We’ve all seen the movies: the ugly duckling undergoes a dramatic makeover and is turned into the most beautiful, most popular girl at school. And what’s the first thing to go during the makeover: the glasses.
Fortunately, this aversion to glasses is waning as specs become more stylish and less, well, Napoleon Dynamite-esque. Today, glasses can be more of a fashion accessory than just a piece of health-related gear. In fact, many style lovers have begun sporting clear lenses and it’s never been more popular to look like a “nerd”.
Now that wearing glasses in public is socially acceptable, it’s time to understand what makeup techniques work. Because most lenses tend to have a magnifying effect for your eyes, or at least draw more attention to those baby-blues, read on to learn to how to really make them stand out!
Less is More
People typically load on the eye makeup believing that they need to compensate for the fact that their eyes are taking a backseat to their glasses. Not the case. Lenses typically magnify your eyes and thick frames draw added attention to them. So for eye makeup with glasses, less is definitely more.
Be sure to match your skin tone and take care to blend any lines as mistakes will be more noticeable behind glasses. Banish the under-eye circles with a high-quality concealer. Head to your local beauty store and take the time to get your perfect skin tone match from a beauty consultant. The price is worth it.
Work with Your Frames
Let your cute frames do the talking for you! If you have thick or colourful frames, tone down your makeup and stick with neutral colours. Line your upper and lower lids with soft black or brown eyeliner. If you’re going to wear shadow, reach for nudes, beiges, or other neutral hues.
If you’re sporting thick, colourful frames, be sure to balance this burst of colour by wearing a rich colour on your lips. No need to match the hue—bright purple frames do NOT give you the go-ahead to wear bright purple lipstick—but do pump up the colour a bit.
How to Go Rimless
If your glasses don’t have frames, you can play-up your eyes a little more. Feel free to try bolder shadows like gray or bronze. Smudge your eyeliner for a more dramatic look and add an extra coat of mascara—though stick with volumizing mascara as opposed to lengthening so you’re not brushing them against your lenses.
Nix the Glitter
Stick to a neutral colour palette if you’re going to wear eye shadow. Avoid frosty or glitter shadows have a metallic sheen that may compete with the reflective nature of your lenses. Plus, many of these types of eye shadows tend to flake, leaving you with a makeup mess on your frames.
Reduce Smudging
Speaking of a makeup mess, getting makeup on your lenses or frames can be frustrating and can ruin your look. To reduce smudging, avoid powder shadows. Use cream or waterproof eye shadows instead, as they’re less likely to flake. Women with long lashes should curl their lashes and apply a volumizing mascara. Curling them will keep lashes from brushing the lenses and irritating your eyes. Finally, let all liquid makeup thoroughly dry before putting on your glasses.
Non-Makeup Tips
If you have a hard time seeing without your glasses, purchase a pair of inexpensive magnifier specs to wear while you apply makeup. If you can apply without specs, be sure to try them on a few times as you apply makeup to see if any adjustment is needed. Your eyebrows frame your face and well, your frames, so be sure those brows are well groomed. Finally, wear sunglasses! Squinting in the sun and years of sun damage will lead to fine lines and wrinkles, stock up on shades for the beach!
Bottom line: less is truly more. Don’t fall prey to the common misconception that wearing glasses means you need to pile on the makeup. Keep it simple!
Fortunately, this aversion to glasses is waning as specs become more stylish and less, well, Napoleon Dynamite-esque. Today, glasses can be more of a fashion accessory than just a piece of health-related gear. In fact, many style lovers have begun sporting clear lenses and it’s never been more popular to look like a “nerd”.
Now that wearing glasses in public is socially acceptable, it’s time to understand what makeup techniques work. Because most lenses tend to have a magnifying effect for your eyes, or at least draw more attention to those baby-blues, read on to learn to how to really make them stand out!
