Four eyes? Or your eyes! | Easy on the Eyes | Protecting Kids Eyes
Lenses & Lifestyles | Taking Shape | Creative Tinting
Make Up with Glasses | Looking Sharp | Why Update Your Eyewear?

MAKEUP FOR GLASSES: HOW TO PAIR EYE MAKEUP WITH SPECTACLES

by Grace Gold - Stylist

Katy Perry showed the world just how chic glasses can be when she stepped out in a crystal-embellished cat eye pair by DSquared2 at London's Heathrow International Airport over the weekend.
While the star kept it casual in a comfy gray knit top and black leggings, her choice of false lashes, cat eyeliner, and a pop of fuchsia lipstick, added glamour to the '50s era shades.
Yet, many be-spectacled women find the art of mastering eye makeup for glasses a challenge.
So how did Perry pull it off with such finesse?Los Angeles makeup artist Riku Campo says it starts with choosing the right frames.
"The design of the frames is very important; they must sit perfectly on your face. And the style, material and color of the frames will give you an idea of what kind of makeup you want to use."
Perry kept her eye colors neutral and accentuated her look with a dramatic winged eyeliner that followed the uplifted shape of her eyeglasses.
Neutral -- albeit dazzling -- frames like Perry's gives you the freedom to experiment with the full rainbow of colors.

If you go with colored frames, you'll want to keep the color to your glasses, and lightly define eyes with liner and neutral creams and taupes. And if you choose black frames, stay away from a strong smoky eye, or risk looking too "crowded" in the eye area, advises Campo.
Strong vision eyeglass wearers will have eyes that appear larger. To balance out the size of your peepers, apply a deep black khol eyeliner to the inside rim, or blend light smoky eye makeup for the same minimizing effect.
But if you wear negative lenses eyeglasses, your eyes will look smaller. Go with a white eyeliner on the inside rim of lashes and add a touch of deeper shadow on the upper lashline and the outter one-third corner of your bottom lashline to create the illusion of bigger eyes. A bit of ivory shimmer on the inner corners will also reflect light and magnify eyes, says Capo.
And don't feel like you need to pile on the makeup for it to show up behind glasses.
"Keep it simple. Otherwise you will start reminding us of the fabulous Dame Edna in all her glory," says Campo of the bright blue eyeshadow-wielding drag queen.
There is also one feature you can't forget when it comes to perfecting your makeup look while wearing glasses.
"Don't forget your brows! Glasses frame your face, and brows frame your eyes. Fill in with a powder pencil for subtle definition," says New York makeup artist Andrew Sotomayor.
And if you want your lashes to flutter Katy Perry-style, try individual lashes instead of a strip for a softer and less contrived look.
"I love the new Sweet Individual Lashes by KreAt Beauty. They have this unique "V" design that makes your eyes look sweet and wide-eyed and are great for an extra boost," says Sotomayor.
For a step-by-step tutorial on makeup for glasses, check out YouTube star and Lancôme video makeup artist Michelle Phan's fun video below.

FOUR EYES? OR YOUR EYES!

What do people see when they look at your glasses? With your new Crizal® eyeglass lenses, people will see your eyes. That's because Crizal lenses cut down the annoying glare that bounces off your lenses. Roll your mouse pointer over the image at right to see the difference! What's more Crizal lenses resist scratches and repel smudges, fingerprints, dust, dirt and water better than any other lens. They are they easiest-to-clean lenses available today - giving you a clear view of the world, and others a clear view of you.

WOULD YOU PREFER YOUR CHILD HAD GOOD PRESCRIPTION LENSES LATER OR GOOD SUNGLASSES NOW?

A child's eye has no natural protection. So up to the age of 1 90% of the UVA and more than 50% of the UVB received by the eye reach the retina. The lens of a child's eye is totally transparent and the pupil is very wide, so a child receives a much higher dose of harmful solar radiation than an adult. Unprotected exposure to solar radiation means penetration of the maximum sunlight that the eye can take and can cause irreversible injury to the ocular tissue.

"Gadget" sunglasses should be banned. They do not filter UV rays and cause the pupils to dilate. The child feels protected and opens their eyes wide towards the sun. The eye then receives a much too high dose of harmful radiation.

Choose frames suitable for the "morphology" of children. Frames should be wraparound to cover the child's eyes fully and allow as little solar radiation through as possible.

