How to Look Pretty in Glasses

Co-authored by Kalee Hewlett

Last Updated: August 28, 2022 References

Prescription or reading glasses are helpful for being able to see, but they can also be a fun and original addition to your everyday wardrobe. Choosing unique glasses that are your own style will help you feel confident in your appearance as well as help you stand out in a crowd. Makeup can help give you a fresh and feminine look, and a new hairdo can accentuate your face as well.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Wearing Makeup to Accentuate Your Features

1
Curl your eyelashes up rather than out. Use an eyelash curler to draw your lashes up and parallel with your lenses. Start at the roots of your eyelashes and hold the curler there for a few seconds. Then, crimp your way up to the tips of your lashes. Doing this opens up your eyes and makes them look bigger.
- Curling your lashes prevents any mascara from brushing up against your lenses and dirtying them.
2
Apply mascara heavier on your roots than your tips. As you apply mascara, brush most of the liquid onto the roots of your eyelashes. Just lightly brush the tips of your lashes with the remainder of the mascara that’s left on the wand. This will make them look fuller, keeps them from being weighed down, and will help keep the inside of your glasses clean.^{[1]
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- Have fun with colored mascara that matches or contrasts with your glasses to make a bold statement.
- For fuller lashes, brush the wand horizontally across your eye.
- For longer-looking lashes, hold the mascara wand vertically and brush upwards on your lashes.
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3
Use a concealer or highlighter on dark spots. To keep your eyes from looking sunken in, use a highlighting cream to dab in inner corners of your eyes and the lower lids. A concealer that matches your skin tone will also help to light the under part of your eyes and keep them from being shadowed by your glasses.
- Avoid doing too much with makeup on the bottom part of your eyes because this can draw attention to bags or crow’s feet that you might prefer to go unnoticed.^{[2]
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4
Shape your eyebrows. Your glasses will help frame your face, and your eyebrows do the same job. Go to a salon as a treat or periodically pluck a few eyebrow hairs to keep your eyebrows from getting unruly. You want your eyebrows to rest right above your frames so that they don’t disappear.^{[3]
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- Hold your tweezers to the inner corner of your eye and line them straight up to your eyebrow. You want to tweeze your eyebrows so that they begin directly above the corner of your eye.^{[4]
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- Your eyebrow should peak right above the middle of your iris.
- The end of your eyebrows should end right above the far corner of your eyelids.
5
Wear a bold lip color. A bright or bold lip color is way to balance your makeup with your glasses. Bright reds, pinks, or even purples look fun and can also make you feel pretty and powerful. Any style of glasses works well with a classic red, and if you want to play it safe, you can go for a shade that’s similar to your own lip color to help your natural beauty pop.
- If your frames have a secondary color, you can coordinate your lip color to accentuate that secondary color.
- Matte or cream lipstick work well with glasses. A gloss can sometimes compete with any glare that may reflect off of your lenses.
6
Match or coordinate your eyeliner with your frames. You don’t want your eyeliner to compete with the color of your frames. Experiment with a navy or burgundy eyeliner as black can sometimes overpower your eye, especially with glasses.
- Brown eyeliner is also an option and works well for green and brown eyes.
- The thicker your frames, the thicker your eyeliner should be. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but you can get away with a thick cat eye effect with a bold frame.^{[5]
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- Thinner frames will look unbalanced with extremely heavy eyeliner.
- For a more drastic contrast, pick a color of eyeliner that is on the opposite side of the color wheel from the color of your frames.
7
Dab oil controlling powder on your nose. The bridge of your nose is going to be prominent thanks to your glasses, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Use a powder made to cut down on face oils or a foundation powder so that your don’t have a shiny nose. Cutting down on any moisture on your nose will also help to keep your glasses from sliding down.
- Mineral-based foundations can also help cut down on any shininess from oil.
- A little bit of concealer can also help cut down on any red spots left from the nose pieces on your glasses.
- Blot any excess powder or foundation with a tissue to prevent your glasses from sliding.^{[6]
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8
Clean your glasses every day. Being able to see is of course important, but dirty lenses are also not attractive. No matter how put together you look with your makeup and outfit, dirty glasses are a detail that can ruin the whole look. Spritz your lenses with a glasses cleaning solution and wipe them with a microfiber cloth.^{[7]
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- Cleaning your glasses will help prevent prevent smudges from your fingertips or your hands from adjusting your frames throughout the day.
- At least once a week, clean the entire frame for your glasses. Face oil, sweat, and bacteria can build up in crevices and cause you to break out.
- Avoid using rough materials such as paper towels or tissue paper to clean your glasses as these can damage the glass.
- You can get replacement microfiber cloths at an optician’s office.
- Wipe off water or moisture immediately to avoid water spots or stains.
- Make sure there’s no debris or small particles on the lenses before cleaning them or the dirt will scratch your lenses.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Styling Your Hair to Compliment Your Glasses

