Four Quick Tips to Make Your Eyes POP (Even Behind Glasses)

Ever look at your Facebook photos  only to realize that,even after an entire night of straightening, plucking, and lip-glossing it up, your hard work goes unnoticed because you’re wearing glasses? Well, I’ve been there, and would love to help you collegiettes out with a few tips I’ve learned over the years of being “4-eyed”…

Don’t get me wrong, I love my glasses. I adore the fact that I can hide my chipmunk cheeks behind my frames. Plus, lately (especially at Kenyon) wide framed glasses are back in style. Before I knew the meaning of stylish, I had the Harry Potter glasses that hooked around my ears so in fifth grade when my biggest concern was playing kick-ball, they wouldn’t fall off of my face. So as long as I could kick the ball, the appearance of my glasses didn’t matter to me. Then, middle school hit.  And all of the sudden… I was self-conscious about how  I looked behind those lenses. Awkward formal dances, third-wheeling on movie dates at the mall, and just school in general. My glasses made me feel like the ultimate nerd. However, once I was old enough to wear make-up (in high school… please middle schoolers stay away from the loads of eyeliner and blush…) I learned how to display all that hard work; here are a few tips from you categorized by thick/thin frames:

For thick frames:

• It’s necessary to have a thicker eye-liner on your top lid, preferably gel liner or liquid. I used pencil for so many years, and all it would do is wear down. I use Maybelline’s gel liner, and highly recommend it!

For thin frames:

• For this one, a thin layer on your top and bottom lid helps. You want to mimic your frames in a way to better shape your eyes. My lovely roommate, Anna Schulte, uses liquid eyeliner to accent her eyes. I would suggest MAC’s liquid eyeliner. Gorgeous color. It’s a bit more expensive, but it is more than worth it.

For both frames:

• Neutral eye shadows! If you want to show that sexy new purple eye shadow you got, good luck trying to show it through any frame. You would probably have to apply it all the way up to your brow line. However, neutral balances out the eyeliner to give you a relaxed yet made-up look for going out or even staying in for the night.

• Mascara is your friend. Big lashes=big wow. You can definitely tell when someone is wearing mascara, so make it count.
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• Last but not least, your eyes may be behind frames but your lips are not. For a night out, show a daring red instead of just a gloss. Pump it up on a night out with the girls with a  hot pink lipstick.  However, on relaxed days still let your lips shine. A tinted gloss adds the perfect touch to an already gorgeous face.

My roommate and I modeled these tips to show you how simple it is to make your face pop behind those lenses: (left) Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick- Cherry Blossom($7.99 online), Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner ($9.99 online), Maybelline Great Lash Mascara($6.40 online), and Maybelline Color Pearl Eyeshadow- Bronze Blowout ($6.99 online) (right) Nivea Shine lipgloss($3.49 online),MAC Superslick Liquid Eyeliner- On the Hunt ($18.50 online) and Maybelline’s Bronze Haze Eyeshadow ($5.50 online).