Masks have now become a part of our daily lives. You can stick to the basic disposables or you can make your reusable cloth mask an integral accessory to your outfit. No matter which masks you wear, it can be a challenge if you also have to wear glasses. Irritating fog forms on lenses and most of your face is covered, which might make you feel hidden from the world. The good news is that these inconveniences have easy fixes!
How to prevent glasses from fogging up
This common problem has a simple solution. The first step would be to make sure you are wearing your mask correctly. Fogging occurs because warm air from your breath travels up and hits your cool glasses, so the mask must first fit your face well to minimize the amount of air escaping.
Your glasses shouldn’t interfere with the placement of your mask either—your nose and mouth should always be covered, even when wearing glasses. You can also minimize fogging by having your glasses pushed forward on the bridge of your nose so more air can circulate.
If your glasses are still fogging up, then take the advice of two doctors, Sheraz and Shahbaz Shafi Malik. They advise you to wet your lenses and slather them with a bit of soap, then rinse and dry them. According to their article, lenses should stay clear because the “soapy water leaves behind a thin surfactant film that reduces this surface tension and causes the water molecules to spread out evenly into a transparent layer.” Essentially, washing lenses makes it harder for fog to stick to their cool surface.
How to make the combo look good
After some time in a pandemic, you’ve probably gotten used to wearing a mask, but how can you make it look good? The main idea is to treat it as an accessory and use them as a way to add personality and individuality to your outfit.
Match your mask to your outfit. Quarantine has taken away the motivation to dress up, but now that things are opening back up it’s time to strut the runway social-distance style. For example, you can use sunnies and masks to take your outfit to the next level by matching both with other elements of the outfit.
You could also follow my friend Jacob Wilkins’ lead and show your school spirit through your mask. Wilkins is a student at the University of Virginia who reps his school through his mask. Many brands and schools, including Carleton, are using the pandemic as an opportunity to add masks to this season’s inventory.
How to shine behind both glasses and mask
Now that your spectacles are nice and clear and you know how to coordinate masks to your outfits, how can you prevent being hidden by everything on your face?
First, I would recommend keeping your hair out of your face. Having lingering hairs can be frustrating, and keeping it away also allows people to see your eyes and facial features more clearly! Another piece of advice would also be to try out a new hairstyle. If you do decide to rock a new look, not only would it look good, but it would be practical for many reasons. Hair is one of the few features not obstructed by a mask, so it would let your personality shine through and catch some eyes.
Another way to shine would be to once again, strut the runway. Use your style to show a bit of who you are by personalizing your mask as much as possible. As we have seen, treating masks as accessories to your outfit allows you to shine. Don’t forget: Being safe can be fashionable.
Featured graphic by Jillian Piper.