1
Pull your hair up into a bun. The easiest way to instantly look chic and pretty with glasses is to tie your hair up in a bun. You can do a messy bun, a perfectly braided bun, a crazy, puffy one, or even a ponytail. This look is timeless and it draws any onlookers eye up to your face and showcases your eyes and glasses.^{[8]
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2
Direct focus to the upper part of your face with bangs. First, pick a style of bangs that works with your face shape. Then, have them trimmed so they don’t fall underneath your glasses and into your eyes or over your lenses. You want your bangs to fall just above or around your frames so that your face doesn’t look overcrowded.
- Generally a rounder face works well with asymmetrical bangs and a face with sharp chin or cheek angles can work well with tousled or softened bangs.
- If you want to draw attention to the whole upper part of your face, pair bangs with vibrant glasses, mascara, and eyeliner and leave your lips and cheek makeup simple.
- Bangs that are cut straight across the forehead when paired with glasses can have a fun librarian vibe, but it can also look matronly. If you’re trying to look younger as well as pretty, stay away from this look.
- Longer side bangs will help lengthen your face, which may work well with squared off glasses.
- Consult your hairstylist for the best kind of bangs for your face. They may have suggestions that also work well for your glasses.
3
Let your hair down with a soft curl or tease. Give your hair a little volume by teasing it with some mousse or using a curling iron to add some dimension. Playing with your hair adds femininity to your look and won’t compete with your glasses.
- A messy ‘do with a bright red lipstick looks fresh and adventurous with any style of frames.^{[9]
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- To tease your hair, run some styling gel or mousse through damp hair and blow dry it. Blow dry with your head upside down to give it even more volume.
4
Keep your hair out of your face. Whatever hairstyle you choose, try to avoid hiding behind your hair and glasses. A few loose strands isn’t the end of the world, but a curtain of hair across your face will distract people from your pretty eyes and face.^{[10]
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- Pull a few strands of hair back with bobby pins or a hair tie if your hair tends to flop into your face.^{[11]
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- Oil and hair product residue from your hair can also dirty your glasses, so it’s best to try and keep them apart anyways.
- If you’re going for more of an edgy look, an asymmetrical cut is a fun way to cover a portion of your face, but be careful that you don’t look overdo it.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Picking Pretty Glasses

1
Choose frames that compliment your face. Unflattering glasses will not make you feel like you look pretty, no matter how hard you try. It’s important to be picky when selecting glasses since you’ll likely be wearing them every day.You can have several pairs of glasses, but it’s more practical to pick one dependable pair.
- Go shopping for glasses wearing a favorite shirt and hairdo so you know what to expect when wearing your glasses every day.
- Pick frames that curve upwards on the ends to draw the eye upwards and give you an upbeat air.^{[12]
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- To find out your face shape, pull your hair back and look in a mirror. Use the edge of a piece of soap to draw the outline of your face and then determine which shape it is.
  - Round faces can benefit from frames that have sharp angles to help keep your face from looking flat.
  - An oval shaped frame helps to soften a hard jawline on a square or angular face shape.
  - Almost all frame types can compliment an oval shape, but round frames have a tendency to look heavy.
  - Heart shaped faces tend to have wider foreheads and narrow chins so a frameless lens or frames with edges that point upwards can work well.^{[13]
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2
Get fitted so that your glasses are the right size. Glasses that look out of proportion to your face won’t be flattering, nor will frames that are too small. Make sure that the edges of your frames fall just at the outer edge of your face. They’re too big if they’re wider than the widest part of your face.^{[14]
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- Wiggle the frames around your nose. If they’re too tight they’ll leave unsightly red marks and loose frames will constantly be falling off your face.
- The tops of your frames should fall just below your eyebrows.^{[15]
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- Make sure you have a big enough lens to look through. Too-small lenses will make your eyes squint unattractively and too-big lenses will make your eyes look puny.
3
Treat your glasses as an accessory to your outfits. Instead of a simple round or rectangular frame, have fun with a cat eye or coke-bottle styled frames. Glasses are a great way to express your personal style. Don’t worry about them not matching every single item in your closet because if you treat your glasses like a statement piece, they’ll go with anything.^{[16]
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- If you want to try something new but don’t have the confidence quite yet, get a second opinion from a friend.
- Some opticians offer deals for buying two pairs of glasses; you can get a classic, dependable pair and have fun with the second pair.
4
Pick a fun color for your glasses. Black, brown, and neutral metals are classic choices for eyewear, but for a fresh and bold take, pick a funky color. A bright color will help you stand out and you will feel less drab and ordinary with your lenses.^{[17]
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- Warm skin tones tend to look good with browns and bright tones and cool skin tones look good with blue, silver, or muted colors.
- If you can't decide on a colour, try tortoise shell. It flatters all skin tones and goes well with almost anything!
- If you tend to wear a certain color family most of the time, pick glasses that coordinate with the majority of your outfits.
- It helps to wear a favorite outfit when shopping for glasses so you know how well they’ll match your wardrobe.
- Match your glasses to your hair:
  - Blonde hair works well with a medium brown tones, black with metallic accents, or purple and blues.
  - Brown hair has the most options for color as most colors work well with it.
  - Black hair looks good with solid black, a combination of black and white, and striking, bold hues.
  - Red hair shouldn’t be paired with yellow toned frames, but warm browns and tortoiseshell are great.
  - Grey hair works well with blues and burgundy.^{[18]
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EXPERT TIP

Kalee Hewlett
Image Consultant
Kalee Hewlett is a Celebrity Stylist & Confidence Coach with almost two decades of experience helping clients build confidence and ‘dress for success.' She works with her clients to transform their sense of self 'from the inside out’ by merging her expertise in image consulting with Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Kalee’s work is rooted in science, style, and the understanding that ‘identity is destiny'. She uses her own methodology and Style To Success Strategy to create positive identity shifts. Kalee is a fashion TV host and appears regularly on QVC UK sharing her fashion expertise. She also was appointed as the head judge and host of Fashion One Network’s 6-part TV show 'Design Genius.’

Kalee Hewlett
Image Consultant

Our Expert Agrees: If you're blonde, you might want to go for lighter-colored frames, but if your hair is dark, opt for something in black or navy blue.