What's the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning, even before you stir out of the leaba? Wonder if it's Saturday yet? Pray to every deity you can think of for a bright, sunshine-y, actually vaguely summery day? Well, unless you're blessed with perfect vision thanks to either genetics or surgery, it's likely that the very first act of your day involves reaching for your specs.
That's how pretty much every day of my life has started for the last 18 years - and I'm on first-name terms with all the make-up dilemmas that go hand-in-hand with having lenses seperating your peepers from the world.
I think the biggest mistake we make is feeling that, somehow, glasses render your eyes invisible. Now obviously it doesn't make logical sense to feel like that, but when you wear face furniture there can be a sense that other people can't see past the specs, so sure what's the point in bothering with eye make-up?
Well, glasses actually draw attention to and frame your eyes. They make your peepers the focus of your face, so it's well worth making sure they look their very best!
1. Carefully camoflague any dark circles with a light-reflecting concealer, as glasses tend to cast shadows on the face which will make them appear worse.
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2. Keep eyebrows neat and tidy - ungroomed brows or straggly hairs are a big no-no.
3. Your prescription is a key factor in determining what make-up will best enhance your eyes. If you're short-sighted, your lenses probably make your peepers look smaller, so it's all about making sure you look as wide-eyed as possible.
- Carefully line the inside of your lower lash line with a white eyeliner pencil. Yes, it's an oldie. Yes, they did it in Dynasty. But it is one of the best things you can do to supersize your eyes. The trick is to use quite a a soft pencil so that it doesn't look too obvious or chalky, and make sure you do it before applying mascara to avoid unsightly white clumps in your lashes!
- Tightline your upper lashes with a black or other dark pencil or liquid liner - whichever you find easiest to manage - to add definition to the eye.
- Finally, curl lashes before applying mascara.
4. If you're long-sighted, your lenses are likely to magnify your eyes. You lucky feckin' duck!
- Be aware that black eyeliner can look particularly stark under your lenses; consider using something like a more subtle brown or grey smudgey pencil or powder liner.
- Curl lashes.
- Apply a good mascara with care to avoid clumping as it will be really, really obvious with your lenses. Or just cheat and use a little eyelash comb to comb through lashes after application!
5. Once your make-up is applied, check for things like mascara smudges on your upper lid and sort them out - they'll be amplified a millionfold once you pop on your specs.
And for the love of Banoffi keep your lenses clean and wear your glasses properly - don't let them slide down your nose. After all that effort, you don't want dirt or the top of your frame obscuring your pretty eyes!
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Stay tuned tomorrow for Part Deux: eyeshadow application.
