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| Shirt: H&M (in store now). Leather skirt: £55, Asos. Bag: £236 Manu Atelier. Shoes: £62, Topshop (back in stock). Glasses: Burberry. Watch: Shore Projects. Photographs: Ella Sadika |
To be perfectly honest, I’m not one of those girls who is really bothered about how they look to other people. And I have had for years ‘you look so much better without your glasses’ or ‘you can really see your eyes when your glasses are off’ – even strangers on instagram!
But hey, sometimes it would be nice to be told ‘you look beautiful with your glasses’…! This is something I’ve been discussing with Bobbi Brown for a while, and is something they really believe in – so I thought I’d see if they could work miracles.
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| Bobbi Brown store, Covent Garden |
Amalie in Covent Garden is a genius, if you ever get a makeover there, go see her – she is honest but doesn’t ever make you have anything you wouldn’t want or feel comfortable with. She got straight down to business and looked at how I wore my make-up and just tweaked a few things, which made such a difference – here’s what I learnt:
- Brows are important – do them first – as it helps frame the face.
- Focus on where the eyes are stationed. If your frames are big underneath (like mine) – try a smokey eye underneath to fill the space, rather than fill out on top.
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| Trying ‘Cobalt Ink’ eyeliner instead of black to bring out my green eyes. |
- Make sure you use a shadow stick/base so that your eyeliner holds without smearing/smudging.
- By smudging your eyeliner underneath, this makes your make-up look less stark and actually makes
them more impactful.
- Always fill in between the roots of the lashes under your top lid – “tightlining” (no, I had never heard of this either). This way there is no skin gap so your eyes really pop. You can do this with your regular eyeliner (Amalie used a small brush for this).
- Always use more ‘corrector’ than concealer. You should be using a 70/30 ratio. Corrector actually takes away the darkness and then concealer brings the colour back to your skin tone.
- If you’re, like me, prone to smudging mascara, used a non smudge version, to let your skin and lashes breathe without bleeding.
- If doing a heavier eye, go easy on the blusher. In the past I’ve always used pink blush, but Amalie introduced me to a much more subtle ‘pastel peach’ version instead. I’m hooked.
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| Crystal Pink Sheer Lip Colour. Rose-gold necklace: £85, Daisy London |
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| Shirt: H&M (in store now). Leather skirt: £55, Asos. Bag: £236 Manu Atelier. Watch: Shore Projects |
So, there we go. I felt really ‘done’ walking around Covent Garden but I felt good. And when getting ready for a wedding this weekend? The first thing I did was tightline and correct under my eyes. Times, they are a-changing.
Love this, as a fellow glasses wearer (I get on with them so much better than lenses + a little bit of laziness!) this is really useful. I don't really bother so much with make up as I mistakenly think my glasses hide everything it turns out they don't! love the idea of tight liner, your make up looks stunning!
I just don't get on with contacts…my eyes are just constantly stinging and bloodshot. I have always slightly 'hidden' behind them too – sometimes it's handy for those no make-up days! but maybe it's about time we celebrated the glasses!
Love your look! Thanks for sharing-very helpful. Would you mind sharing all of the products you have on? Great lip! Which eye liner did she use for tight lining? My coloring and frames are similar to yours, so id love to know which foundation, eye, lip, corrector/concealer products and shades you are wearing. Thanks!!! ? Lea
Excellent post, I only wear glasses at work for screen based activity but this is really helpful. I'll try the tightlining and it's great to see an eyeliner that isn't black!.I discovered the under eye corrector by BB and have never looked back, much better than certain under eye pens that seem to highlight under eye circles! you look fab – cudos for having your photo taken in Covent Garden I would have been terrified! x
Thanks for this, Alex! I can't wear contacts. I've tried everything under the sun and they all sting my eyes like crazy. Like you, I've been told many times that I'd "probably look far better" without my glasses. I'll remember the tips when I apply eye make up.
The 'tightlining' is everything – changed the way I do make-up!
Oh gosh, it was traumatic -so many people staring! Yes this eyeliner isn't black but still dark, rather than 80s blue – and tightlining makes SUCH a difference!
Off the topic, but I do love your shoes. I'm wondering, though, how you manage with the pointy toes? Do they squish, how long do you take to get used to them? If I buy a longer pair, my heels constantly pop out. So while I love pointy flats, it's a bit of a love-hate affair…..
AND, thanks for the great tips!
So she used cobalt ink eyeliner for tightlining and eyeliner (I have also used denim ink which is slightly darker and still good). Foundation was a tinted moisturiser I already had on (Nars St Mortiz – bit dark for me but I like to look tanned!), from BB she used skin foundation stick for cover up in 'sand' – you can rub this on for touch ups, corrector in extra light bisque followed by concealer in 'sand'. On my eye the long-wear eye base in 'light' – this makes sure the eyeliner/mascara holds and doesn't run, ultra finer liner brush to apply the eyeliner. No smudge mascara, pastel peach blusher (I would HIGHLY recommend this as it looks so natural and perfect for our skintone) and then 'crystal pink' sheer lip colour. She also used a touch of 'thunderstorm' dark grey metallic eyeliner for the edge, which she recommended on top of the cobalt eyeliner if you were going out after work or something….x
Thanks for this fantastic post, super useful. I always prefer the posts where you wear your glasses, you make them look cool and edgy. My current frames are actually inspired by one of your posts!
Aah, thank you so much -such a kind thing to say! x