Less is More
People typically load on the eye makeup believing that they need to compensate for the fact that their eyes are taking a backseat to their glasses. Not the case. Lenses typically magnify your eyes and thick frames draw added attention to them. So for eye makeup with glasses, less is definitely more.
 |
| Lisa Loeb Rocks These Pairs With Minimal Makeup |
Work with Your Frames
Let your cute frames do the talking for you! If you have thick or colourful frames, tone down your makeup and stick with neutral colours. Line your upper and lower lids with soft black or brown eyeliner. If you’re going to wear shadow, reach for nudes, beiges, or other neutral hues.
 |
| Katy Perry Combines Dramatic Liner and Fuchsia Lips With Retro Glasses |
 |
| Rashida Jones Plays Up Big Frames With Red Lips |
If your glasses don’t have frames, you can play-up your eyes a little more. Feel free to try bolder shadows like gray or bronze. Smudge your eyeliner for a more dramatic look and add an extra coat of mascara—though stick with volumizing mascara as opposed to lengthening so you’re not brushing them against your lenses.
Nix the Glitter
Stick to a neutral colour palette if you’re going to wear eye shadow. Avoid frosty or glitter shadows have a metallic sheen that may compete with the reflective nature of your lenses. Plus, many of these types of eye shadows tend to flake, leaving you with a makeup mess on your frames.
 |
| Anne Hathaway Dons Nerdy Glasses With Neutral Eye Makeup |
Speaking of a makeup mess, getting makeup on your lenses or frames can be frustrating and can ruin your look. To reduce smudging, avoid powder shadows. Use cream or waterproof eye shadows instead, as they’re less likely to flake. Women with long lashes should curl their lashes and apply a volumizing mascara. Curling them will keep lashes from brushing the lenses and irritating your eyes. Finally, let all liquid makeup thoroughly dry before putting on your glasses.
Non-Makeup Tips
If you have a hard time seeing without your glasses, purchase a pair of inexpensive magnifier specs to wear while you apply makeup. If you can apply without specs, be sure to try them on a few times as you apply makeup to see if any adjustment is needed. Your eyebrows frame your face and well, your frames, so be sure those brows are well groomed. Finally, wear sunglasses! Squinting in the sun and years of sun damage will lead to fine lines and wrinkles, stock up on shades for the beach!
Bottom line: less is truly more. Don’t fall prey to the common misconception that wearing glasses means you need to pile on the makeup. Keep it simple!
Guest Post By Maggie Voelker.
Maggie is a writer for the Affordable Style Network specializing in budget-friendly accessories like reading glasses, bifocal sunglasses, scarves, and handbags. As a glasses wearer herself, she struggled with applying eye makeup and spent many hours at the beauty counter figuring it out. Outside of work Maggie enjoys running, cooking (or trying to cook), cheering on her favourite sports teams, and spending time with family.
The best way for a beauty fanatic to kick start a great year is to shop and haul (hello 2012) and 
I know lately I have gone all crazy shopping online but I did have a few things on my wishlist which I'm happy to say this haul covered.
This beautiful burgundy shade veering towards blackish brownish red is a perfect fall/winter shade and a good enough dupe for Chanel Rouge Noir, a shade I've been dying to try, at a fraction of the price.
Love this lotion.It's so darn versatile (hand cream, makeup remover, dry skin zapper) that I keep a bottle handy at all times and the 50ml bottle will easily fit into my handbag.
I had a major eye infection back in the summers which has made my eyes really sensitive.I had been on the hunt for a mascara for sensitive eyes and this one was highly recommended.Sadly though the only Bourjois counter in my city was out of stock.So this was actually one of the first items in my cart.I have used it once and must say even though it's meant for sensitive eyes it does not compromise in the volume department.
Another product which has been out of stock for eternity.I'm not a huge fan of lip tints since I have dry lips so I was more interested in testing it's ability as a cheek tint.So far so good.A bit hard to blend but the colour is simply gorgeous and pops without looking OTT.
Foundations are my new obsession and I just can't seem to get enough of them.One of my friends is a die hard Revlon fan and had been recommending this foundation for ages, so I caved in.The only problem being that it is available in only 2 shades, luckily for me Medium Beige is a bang on match.
Can't have enough of these lippies.A while back I got Fatal Red, which is my current fave so I wanted to try something more pink.And this fits the bill perfectly.It's a plum pink, a bit on the darker side, but it has me hooked right on pink! 
And they have a very responsive customer service.My order was confirmed within half an hour of placing it.Add to that a flexible return policy, secure payment options, free shipping(on orders above Rs 300) and you get yourself a pretty good deal.The only hitch being that the shade swatches are a bit misleading.Also COD is currently not available everywhere which I hope will be remedied soon.
