Thank you guys for all your help. I decided to post here instead of general. I ordered the three books sugested Strutters complete guide to makeup, creative clowning, and Be a clown.

My question is that I wear perscription glasses and can not see with out them, I'm trying to figure out how I am going to put makeup on with out my glasses, maybe a magnified mirror. I don't think I've seen a clown with glasses other than oversizes comical ones. How do you encorperate the two or do you go to contact lenses.
Hollywood

there are some that wear their glasses. But my daughter states contact are easier. plus you have more perfirr.....side view vision.. It what's best for you, even Santa now sport glasses.

I wear glasses,
Mine are pretty hard to see with my makeup on. I usually take them off, But, often I forget. I can see without them well enough to clown, I just can't drive without them.
My wife wears glasses also. She cannot see without them It is difficult for her to do makeup. She says she wants to go back to contact lenses.So, hopefully, now that we have optical insurance, She can get them when she goes for her next exam.
Hollywood,
I guess the best advice I can give you use them as much as possible, If you do a white face, apply the white blind, and then put them back on to check for streaks, Powder and dust. Then do your mouth with your glasses on, removing them to set the makeup. Do your eyes last. The glasses will cover around that area a bit anyway. Yes, Contacts would be ideal, I don't know if I could stand wearing them though. Another idea would be to find a pair of glasses or some sunglasses that look cool. And use them instead of going around your eyes. In strutters, there are a few examples with glasses, you could tray to do something like "Fashoo" on page 67.
More difficult, but with you abilities, this may work well, build a head piece similar to Lou Jacobs or like Jimmy Stewart used in the movie, The Greatest Show on Earth.Jimmy's was a white face somewhat egg shaped head piece With the eye marks painted right on it. You could add some red marks around the eyes if you wished. If you do auguste, A "cone head" headpiece (Ala Dan Akroyd) might be adaptable.
I hope this helps,
Btw, For a tramp, Just use the white on your eyelids and up to the eyebrow, You don't need to outline it, tramps should look a bit on the dusty side anyway.

I hope this helps, I suppose you could always have someone do the eyes for you...
Best of Luck,
Scruffy

I think that glasses are such an accepted part of
life that they don't affect your clowning...

I've worn glasses or contacts for most of my
clowning "career" -- I just recently had Lasik,
so I don't have to worry about that any more. :lol:


Disposable contacts would be my first choice, if you
can wear contacts and can afford them. I like the
peripheral vision that Sapphire Sue mentioned, plus
I tend to get better vision through contacts.

For glasses it depends on your budget and what
you want to do.

You can minimize the glasses by buying wire frames,
or some of the frameless glasses.

You can emphasize the glasses by buying Oversize
or way-out glasses. Maybe hand-paint the frames?

Or, simply not worry about it and wear your everyday
glasses.

However, I would not wear sunglasses, or glasses that
change to a really DARK tint in the sun. I think eye
contact is very important to convey emotions and
trust.

Actually, I wear sunglasses sometimes while driving to
or from a gig, but not at the gig itself.

Ashes

my glasses do tint in sunlight, this is why I remove them. It's not too bad if I am in shade. I also have a pair of Gold wire rimmed saftey glasses that do not tint. They are my "Clown glasses". I don't like them though... My daily wear ones are Flexon 606 . It is a good, light weight and strong frame. If the anlge is juuust right, you can't see them.

Don't know if your nearsighted or far. Before i had contacts I used a magnified mirror and put it as close as possible, works pretty well.

Also I think wearing galsses is fine, I have contacts and love them. If your really against contacts ever think about just getting a fun color frame, matbe one that matches your costume.
Good luck

I dont wear my glasses as a Clown only time i do a gig with my Glasses is when i do Santa claus But some Clowns do wear their Glasses

As Scruff said, I must have my glasses. I'm legally blind without them. It's not darkness so much as it is severe lack of focus. There's no way to function without them.

I just recently replaced my frames and purposely chose some that kind of blend in. The frames are gold and there's no bottom to the frame around the lenses. It really helps them become inconspicuous.

All I can tell suggest is getting a magnifying mirror. They're very helpful. And just keep practicing. Since I'm right-handed, I hold the magnifying mirror up close and do the left side first, so there's no worry about smudging the right side.

i rememeber a loooong time ago seeing an infomercial for some glasses that have one side flip down so women could put on their make up, then you flip that side back up and flip down the other side and do that side. i wonder if they still make those or where you can get them... theres always that slogan "you can find IT on EBAY" !!

So do any of you wear your contacts when you are putting on your make-up? There's no way I can see well enough to apply my make-up without them, but it's pretty hard not to get powder in my eyes during the process. (I can avoid this by closing my eyes when I powder, but then how do I know if I'm powdering in all the right spots?)

One thing I have found that helps is to put some artificial tears in my eyes after I have my make-up on and am finished powdering. This seems to clean the powder off the contact lens.

I am quite blind without my contacts or glasses. Like Pickles, I would not be able to put makeup on without my contacts. I just try to be really careful with the powder. Wearing disposable lenses is great because they are so comfortable and you can throw them away when they get yucky. When I first started wearing contacts (in the Stone Ages), the only kind were the hard plastic ones! I never got used to them, even though I wore them for a gazillion years. My glasses are kind of trendy, so I don't think they would look right with clown makeup.

Pickles, the artificial tears idea is great - thanks!

I've seen clowns put the really outrageously colored and funky fake eyelashes on the outside of their glasses, which is a fun way to make their spectacles clowny.

