Glasses, Contacts, and Makeup

Using makeup to enhance your style or look your best can get a little trickier when glasses or contacts are in the equation.

For glasses wearers, your makeup approach might have to adjust depending on what kind of frames you have and whether your prescription makes your eyes look bigger or smaller than normal. Contacts wearers, on the other hand, are more vulnerable to eye irritation from their makeup. Whichever camp you’re in, we’ve got some tips for you!

Make Your Makeup and Glasses Work Together

Whether you prefer a bold makeup look or a neutral one, here are some basics for making your makeup work well with your glasses:

• Bold or bright lipstick can help to balance out the shape of your face if you wear glasses with thick or dark frames.
• Concealer is great for hiding the illusion (or reality) of dark circles under the eyes caused by frame shadows.
• Glasses slipping down? Dab some primer on the bridge of your nose to keep them in place. Guys can try this too!
• Bold eyeshadow can look too busy or overwhelming, so try staying neutral or bright for a look that will help your eyes really pop.
• Keep your glasses free of mascara streaks by applying it more to the roots than the tips of your lashes, and curling them will help them not stick out far enough to touch the lenses.

Choose Frames to Suit Your Makeup Style

If you love makeup and like to wear a lot of it to create your look, then thin wire frames or rimless glasses might work best. Anyone who prefers minimal or more neutral makeup can add a little more flair to their appearance with thicker frames. Try a few different combinations together to find the look that suits you best!

Size is also important. You can get away with more dramatic eye makeup with bigger frames. However, smaller frames are less competition for your eyebrows. There are several tradeoffs to consider. What are your makeup goals?

Lenses Factor in Too

If you have a strong prescription that makes your eyes look unusually large or small, makeup is a great way to offset that effect. Matte and liquid eyeshadow help to make eyes appear smaller. If your eyes look small in glasses, try lighter eyeshadows and liners and using more mascara for an enlarging effect.

Contact Lens Makeup Tips

For contacts wearers, the concerns are less about looks and more about good sanitation practices. Put contacts in before applying makeup. Always wash your hands before touching your contacts, and only use non-allergenic makeup. Cream eyeshadow is a better choice than powder for avoiding irritation, and stick to water-based ones. Steer clear of the waterline too! Remove contacts before removing makeup. Finally, don’t use makeup that is expired and definitely don’t use someone else’s makeup!

Need a Style Change?

If you’re having a hard time achieving the look you want, maybe the problem isn’t your makeup but your current frames! We’d love to help you choose a pair that suits you, so give us a call or come by and check out our selection.

We love helping our patients look and see their best!

Top image used under CC0 Public Domain license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.