So the thing with makeup & glasses is that it’s not really about the frames – it’s about the lenses. The lenses are what alter the look of your eyes: prescriptions for nearsightedness or astigmatism can make your eyes seem smaller, while those for farsightedness can often make the eyes appear much larger. The goal then is to tweak your makeup in a way that provides a balance – if your eyes look smaller behind your frames, you should take steps to help them look bigger/more open and vice versa. I’m focusing on nearsightedness and astigmatism here because that is what I have the most personal experience with, but there will be tips for those of you who are farsighted throughout the post as well!

Makeup is of course very personal and you should do what you want, but you should know this by now and I’m not going to take any more time for disclaimers or preemptive apologies.

Brighter/Wider: One of the best ways to make your eyes appear larger and brighter is by applying a nude or flesh-toned eyeliner to the waterline. Alternatively, if your lenses magnify your eyes, reach for deeper shades like black, brown, or even navy to pull everything back into proportion.

I use: Anastasia Beverly Hills Pro Pencil / ColourPop “Cry Baby” Creme Gel Liner

Neons & Drama: Some sources may discourage this, but I definitely do not. One of my favorite things about wearing glasses is that they kind of “minimize” any look you decide to go for. For me, that means I can raise hell with neons, brights, and otherwise dramatic eyeshadows that might otherwise be “too much” without the frames. If you have particularly “loud” frames, it helps to use shades that complement rather than clash, but with a color wheel as your guide you can go as bright or dark as you like. Glasses do not relegate you to neutrals-only eyeshadows!

I use: Melt Cosmetics Radioactive eyeshadow stack

Under Eye Correcting: Now this is a concern regardless of the types of lenses you wear. Glasses can often cast a shadow onto the lower part of your eyes, exaggerating any kind of darkness or discoloration in the under eye area. Concealer alone may not be enough to resolve this, but I’ve been really happy with the results of a peach toned color corrector. Don’t forget to set your under eye with a powder that prevents light reflection, this can bring more attention to the area.

I use: Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish powder / Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Bisque Neutralizer

Curl ’em: This isn’t an “absolute must,” but if you have long or straight lashes that often hit your lenses, curling is a great way to open up your eyes and keep your frames smudge-free! If you are prone to lash-lens transfer, I’d also recommend using a volumizing mascara in place of a lengthening one.

Skip the lower lashes: As I said above, glasses already cast a shadow onto the lower part of the eyes, so mascara on the lower lashes just further emphasizes any darkness or hollowness in that area. I’d recommend skipping mascara on the lower lashline, regardless of the type of lenses you wear. For particularly dramatic or evening looks, I occasionally break this rule, but on the day to day – add drama with eyeshadow, not mascara.

Define & Fill: Without glasses, it’s brows that help frame the face, and with glasses…it’s still the brows that frame your face! Depending on the shape of your frames, your brows can get lost behind them or overpowered, so I think it’s super important to define and fill for optimum performance. With thinner or rimless glasses, you need the brows to help frame your face and give it dimension. With thicker or acrylic frames, brows can get lost behind the plastic so going a little bolder can really help pull your look together.

I use: Benefit Gimme Brow Volumizing Fiber Gel / ColourPop “Dope Taupe” brow pencil

Prime & Set: You don’t really need to do anything special with makeup on your nose, but if you find your makeup gathers or creases at the bridge/where your glasses sit, it may help to apply less product in that area.. My makeup always moves around in that spot, so a good primer, powder, and setting spray can help keep everything in place while a lighter hand helps manage it all.

I use: Make Up For Ever Step 1 Hydrating primer / Make Up For Ever Mist & Fix

SWAK: I often hear mixed opinions on which way to go with lipstick. Really, you can go whichever way you want (yes, seriously). If you have neutral-toned or metal frames, you can pretty much act like they’re not even there. With super bright or colorful specs like the ones I used to wear, I’d opt for either a neutral shade or something that complements your frames (again, the color wheel can help you here).