Makeup With Glasses: 6 Tips to Master Your Look Today

Ever worried that glasses will ruin your makeup look? Let’s debunk that myth right now.

Instead consider this: Your eyeglasses are like frames for your eyes. And when your frames and your makeup play nicely together, glasses can dramatically enhance your look.

Our tips will help you build confidence so your daily makeup routine becomes a breeze, rather than a source of angst. Your current makeup look probably looks great under glasses, but if you want some inspo for refining the process, we’ve got your back!

6 Makeup Tips for Glasses Wearers

We have some beauty tips for what will make your makeup look shine through your glasses, but these are just suggestions. If you want to ignore all these rules, you do you! The most important thing is that you feel confident and do makeup that makes you happy.

These tips can help you avoid perfecting your makeup look and then putting on your specs, only to find that the two don’t work together.

Instead, consider your frames right from the get-go. Your twin goals are to get the look right for you and to reduce the chances that your glasses will slip. Here’s how to do that.

1. Prime Your Face

Begin the process with a thorough cleansing, moisturizing, and SPF routine — which is good basic skincare anyway. Then consider using a good quality primer that evens out your skin tone, helps your makeup last longer, and reduces any oil on your skin so your glasses are less likely to slip.

2. Use Less Foundation

A full face of makeup doesn’t have to be applied thickly. Apply your foundation with a light touch over the bridge of your nose. That way, you’ll avoid dents and smudges where your glasses or nose pads touch your nose. The trick is to start from the outside and work in, then when you reach the center, lightly smooth the remaining foundation over your nose.

If you notice any dents during the day, lightly pat them with your finger to blend them back into the base.

3. Outline Your Frames

This tip for wearing makeup with glasses is for those who are serious about their eye makeup.

If you have an old pair of eyeglasses that are the same shape as your current pair, pop out the lenses then put them on. Then using the edge of a concealer brush and a very light shade of concealer, outline the inside shape of your frames on your face. Now you know exactly what will show within your glasses frames.

If you don’t have an old pair, use your current pair, obviously drawing around the outside of the frame. You’ll just need to take the frame width into account when you apply your eye makeup.

Then make sure you blend that concealer back in when you’re done with your eye makeup. 

To keep your make-up matte and reduce slippage further, finish off with powder or a setting spray. You can even put a little powder on your glasses nose pads too.

4. Add Color to Your Eyes and Cheeks

When you wear glasses, they can create shadows on your face in the eye area — or highlight the shadows you already have. To counteract this, use light-reflecting concealer or highlighter under your eyes and in the inner corners, towards your nose bridge, to add brightness.

Then, because eye shadow can fade away behind a pair of glasses, use eyeliner along your lash line to help your eyes pop. If your glasses have thick frames, you can get away with thicker eyeliner. If they have thin frames though, stick with fine eyeliner to keep the proportions right.    

White or nude liner along the waterline and inner corners can make your eyes look bigger, especially if you add cat-eye eyeliner after that.

When it comes to eyeshadow, rather than a smoky eye makeup look or dark colors like dark blue, purple, or green, which can again accentuate those shadows, go with lighter and brighter or more subtle colors. Lighter shades of blue, purple, pink, brown, or green work well. You could even go with a little shimmer or glitter. Choose colors that complement or match your eyes, as well as the colors of your glasses. Just don’t make your eye makeup fight with your frames.

When you’re ready to apply your blush, put your glasses back on and work around them, so you don’t cover up your cheek color.

5. Manage Your Lashes and Your Eyebrows

When you’re wearing eye makeup with glasses, eyelashes can be an issue. If they’re long, they may brush your lenses, which is super annoying plus it leaves smudges and streaks.

Get ahead of that problem by using an eyelash curler to curl your eyelashes upwards to avoid touching your glasses. As a bonus, this also opens up your eyes beautifully.

Then go with a volumizing — not lengthening — waterproof mascara for staying power and so you don’t end up with flaking bits of mascara on your lenses.

And don’t forget about your brows. Start by putting your glasses on to check how much of them are showing. If you can see them, make sure you pluck any stray hairs to keep them well-shaped. You can also fluff them and use an eyebrow pencil to fill them in if need be.

6. Finish Off With Your Lips

You’re just about done and it’s time to apply your lip color.

If your eye makeup and frames are relatively neutral — like clear, black, brown, or tortoiseshell, for example — you can go with brighter lip colors. For brighter-colored frames (and eye makeup), conventional wisdom says to keep your lip color more subtle.

That said, it’s your face and your style, and when you’re wearing makeup with glasses, the most important thing is that you feel good about the choices you make.

Now you know how to master your makeup, let’s talk about your glasses.

Choose the Right Frames

When you know you’re going to be wearing makeup with glasses, it’s important to choose frames that will work for you. Think of your eyewear as another accessory that should complement or match the rest of your look — as well as your skin tone and hair color.

A few things to bear in mind:

Consider Your Face Shape

Rounder faces tend to look best with more angular shapes, for example, square or rectangular frames. Faces with sharper angles are complemented by round frames. Or go with versatile cat-eye frames, which suit most people.

Get the Right Size

Choose the right frame size so they don’t slip or pinch. Consult the retailer’s size guide to find the right one for you. Also make sure the lenses are large enough to frame the whole eye, and bear in mind that larger frames distort eye makeup less than small frames.

Choose Your Frame Color

Neutral colors are extremely versatile, but your personality might call for a bold color! Or keep your options open by buying your glasses from Pair Eyewear. At Pair, you can choose a neutral Base Frame and then mix and match from our range of gorgeous Top Frames, simply snapping them on depending on the look you’re in the mood for. And because it’s not only about the look, whether you have myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia, or astigmatism, we’ve got you covered.

Clean Your Glasses Regularly 

To make sure everyone can admire your makeup with glasses (and that you can see clearly), keep your lenses clean. Regularly check for smudges and mascara flakes and take care of them immediately.

It’s a good idea to carry a cleaning kit and learn how to clean your glasses correctly so they’re always sparkling. Regular cleaning will also help prevent a potential buildup of germs, which is never a good thing.

Master the Skill of Wearing Makeup With Glasses

Anyone can learn how to wear makeup with glasses — it’s not just a skill for makeup artists! The key is choosing the right glasses for you from Pair Eyewear, then considering them at every stage of applying your makeup.

Start with a clean, primed face then apply your foundation lightly. Bearing the shape of your frames in mind, apply concealer to brighten up your eyes, then eyeliner, eyeshadow, and blush. Shape your brows and curl your eyelashes, then use waterproof mascara to help your eyes pop. Finish off with a lip color that complements the whole look.

Have fun as you experiment to see what works for you, and remember, in the end, your style is your own. The most important thing is that you feel good — then you’ll look good too, no matter what you’re wearing.