Lolita Charm: Lolitas & Glasses

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Lolitas & Glasses

So I admit to being a contact lens junkie. I work a long day, so my contacts can go in at seven or eight in the morning and not come out until midnight. And unfortunately, this has made my eyes a little sensitive. Doctor's order? No contact lenses for a month, while I let my peepers rest!

But I'm completely unused to dressing up in lolita with glasses. Glasses are what I stumble to the bathroom in, not get dolled up in. But I know there are plenty of adorable girls that were glasses and make it work. So, I did some nosing around to find the perfect lolita eyeglasses!

Recently in the world of fashion, glasses have begun to come back. You can spot big frames sprinkled throughout Alice Deco, for spank! style. You can also see the pretty ulzzangs of Korea wearing glasses, too - sometimes as prop or sometimes as prescription. I even managed to pick up a pair of them in the United States this summer - pink, big-framed things that make nerdy chic (as shown above).

The popular style of glasses for cute, girly fashions are big and a little retro - shapes range from perfect circles to more of an oblong. They're generally large, so as not to block any part of your eye - ordinary glasses have the tendency to cut you off at the lash line. Because they are large, they also don't cast shadows where girls tends to have under-eye circles, as well. And of course, we all know how everything cute seems to require big eyes! These give the illusion of bigger eyes on a smaller face. And they give you room to wear false lashes without bumping against the rims constantly.

I've just ordered my first pair from Prettyandcute.com, a website selling Asian beauty products like circle lenses, BB cream, and false lashes. These are the ones I went for:

Consider your hair color and style when picking out eyeglasses. My hair is pink, so I thought white would be a good pop. But if I was blonde or a soft, honey-color, I would love these glasses - so soft and sweet! My style is also somewhere between very sweet and more of an otome/mori/fairy style for casual days, so I didn't want anything super round. These are more traditionally shaped and will be better for easing into. The best part? Most glasses from Pretty and Cute run about $14 - 16.

They also remind me of the antique glasses I tried on once. If you love classic lolita and historical things, getting a set of vintage frames made to your prescription can be a good idea. They're usually round with thin, curved wire earhooks. You want to them to be circa 1930, while the frame was still round, delicate and old-fashioned looking, but they had already invented the nose pad! I think technically they could be called spectacles, really, a very fantastical name ;) Hunt them up at antique shops, or try looking for retailers online. Vintage Eyewear has a good selection. These are more expensive than the plastic Pretty and Cute glasses, but run about average for the frames you would get at the eye doctor.

If you still want more, you can find nerdier, hipper frames at Urban Outfitters. These run about $10 a pair. I've also always wanted them to pop out the lenses of sunglasses and replace them with clear ones. How cute would it be to have a pair of heart-shaped, pink crystal eyeglasses?! Not to mention all the cute options you can find at places like Claires. I have an aqua pair of sunglasses with a little heart-shaped cut out in the bridge of the nose.

After you have your glasses picked out, go to your eye doctor or any place that handles glasses, and ask them to change the lenses to your prescription. My eye doctor said that so long as the frames were in good condition, they'd be willing to change them.

It also took me a while to get used to makeup with glasses. Before, I would skip doing very much to my eye makeup because I figured nobody could see them anyway. Now I realize that it's just as important if not more so, because people are seeing your eyes framed by your glasses. This makeup tutorial by Michelle Phan really helped me get started.

So, wonderful readers, do any of you wear glasses with your lolita style? Got any secret tips and tricks to share with the rest of our bespectacled audience?

Labels: cosmetics, fashion

11 Comments:

At November 22, 2009 at 2:20 PM , Anonymous said...: to be honest, my glasses are the cheapest that were in the store. although i do love sweet lolita with all my heart, i'm not a big fan of oh-my-god-so-interesting-glasses. i prefer them to be silver, oval and to look oh so classic. i think that one really works with my brickstone-bangs ^^

a lot of people tell my to switch to those black plastic squares that tend to make you look 40 points more intelligent, but that's not my style. i usually think "grandma's doll" when i search for ne glasses and i want to cry everytime those perfectly round doll glasses don't work in my face ^^

but you really made me look into getting another pair of glasses for fancier styles. maybe something more retroish, i'll definitley try it, if i can afford it. ^^

as for makeup: it is really important to coverthose dark circles under your eyes (and i'm their most beloved victim so i can only get them down to "as bad as other people's" but never get them to vanish completely even with camouflage!) i love to wear retro makeup with my glasses, like a blackline on the upper lid, no line under the eye, a little mascara on the top, a lot on the bottom with rather neutral-coloured lips. and for special occasions a little white, shimmering liquid eyeliner goes on the bottom inner corner till the middle of the lower lid to make my eyes really pop.

