We’ve always thought those movie makeovers where the geeky girl loses her glasses and instantly becomes "hot" were particularly lame. Glasses can make a girl look gorgeous and with this in mind, we asked celebrity make-up artist Armand Beasley - whose handiwork has been seen on the red carpet for the Oscars and the BAFTAS - for his tips when working with a framed face.
Work with your vision
The first thing to remember is that if you are short-sighted your lenses will make your eyes look smaller, while long-sighted lenses will magnify your eyes – so do your make-up accordingly.Here’s how:
Short-sighted wearers
“When wearing your glasses, focus on anything that will make your eyes look bigger,” explains Armand. White eyeliner such as Mac’s Kohl Pencil in Fascinating applied on the inside of the eye along the waterline will help to make the eyes look brighter as well as bigger.
Emphasise the eyes again by going for a single colour eyeshadow on the lid, so there is a strong focus behind your lens. “Press the colour on so you’re saturating the lid then make sure you blend the edges out so it softens the look,” explains Armand.
Liquid eyeliner is also a very clever way to make your eyes appear wider and longer so make sure that you invest in a good one like Illamasqua Precision Ink , it’s easy to control and comfortable to handle. “Rest your elbow on the table whilst steadying your hand with you little finger pressed onto the cheek, then whilst looking slightly down onto a mirror and raising your brows (thus stretching the skin around the eyes) carefully line the eyes.
Start narrow at the inner lashes then go wider to a pointy flick at the outer edge,” Armand adds.
Mascara is very important in making your eyes look wider, but make sure you curl them first then double coat a natural looking mascara as a dramatic mascara may build your lashes too much that they will constantly be hitting your lenses every time you blink.
"If you have small sparse lashes then try Clinique’s Bottom Lash mascara,” suggests Armand. “Its tiny brush is perfect at careful and precise application, just wipe off any excess from the wand first.”
Long-sighted wearers
"Long sighted lenses will of course magnify the eyes so use darker shadows on the lid with dark liners on the inside of the eye.”
Be careful when applying mascara as clumps on lashes can be magnified so to help avoid this always replace your mascara every three months and after application wipe your wand clean and brush through lashes again to aid in separation.
“Mistakes can be magnified too - so apply eye make-up before foundation and concealer to help sweep away debris from application.”
And finally, if you’re rocking frames, in contrast to your darker eye make-up, “go for more neutral cheeks and lips by using stains as they look lighter and ultra-feminine," advises Armand. His pick? Clinique’s Chubby Stick in Mega Melon. Mouth-watering. - © Cover Media