in the waterline.

On the flip side, folks who article of clothing glasses for farsightedness often observe their eyes magnified by their lenses, pulling focus from the rest of the face. In lodge to downplay the eyes, Dennis recommends using matte eyeshadows. She as well recommends skipping the liquid or gel liner, instead "smudging eyeshadow around the eyes in place of liner" for a more easygoing look.

To prevent foundation and concealer from sticking to your frames, brainstorm with matte moisturizer and terminate with setting spray.

Finding formulas that don't stick to your frames can be tough.
Liderina/iStock

Glasses-wearers who employ facial cosmetics like foundation and concealer are all as well familiar with the tendency of these formulas to smear against and stick to frames. If your makeup causes your glasses to slip and slide down the bridge of your nose — an annoying and all-as well-common occurrence — NYC makeup artist Kasey Adam Spickard has a simple solution.

"Considering makeup can become greasy and spectacles can slide down the nose, I like to utilize a matte moisturizer on the bridge of the nose to forestall oil formation," Spickard tells INSIDER, calling out Bioderma Sebium Mat Control as a specially constructive instance.

Once y'all've finished your face up, Spickard recommends a setting spray to preserve the expect and continue your glasses in place. "U rban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray is dandy and volition foreclose that dreaded makeup transfer onto your glasses!"

Skip the falsies and find yourself a great volumizing mascara.

Falsies aren't ideal for glasses wearers.
Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

While false eyelashes have a reputation for framing and widening optics, they have the reverse effect when glasses are involved. " Long, false lashes can brush upward against glasses lenses," explains Ami Mallon, Global Corporate Educator for Osmosis Colour Mineral Cosmetics. "This can cause streaking on the insides of the lens and can likewise irritate the eyes."

For this reason, Mallon advises ditching the falsies for a mascara that volition bear witness off your natural lashes in the best possible style. "Cull a great mascara that emphasizes book over length. Keeping the lashes full and separated will heighten eyes without getting in the way of glasses."

Products like Osmosis Colour'southward Volumizing Mascara and Tarte Maneater Voluptuous Mascara accomplish this goal to impressive upshot.

Residual the expect with a bold lip.

A bold lip always looks chic.
Breakingpic/Pexels

Spectacles depict immediate focus to your middle area, so if y'all're interested in a balanced makeup motif, you'll desire to add a pop of color to your face'due south lower one-half. The easiest way to practice that? Swipe on a bright and concentrated lip color.

" A assuming lip makes a serious statement whether you have spectacles or not, but the pairing of glasses and a vivid lip just reads impossibly chic," says Minneapolis makeup artist Hillary Kline . Rich, matte lip formulas like Fenty Beauty Stunna Lip Paint and Thousand.A.C. Matte Lipstick in Russian Blood-red pair beautifully with centre-catching frames, creating an effortlessly-stylish look.

Sign up here  to get INSIDER'south favorite stories directly to your inbox.

Deal icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.

Keep reading