Beautynomics – The Economics of Vanity » Blog Archive » Playing With Glasses and Bobbi Brown’s Tortoise Shell Eye Palette in Sand

Bobbi Brown Tortoise Shell Eye Palette in tortoise shell packaging

When I was in makeup school, we had a session wherein we were taught on how to do makeup on the “bespectacled,” or those wearing glasses. It was said that eye makeup must be kept at a minimum – muted tones, and very sheer colors, and one should definitely go easy on the mascara as the lashes might get too curled, and long that it might reach, and hit the lenses of the eyeglasses already. In other words, eye makeup, and overall makeup should be kept simple with the presence of eyeglasses.

Bobbi Brown is just plain amazing for coming up with a collection inspired by eyeglasses. Eyeglasses are not only things that make us see the world better, but eyeglasses also play a big role in aesthetics that they just make you look sexier. They’ve become accessories, more than a necessity, and definitely make striking fashion statements. Imagine Lucy Liu donning a pair of tortoishell eyeglasses? I’m sure, she would look nowhere boring!

Let’s learn from Bobbi Brown‘s makeup tips when wearing eyeglasses :

* Less is more. Keep eye makeup simple. Save the bold colors for your lips.
* Eye liner is essential. You can apply a thick line of eyeliner on your upper lids with thicker frames, but soft, thin lines will work great for thinner frames.
* Keep brows well-groomed. Eyeglasses draw attention to the eye area, so make sure the eyebrows are well-groomed.
* If your prescription makes your eyes bigger, be careful with blending. Mistakes might be magnified. Eyeliner should be delicate and thin.
* If your prescription makes your eyes look smaller, draw eyeliner on the eyes all around. A darker eyeliner should be applied for contrast and give definition to the eyes. Finish with two coats of mascara.

Bobbi Brown has come up with Tortoise Shell Eye Palettes, as part of the Tortoise Shell Collection. . Bobbi Brown has put together two eyeshadow palettes with gorgeous colors – earth tone shades ( oh yeah, my kind of colors! ) that will definitely be safe enough to match with your eyeglasses. Actually, wearing eyeglasses or not, I think I’d use these colors any time of the day! Sand is for those who have fairer skin tones, while bronzed beauties with benefit from the Bronze Tortoise Shell Eye Palette.

Bobbi Brown Tortoise Shell Eye Palette in Bronze

Bobbi Brown Sand Tortoise Shell Eye Palette

As I was playing with the shades of the Sand palette, I was all happy because all the shades were earth tone, and they were neutrals! Oh, all praises for neutrals! This palette actually reminds me of Urban Decay’s Naked Eyeshadow Palette, but this is more subtle. The color payoff is very muted, and very soft focus. I tried a smoky eyed makeup look with the darker eyeshadows in the Sand Palette, and I could see that the colors on my lids were not striking, but they had this soft-focus look. I find it very feminine and sophisticated.

very muted, soft focus shades

Well, playing further with eye glasses, here’s me with my day version of eye makeup for those who wear eye glasses.

eye makeup, up close

before putting on my glasses, here’s my total look without the glasses

There you go! I paired it with a nude shade of lipstick/gloss. I’m feeling serious and subtle. Haha!
A light, but shimmery base on the lids gives you a simple look, but the fine shimmer gives that beautiful highlight on your lids that prevents your eyes from looking tired or “just there” by wearing eyeglasses. That is a very sneaky way of highlighting your eyes, that you don’t even need bright colors to do the job! I also applied a darker color to contour my crease and on my outer V for some lid definition. The result is a very simple eye makeup look. Wearing eyeglasses will hide the eyes ( and eye makeup ) further, but then, the eyeglasses themselves will provide that “framing” look on your eyes. Some hints and angles of sophisticated eye makeup will cause people to take a second look. Teehee!

I’m getting the hang of wearing eyeglasses! What do you think?

Now, I am contemplating on getting a pair of eyewear just to prove this point that you can look sexy with glasses. ( but well, so many people proved that to me already, but I havent convinced myself that I can pull that off! )

To go, or not to go try? Haha!