One of the clowns in my alley wears glasses and she came up with a great idea. She took some glittery false eyelashes and adhered them to the top rim of her glasses. They look ADORABLE! And blend right in with her costume.
I'm not sure what type of clown you are but maybe you could do something with eyebrows? Or, um....something?
Just throwing it out there for ya.
Also, I do not think that glasses detract as long as you have a solid character going.
:) :)


Cinn~


***EDIT Ooops! See Pickles beat me to it! (Great minds think alike! ;) )

I use a magnified mirror since I can't se with out my glasses. I have lighted magnified mirror and it works for me.
When the sun is shining I have to wear my sunglasses (eyes are since-is-tive to the bright light. I had a lady tell me she had never seen a clown with a grey beard and sunglasses and I told her she can't say that anymore!!!!

I wear glasses also, I will usually take them off when I clown because they are photosensitive. When I do make-up Pattycake does my eyes and then I finish the rest of my face. I use a magnifying mirror to start with then turn it over to the regular side to finish up.

I wear my glasses with mine, I couldn't clown without them and I've never found any contacts that fit right with my astigmatism (every time I blink, they spin and I can't see for a split second... it's really annoying). I don't think it takes away from my makeup at all, although the next time I get new glasses I'm going to try to find some kind of funny looking frames and get 2 pairs so I have one for everyday and one for clowning.

I can manage to do my makeup without them though, so no help there.

I have to wear glasses also and that in it's self caused me to really look at how I do my make-up. I have tried to do my make-up to blend with them and so far seems to be working. I am thinking of going to a no-frame glasses but they are pricy so that is on hold for now. But I am with the others I don't see where the glasses take anything away. In fact when I am asked about them, which isn't that often, I tell them, "Oogie is an old clown and doesn't see like he used to." The kids like that and seem to make me more real to them.

No one has asked yet, but if they did... I'd say that they're my peril-sensitive sunglasses ;) That's for all the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy fans out there!

I too wear glasses which are photosensitive. I recently did a gig at the Run for the Cure. The event was outside of course and I wore my glasses all day. It wasn't till I saw the pictures that I realized my glasses had gone a dark black and no one could see my eyes all day. I felt bad because I was interacting with all these people thinking I was making eye contact. I am going to have to get another pair as well, I like people to see my eyes, as I believe it enhances trust and communication in any circumstance.

I wear contacts when I clown... In some of my pictures you will actually notice me wearing my glasses... these are a pair of glasses frames that are almost exactally like my normal wear ones... but they don't have any lenses in them. In those pictures I'm actually wearing my contacts and my glasses frames lol... How funky is that?

But yeah... without my contacts I'd be in trouble... though I do think I'll be getting another eye exam and a new pair in the spring... and I think I'll go for a rimless pair that way I have the option of wearing contacts or not.

As for doing makeup I usually always do my makeup standing over my bathroom vanity almost leaning into my mirror. Before we remodeled our bathroom we actually had a bigger mirror and counter... so I would actually sit on the counter and prop my arm against the wall... thats how I trained myself to get good solid black eye outlines... however I'm still a bust when it comes to outlining the muzzle... So I usually just blend the red to meet the white.

My eyes keep getting worse. I used a magnafiying mirror, but that got hard. Then I found one at walmart that magnafies a LOT more. It is small and didn't cost much. I hold it right up next to my face.
They also make magnafiying glasses that let you flip the lens up on at a time. It is designed so ladies can do their eye makeup. They are at beauty supply stores. I have not tried them but have friends who use them.
This year I gave up and got contacts. The eye Dr. said to put them in BEFORE I put on my makeup. I powder with a cotton ball and not a sock. It helps keep the powder down.

I actually love the look of clowns with glasses. My biggest problem is that my glasses are so thick that you would barely be able to see my makeup! (Think coke bottles of the olden days...). My clown's name would have to be MyOpia!

I only wear one contact in my left eye and I put it in after I have ALL MY MAKEUP ON, and I've been powdered and brushed, and I'm ready to go out the door. My contact is next to the last step of the whole process. After that comes my gloves and I'm out the door.

My friend used to wear red prescription glasses and they looked really cute. She had a red wig too. I don't see any problem with wearing glasses. I think they look fine.

I wear glasses in and out of clown. Possibly going for contacts in the near future but anyway I sit on the edge of the bathroom counter and am literally 2 inches away from the mirror when I do my face. That or Gummy does it for me.
Oh and my glasses always slide down my nose. Might have to get a new pair.

If you are a clown and can afford color contacts but contacts that are maybe red or something to go with makeup... it looks pretty cool and creepy at the same time

... it looks pretty cool and creepy at the same time


Which is the last thing most of us want is to look creepy. Funny, Yes, definitely. But not creepy.

Yeah, but, cool and creepy simultaneously is awful fun!

If you are a clown and can afford color contacts but contacts that are maybe red or something to go with makeup... it looks pretty cool and creepy at the same time

Oooo, that would be so cool to have neon green eyes!! Do you think a little bit of "creepy" would be acceptable for a children's entertainer -- if I just limit the creepiness to my eyes?

I think Strutter covers this in one of the chapters of his book!!

Oooo, that would be so cool to have neon green eyes!! Do you think a little bit of "creepy" would be acceptable for a children's entertainer -- if I just limit the creepiness to my eyes?

Well Pickles, shouldn't your eyes be the color of pickle juice?

In my profile picture you can see me wearing glasses, but I use no frame ones. I use to wear a wig, because it covers the side ear pieces. I love the no frame ones because the makeup make the glasses sort of invisible. I do make-up up close to the mirror.

If someone should make a comment on the glasses I tell them it is an optical illusion.

I can't wear contacts, for heaven sake, it is impossible to get it in my eyes, I even struggle to get eye drops in them.