EASY ON THE EYES

Aside from the very important function of guarding your eyes from sun-related eye disease, sunglasses provide a variety of additional benefits, such as:

•  Protecting the eyes from wind, dust and pollen
•  Preserving good night vision (when worn during the day and not at night)
•  Comforting dry eyes
•  Enhancing contrast
•  Reducing tearing, squinting and eyestrain

LENSES & LIFESTYLES

Who knew a lens could do so much? The right lenses can drastically alter performance while outdoors. Get up to speed with the latest in lens options:
Photochromic Lenses:
These changeable lenses automatically darken and lighten to provide the right level of protection and comfort over a wide range of light conditions.
Polarized Lenses:
Polarized lenses work exceptionally well to filter out reflective glare from shiny surfaces like water, pavement and dashboards. They improve contrast and visibility while reducing squinting and eyestrain.
Impact Resistant Lenses
All sunglasses in the U.S. must meet FDA impact requirements. Until recently, the only lens material recommended for high impact or competitive sport use was polycarbonate. Now there are new high strength lens materials, including polyurethane, which brings new performance options to sunwear.
Tints
Certain tints that control the amount and type of light that reaches the eye can improve performance by enhancing contrast, colors and visibility.
Anti Reflective Lenses
These lenses dramatically reduce distracting reflections improving contrast, visual acuity and comfort in difficult lighting situations.

WHY UPDATE YOUR EYEWEAR?

•  It's the first thing people see!
•  It's your most obvious accessory!
•  It's important for self-confidence!
•  It's the most compelling fashion statement!
•  It enhances your personality and individuality!
•  It compliments your features!
•  It makes you look and feel great!

TAKING SHAPE

Ever wonder how to describe a preppie eyeglass shape? Or how to define a bowtie or butterfly? And what is a Jackie O sunglass really? Check out these seven basic eyeglass shapes.

PREPPIE: Call it Preppy, P3, or teardrop, but don't call it round. The preppie style has a slight downward droop on the bottom rim that keeps it from being a true round.

AVIATOR: Like the preppie design, the aviator has a downward - but more exaggerated - droop. Additionally, aviators traditionally feature a double bridge.

CAT EYE: An almond style design, the cat eye - also referred to as an upsweep - slants upward, like a cat's eye. The slant runs the gamut from gentle to extreme.

BOWTIE: A variation on the rectangle, the bowtie's bottom rim curves upward and into the bridge.

JACKIE O: Taking its name from the exemplary icon of the 20th century, a Jackie O frame - or more frequently a sunglass - is a rounded oval ranging from slightly oversize to enormous and often encased in thick zyl.

BUTTERFLY: Similar to a bowtie with its curved bottom rim, the butterfly is also enhanced with an upward curve on the outer eyerims - like a butterfly in flight.

SQUARE: Although sometimes used interchangeably with the term "rectangle" when describing eyeglass shapes, a square is not a rectangle. It's a square with four equal sides. RECTANGLE: Not a square! from 20/20, June 2003

Creative Tinting Brings Creative Results

Here are some creative ways to tint lenses in rimless eyewear that will enhance facial features and help minimize signs of aging.

For strong prescriptions, polish the lens edges. This creates a darker-colored outline around the lenses that minimize the appearance of thick lenses.

To provide a mini face-lift, make lens tints slightly darker at the 10:00 and 11:00 position on the right lens and at the 1:00 and 2:00 on the left lens. It also works like eyeshadow to accent eyes.

To give the cheeks color, tint the bottom of lenses with a rose or peach colored tint. The result will be much like blush-on makeup.

In order to minimize wrinkles, use a peach or beige cosmetic tint on people with warm skin undertones to minimize lines and dark areas around the eyes. Employ a light gray cosmetic tint on people with cool or olive skin undertones.

Gradient lens tints enhance eye color. Blue gradient lens tints for those with blue eyes, green for those with green eyes and brown for brown eyed people. The tint accents the eye color and detracts from aging lines.

Achieve an instant tan with gradient lenses. For those with warm complexions, gradient tinted lenses in orange-sand topped with a gradient flash mirror coating kicks up golden tones in the skin for a sun-kissed look.

LOOKING SHARP

Glasses are the ultimate accessory! Choose a frame that compliments your facial structure. Look for a style that balances properly on your face. Here are some guidelines:

A long narrow face looks best in oval frames.

A round face is most flattered by an angled or squared shape.

Soften a square face with round or oval frames.

Shorten a long nose with light, wire frames.

If your eyes tilt up a little (or your face is starting to tilt down!), frames that tilt up can help give you a visual face-lift.

To pick the best frames, use the Specs Around Town eye-care professional's expertise. Julie, Katie, Emily and Sarah see faces and eyes of all shapes and colors and can be very helpful when it comes to selecting frames.