How To Choose The Best Glasses For Your Face
The right pair of eyeglasses not only boost your vision but elevate your style and enhance your facial features. Because frames come in a wide range of sizes, shapes, colours, materials and styles, it can be difficult to choose the most suitable eyeglasses frames for your face shape. The options are truly endless, which can be both exciting and unnerving. More often than not, we hear that choosing the perfect frames feels rather overwhelming—but it doesn’t have to be that way.
If you’re unsure about how to choose the best frame style for your face, we’re here to make it a simple and enjoyable process. The following tips are exactly how our in-house frame stylists help our customers choose a flattering pair of our eyeglasses.
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How To Choose Glasses For Your Face Shape
Every face is unique; however, most fit into one of these five categories: round, heart-shaped, square, diamond or oval. You’re probably familiar with these categories but if you’re unsure of which category your face shape falls under, here’s how to tell.
How to Determine Your Face Shape
While your bone structure is mostly what determines the shape of your face, your hairline can also play a part, so it’s important to notice your hairline as well and how this affects your facial features. To figure out your face shape, all you need is a mirror and a dry erase marker. Looking straight ahead into the mirror, brush your hair away from your face, then trace the outline of your face onto the mirror with a dry erase marker. Once you have an outline, examine the width of your forehead, your cheeks and chin. This simple exercise is usually enough to determine which face shape category you fall under.
Compare the outline of your face to the following descriptions to determine your closest match:
An oval face shape is widest across the eyes with a slightly narrow forehead and chin. . The oval face shape is the most universal face shape and can wear almost any style of frames with ease.
A round face shape has full cheeks and the jaw and forehead are roughly the same widths.
A square face shape has a definitive jawline that is roughly the same width as the forehead.
A heart-shaped face is widest at the forehead and tapers through the jawline to a narrow chin, resembling an inverted triangle. You may also have heard of a triangle face shape, which is similar to a heart-shaped face—the only difference between the two is that a heart-shaped face has a widow’s peak hairline, creating a distinctive outline of a heart!
A diamond face shape is widest across cheekbones that sit fairly high with the narrowest points being the forehead and the chin. Your hairline may also taper inward, which creates a diamond shaped outline. This is the rarest face shape, so if you have a diamond shaped face, consider yourself unique!
Matching Frames To Your Face Shape
There are nine main frame shapes for glasses and sunglasses. Every face shape has a couple of complementary frame choices. By choosing a pair of glasses that is designed to suit your specific face shape, you can highlight or neutralize specific facial features to achieve a harmonious and natural look.
Generally, when you’re trying to figure out which frame shape to choose, go with the opposite shape of your face. For example, if you have a square face, rounded and thinner frames will be flattering. If you have a round face, rectangular frames would look great on you. If you have angular features, opt for a curved design, and if your features are on the rounder or smoother side, opt for angular and geometric frames.
If you still can’t decide, the aviator frames are a safe bet for all face shapes!
| Oval Face Shape | Diamond Face Shape | Round Face Shape | Square Face Shape | Heart-shaped Face | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ||
| Cat-eye | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ||
| Rectangle | ✅ | ✅ | |||
| Wayfarer | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ||
| Square | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ||
| Aviators | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Geometric | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ||
| Browline | ✅ | ✅ | |||
| Oval | ✅ | ✅ |
Glasses for an oval shaped face
Because oval faces tend to have a natural balance, most frame shapes are flattering on this face shape; however, we recommend avoiding a round or oval frame shape, as these could intensify the roundness of your facial features.
Square frames neutralize round features on an oval face shape
Glasses for a round shaped face
Round face shapes have soft lines and smooth features, so it’s best to break up this softness with angular and geometric frames. Rectangle frames are usually best to elongate the face and add flattering lines and dimension.
A slight cat-eye can add a new dimension to your facial features
Glasses for a square shaped face
Square faces have angular features with a strong jawline. The goal when choosing the right glasses shape for square faces is to soften these harsh angles. For this reason, opt for glasses designs with curves, like round, cat-eye, or oval frames. You may also want to opt for delicate frames for added softness.
Round frames soften square and angular face shapes
Glasses for a heart shaped face
Heart shaped faces also have angular features. Similar to oval faces, however, heart shaped faces can pull off almost any frame—just beware of frames that are too top-heavy, which may accentuate a broader forehead. If your jaw is especially narrow, opt for bottom heavy frames to create more width toward the lower half of your face.
Thinner rims can soften angular lines on heart-shaped faces
Glasses for a diamond shaped face
Diamond shaped faces have sharp angles and high cheekbones. If you’re looking to soften these angles, opt for round or oval frames. If you’re looking to accentuate your angular features, opt for a cat-eye, geometric, or rimless glasses to make a bolder statement.
The Ray-Ban Aviator are a safe bet for all face shapes.
Other Considerations When Choosing The Perfect Pair Of Glasses
The Distance Between Your Eyes
Some people have eyes that are narrow set and others have eyes that are further apart. The key is to find a pair of glasses that center your eyes. If your eyes are too close to the inner corner of the frames, you will likely appear cross-eyed. If your eyes are too close to the outer edges of the frames, the glasses will look like they’re too small.
How They Fit Your Nose
Glasses that don’t properly fit your nose can quickly turn into a nuisance, constantly slipping and sliding down your nose. If the frames move when you shake your head side to side and up and down, they are too big. On the other hand, your glasses should not be too tight either as this could cause headaches or discomfort. Avoid glasses that leave red marks or imprints on the bridge of your nose, and steer clear of glasses that touch your eyelashes.
Your Skin Tone
Another element to consider when choosing your eyeglasses is to select a frame colour that is complementary to your complexion. Warm skin tones have hints of yellow, bronze or gold. Cool skin tones have hints of blue, pink or red.
Coloured frames are a fun and expressive way to demonstrate your individuality. If you’d like to go with coloured frames, here are a couple of guidelines:
If your skin tone is warm, avoid frames that provide too much of a contrast, like pastel colours, as well as white and black. Instead, choose warm colours like gold, honey, beige, tan, olive green, shades of brown and light turquoise.
If you have a cooler skin tone, avoid colours that make you look washed out. Instead, reach for shades of black, blue, gray, silver, mauve, purple and pink.
Another way to figure this out is to think about the colour of the clothes you look and feel your best in. The same rule applies here.
If you have a cooler skin tone, reach for shades of black, blue, gray, silver, mauve, purple and pink.
Your Lifestyle
Your lifestyle should definitely be considered before making a decision on which frames to choose.
Highly active people or those who do manual labour, for example, should choose sturdy and durable frames, while those who wear glasses for important business presentations should choose elegant, sleek, and thinner frames.
Think about your daily activities. Yes, your frames should look great on you, but they need to be equally functional.
Your Personality
Just like your clothing style, your frames can reflect your personality, your mood and your vibe. The best part? You can have a different set of frames for different occasions and moods! You can have frames that represent your bold and daring side; you can have a pair that emphasizes your getting-things-done attitude for office hours; or you can choose one versatile pair that sums up all aspects of your personality.
Choose glasses that reflect your personality!
Ask An Expert
It always helps to get a second opinion, especially when it comes from an expert. At Della Optique our Master Frame Stylist will guide you through the selection process, presenting you with the best options for your face shape and your lifestyle.
We carry a curated selection of frames from the highest quality optical brands from around the world. Visit us online to book your complimentary eyewear makeover with our Master Frame Stylist to get help with finding your new eyeglasses.
