Despite quite a significant prescription for short sightedness, I’ve always disliked wearing my glasses. Not only are the frames themselves uncomfortable on my face no matter what style I try, but having something extra on my sweat-and-oil-prone skin is a constant irritation. Adding make-up into the equation then, is frankly, a recipe for disaster as it forces me to rethink everything from product formulation to blusher and mascara application.
And so, while I’ve done rather well to stick to contact lenses for the last few decades, all that changed last year when my ophthalmologist put me on an extended contacts ban, meaning I had to rely on my glasses if I wanted to see, well, anything at all. But how to look bespectacled without looking bedraggled?
From Meryl Streep sporting cat-eye frames during The Devil Wears Prada 2 press tour and Jamie Lee Curtis donning stylish aviator frames on the red carpet to Joan Collins, looking entirely chic (and comfortable) in her sunglasses throughout the recent M&S 2026 fashion show, these women have clearly figured out the secret to wearing specs without so much as a smudge, rub or flake of their make-up. Here’s how to do it.
Buffer your base layers
Glasses leaving indents in foundation and concealer is a common gripe, so it’s important to establish a layering system that hides what you need it to while simultaneously staying put until you take it off. “It can be hard to prevent indents on the side of the nose because of the weight of the frames, but you can ensure at least that your make-up doesn’t move,” says make-up artist Hannah Martin, herself a long-time glasses wearer.
Her best advice for keeping things in place is to add a thin layer of concealer to either side of the bridge of your nose and allow it to air dry before setting. “Set by spraying a make-up sponge with some setting spray and gently dabbing over the concealer,” she suggests. “Then press a little powder over the same area and set again with setting spray, either with a spritz or again by spraying it onto a sponge and then dabbing onto the area.” If you’re prone to oil or suffer from a sweaty face, try adding a blob of mattifying primer on any areas where your frames hit your skin and avoid moisturiser in those areas too.
Try these...
Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Primer, £24 at SpaceNK
The Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Primer is a great product to help control excess oil and shine as well as keep your make-up locked in.
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Blur Loose Powder, £40 at SpaceNK
Unrivalled for its second-skin finish, this micro-milled loose powder from Charlotte Tilbury blurs, refines and leaves make-up gently mattified but not flat.
Vieve Skin Nova Concealer, £28 at Vieve
This is a great all-rounder concealer that camouflages imperfections while also offering undetectable coverage.
Re-evaluate your eye make-up
If your lenses are on the thick side, you might find they magnify your eyes more than you’d like. If that’s the case, define your eyes subtly so the whole thing doesn’t feel too much.
“Instead of lining the lash line above the lashes in a thick dark pencil, try tight lining,” says Martin. “This is when you push liner from a pencil, powder or gel, in between your lashes on the top lash line from underneath to make the lash line look more intense and your lashes thicker.”
Although my lenses were thin enough to ensure this wasn’t an issue, I disliked how my much more pronounced my fine lines and wrinkles seemed to be in glasses. I found a combination of a hydrating eye cream and thin layers of concealer helped negate this, as well as a good buffing brush to blend everything together seamlessly.
Try these...
Trinny London’s Miracle Blur, £29 at John Lewis
Pat this Miracle Blur from Trinny London on between your skincare and make-up to help diffuse light and the appearance of lines around the eye area.
Wide Awake Brightening Neutralizer, £30 at Jones Road
Glasses can create and exacerbate dark shadows and eyebags. Applying an undereye corrector before your concealer can brighten and offset any shadow cast by the frame itself.
Wrinkles Schmickles Eye Wrinkle Patches, £19.50 at Boots
If you’re feeling proactive, commit to nightly application of these reusable, medical-grade silicone eye patches and help stave off the wrinkles altogether.
Lash lessons
If your lashes feel like they’re constantly bumping against your lenses, try curling them differently. “Angle your eyelash curler back so that your elbow is lifted and you’ll get more of a curl that lifts your lashes away from the lenses,” advises Martin.
Changing how you use your mascara can also help avoid the constant clash. Instead of going up and out, sweep the wand out to the side to create more of a feline flick with your lashes instead. For this, you want a mascara wand that’s not too thick and doesn’t hold too much product.
Try these...
Laura Mercier Eyelash Curler, £21 at Space NK
A good lash curler can make all the difference, and this is one of the best we’ve found at creating a lasting curl.
Sarah Creal Beauty Back of the Cab Mascara, £34 at Space NK
This tubing mascara offers long-lasting wear with no smudging or flaking, and the precision tapered wand is perfect for sweeping lashes out to the side without getting clogged.
Edy London Pre-Glued Lashes, £45 at Edy London
Pre-glued lashes that sit under your own are another good option. Styles like the Seoul won’t necessarily add length, but the extra volume and thickness will give you the same drama and definition as mascara.
Be brow-savvy
How much of a focal point your brows are will depend on the style of your glasses and where they sit on your face. Before you start styling your brows, put your glasses on to check the balance, as certain lenses and frames can make brows look darker and thicker than they are.
Either way, definition is key so opt for a pencil or pen to lightly fill in any gaps and set with a swipe of brow gel. If you wear big, dark-rimmed frames make sure you use a light touch, so they don’t compete. If your frames are finer, you can afford to be a bit bolder. When it comes to the shape of your brows, your glasses will make stray hairs much more
noticeable so keeping on top of your grooming is a must.
Try these...
BBB London Brow Build, £25 at BBB London
A quick-dry brow gel that contains tiny hair-like microfibres to give the appearance of thicker, more defined brows without making them look too heavy.
Shavata Singh Brow Tamer, £27 at Shavata
A non-crunchy gel that lifts, shapes and sets brows into a full, feathery finish.
Tweezerman Slant Tweezer, £24 at Cult Beauty
A good pair of sharp tweezers that can reach all hairs is an investment worth making. This brand ticks all the boxes on quality and precision making it a beauty-bag essential.
Cheek-to-cheek
Blusher can be a tricky thing as a glasses wearer; I found much of what I applied in the morning either got rubbed off by mid-morning or got lost underneath the frames.
To avoid this, wear your blusher higher on your cheekbones for more of a sculpted appearance and avoided anything too creamy in texture. “It’s also lovely to add a light highlight to the top of the cheekbones so light and glow is reflected there and away from the apples of the cheek,” adds Martin.
Try these...
Armani Dolci Make-up Blush, £38 at Space NK
Although technically a cream blusher this acts like a cream-to-powder, delivering punchy pigment and excellent staying power.
Morphe Cloudlight Soft Glow Diffused Blush, £16 at Boots
Layering a powder formula over the top of your cream blusher can help it stay put. This has an inbuilt shimmer to add extra glow.
Milk Make-up High Light Stick, £24 at Boots
Pat on top of your cheek colour for an easy-to-achieve luminosity that melts into skin and adds instant definition.