i don't like the fake lashes, sugested in the tutorial, because i think they look very unnatural, but maybe it's just that i'm blessed with really long natural lashes on the bottom.

and i think those white glasses you picked look just perfect!
At November 23, 2009 at 2:38 AM , Anonymous said...: I've always loved glasses so secretly, I've cursed my 20/20 vision forever. The envy was even greater after I started seeing those really cute pairs of glasses in Alice DECO a la mode. Despite this jealousy - I have to say you look fabulous in your pink frames!
At November 23, 2009 at 7:28 PM , Hello Naka said...: love ur glasses ^^
At November 24, 2009 at 2:23 AM , Jaime said...: I have sort of round-ish rectangle frames (http://eyeglasses.go-optic.com/store/eyeglasses/details.asp?id=25443) in dark purple. They have little gems on the side which give them a bit of a retro feel. They aren't big, so I get dark circles, but I've never had a problem with mascara. I LOVE the ones you picked out and ones like those, but I think 'fitted' glasses look just as cute with lolita, because they seem natural.
At November 24, 2009 at 4:58 PM , Princess Roxy said...: Those are some funky-pretty glasses! :D

I have black rounded-rectangle glasses, but they're set at slight angles. As in, the more outer-side parts slope higher. (If that makes sense?)

Apparently they suit me with my slight-high cheekbones.
But what I REALLY love is how they compliment my favorite blouse as the sleeves are angled too :)
At November 25, 2009 at 12:16 PM , Xiao Yue said...: I love the glasses that you're wearing in that picture. I actually have exactly the same, but they're sunglasses.
The white ones you ordered are also very pretty! And very Lolita~
At November 25, 2009 at 11:19 PM , Victoria Suzanne said...: @jingfeng-im-juli: I'm also victim of the super-dark circles, so I love your makeup ideas!

@Carouselofcrowns: My pink frames are currently just plastic, and so are all the others - 20/20 before switching the lenses. You should try them, I bet they'd be cute!

@Naka: thank you!

@Himemiya: Very good point about natural glasses, some girls just seem to gravitate to what works best for their faces!

@Princess Roxy: I love the idea of sleeves and frames complimenting each other :)

@Xiao Yue: thank you! also thanks for following me on Twitter! :)
At November 28, 2009 at 10:40 AM , Anonymous said...: So it IS possible to get those cute prop glasses from Claire’s fitted with prescription lenses? This is great! I requested a 2nd pair of glasses for Christmas this year just incase my usual breaks down. I ADORE their old man, geeky, “Atticus Finch” glasses. Since the frames are so cheap, Mom’ll have to give in.
Mine are basically exactly like Tina Fey’s. And because we have such light complexions with dark hair, I get compared to her a lot. :/ It’d be frustrating… if she wasn’t such a babe!! ;D

But yes. I have had the dark circles under my eyes forever. They’re so bad that I couldn’t wear contacts even if I wanted, because I‘d be too embarrassed. And I’m so blind that I have a hard time applying eye makeup at all - there’s no room between my hand and the mirror! So I tend to skip that step, it’s too much trouble. But I’m thankful for the make-up instructions all the same. It doesn’t hurt to know, does it?
At November 29, 2009 at 5:59 PM , Erica W. said...: Being a glasses wearer myself I really enjoyed this post! Thanks for sharing so many resources for cute glasses; I have two pairs, but would love a pair or two with a whimsical vibe.
At December 8, 2009 at 1:15 PM , Anonymous said...: I really love those pink glasses you're wearing in the picture, where did you get them?

I'm planning to get some shuron freeways, but I really wish I could get them in a pastel pink or chocolate brown.
At December 31, 2009 at 9:19 PM , Anonymous said...: I was lucky and found some truly adorable Coach glasses on sale, just low enough that my insurance at the time covered them. They have dragonflies on the side in rhinestones.

A lot of brands actually make some good options for people who spend a lot of time wearing glasses.

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Lolita Charm

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Lolitas & Glasses

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