How to do your makeup if you wear glasses - the K-Beauty way!
When I was growing up, wearing eyeglasses was painfully un-cool. You got teased for them and were generally considered ‘ugly’ for wearing a pair. A lot has changed since then, with fashionistas now using a pair of specs as a cute accessory for their outfit. With the right frames, you can even use glasses to balance out your face shape!
The problem with wearing eyeglasses is that they can distort how your eyes appear. Lenses for farsightedness (or hyperopia, +) tend to make eyes look larger, while lenses for nearsightedness (myopia, -) tend to make them look smaller. If you're a fan of the K-beauty look and wear hyperopic eyeglasses, you're in luck because big eyes are the trend! However, if you're nearsighted like me, some adjustments to your makeup routine can help you combat the eye-minimizing effect.
Step 1: Eyebrows
Choose a natural brow color. An ash brown hue applied lightly is a safe choice, as something too blonde can camouflage your brows under the lenses, while a too-dark shade can blend with the lenses and make it look like one big, overly thick eyebrow. I used shu uemura brow:ink in Ash Brown to keep my arches light and feathery but since the brand has pulled out of the country, you can also try the Make Up For Ever Brow Ink. Check out our Staff Picks for even more suggestions!
PRO TIP: You can extend your brows a little bit longer than normal, especially if you're using large frame glasses that can overwhelm the face.
Step 2: Eyeshadow
Glitters tend to refract messily under prescription glasses, and the additional refracted light can cover up your eyes. I recommend a soft, brown contour shade to carve out your eyelids, especially if you have hooded lids like myself!
Aegyosal is crucial to K-beauty, so I recommend using a fine shimmer (not glitter) shadow to line along the inner two-thirds of your lower eyelid. Here’s a comparison shot of my undone eye (right) and eye shadowed eye (left). We’re not going for smokey, so it can be simply this light! I used the contour shade of the blk cosmetics Highlight, Blush and Contour Palette in Sun-Kissed as eyeshadow, and the highlight shade for the aegyosal.
Step 3: Eyeliner
When done right, eyeliner can make your eyes appear larger. Glasses tend to drown out details so a strong eyeliner is a GO in this instance! Use gel liner to draw a heavy puppy tail, as this will make your eyes seem bigger but still keep you looking cute and innocent. Koreans think that cat-eyes are reserved for kontrabidas, and the average girl will not wear it!
Applying nude liner on the lower lashline can also freshen up tired eyes. I didn’t have nude liner on me so I skipped this part, but I used Make Up For Ever Aqua Black to draw my puppy tails.
Step 4: Mascara
For some people, lengthening mascara can be a risk as it will cause their already long lashes to drag across the eyeglass lenses, especially if the pair they use are in plastic frames that don’t have nose pads. So volumizing mascaras are generally a safer bet! My frames have nose pads so I’m free to use whatever bongga mascara I see fit. I chose the Maybelline Great Lash (P350) make my lashes fan out and look fuller.
Step 5: The rest of the face
Since this look doesn’t use too much shimmer on the eyes, I recommend a soft, demi-matte base as face base. It's not too dewy as to cause problems with the nose marks that glasses leave behind, but not too matte either to keep the look feeling light. I love Kate Tokyo's Powderless Liquid Foundation in OC-C for that perfect demi-matte finish!
PRO TIP: I over-blend (to the point of erasing) near my nose so as to avoid those nose pad marks throughout the day. You can use more setting powder in this area to make it mark-proof, but I personally have not found a way to keep foundation intact under eyeglass nose pads.
You can finish the rest of the face with light blush and a gradient lip for that fresh, innocent look that K-Beauty always goes for. On the cheeks, I used a combo of the blush and highlight shades from the blk cosmetics Highlight, Blush and Contour Palette in Sun-Kissed. I then used the Pink Sugar x Project Vanity These Lips Don’t Lie Matte Lip Crayons in Ready in Five and Woke Up Like This with a little balm underneath to keep the finish chok-chok!
And there you go! This K-Beauty FOTD is fresh and light enough to wear everyday, and I love how it pairs well with my oversized frames. You can find more makeup tips for glasses wearers here, but I'd also like to hear how you match your makeup to your glasses! How do you do your eye makeup? And what do you do about nose marks?
