We love our specs, but we want to wear them – not the other way round. Balancing makeup to glasses and finding well-suited frames shades and shapes can require careful consideration. Here celebrity makeup artist Armand Beasley gives Cosmo his tips for girls with glasses so we can all nail it like Specsavers Spectacle Wearer Of The Year, Kimberley Walsh (pictured).
1. Eye makeup tips for long and short-sighted prescriptions
"Eye makeup application techniques depend on what your prescription is. If you're short sighted your lenses will make your eyes look smaller so use a light coloured liner on the inside of the eye to make the eyes look bigger. Try Avon Glimmerstick which is a pinky nude with great staying power. You can still create a smoky effect by applying a long-lasting shadow in a dark shade under the lower lashes with a flat-angled brush. Use a liquid liner like Urban Decay 24/7 Perversion along the upper lashes to create a soft flick at the end to make your eyes look larger. Using eyelash curlers can help to open the eyes more, and then follow with dramatic mascara like Givenchy Phenomen'eyes or Benefit They're Real. For those of you who are longsighted, lenses will magnify your eyes so use a dark liner on the inside of the eye like Bobbi Brown Longwear liner in Jet or MAC Feline pencil. Switch to a more subtle yet buildable mascara like Code Beautiful VLM."
2. How to avoid getting red marks where glasses sit on your nose
"The lighter the weight of the frame, the less likely you are to get marks so try rimless or Ultralight. Avoid using anything that generates more oil, like eye creams (substitute for eye gel in the daytime) and foundations around the eye (always use an eye concealer for the delicate eye area). Try MAC Pro Longwear concealer around the eyes and on the bridge of the nose and blend quickly. Fix in place with MAC Blot Powder."
3. How to choose a frame to complement your skin tone
"Personally I think that it's not what you wear; it's how you wear it so you can really have fun with colours. However if you have got very red skin then avoid red frames and perhaps try green as this colour helps to neutralise red. If your skin has very sallow/yellow undertones try pink or red frames."
4. How to avoid looking OTT with smoky eyes under glasses
"Switch to shades of grey rather than black especially. Use a primer like Urban Decay Eye Potion prior to shadows to keep them in place and avoid mistakes."
5. What frames would work well with bright makeup
"A 50's style tortoise shell frame looks fantastic with a matte red lipstick. Try either Sisley Ruby liner all over the lip for a slight orange undertone lip or MAC Redd liner for more of a blue undertone. Tom Ford lipstick is the ultimate pamper for your lips and they do a great red! YSL have a stunning fuschia pink lipstick that's long-lasting and would look great with some blue frames. Personally I love to colour clash when I'm doing makeup on a model so vivid eyeshadow shades like orange and purples with green frames and either a nude lip or a deep plum lippy."
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