Picking out the right pair of eyeglasses can be as difficult as picking out a complete wardrobe. In fact, it could be even more difficult. You’re not stuck wearing the same outfit every day, but you have to keep using the same glasses, don’t you? So it’s of paramount importance that you get eyeglasses that suit you, are comfortable, look good and go well with your general look. Choosing the best eyeglasses for your face shape can seem a bit confusing at first, so here’s our simplified guide that everyone can follow!
Broadly, there’s about 5 face shapes found around the world. Each shape has characteristics that would particularly draw attention to it, and hence requires a sort of balancing or complementary characteristic that the frame would provide. Getting the wrong frame shape could end up highlighting a feature that you don’t want highlighted, or playing down a feature you don’t want played down, so it is quite the difficult decision to make. Here’s the 5 face shapes and what goes well with them:
Eyeglasses for Oval Shape
Perhaps the most common face shape, and considered ‘ideal’, oval shaped faces are characterized by a rounded forehead and chin. Proportionally balanced, oval shaped faces look good no matter what frame styles are used, but do look better with certain ones. We recommend square or rectangular frames, because they highlight the high cheekbones and don’t attract too much attention to the usually curved jawline. Females will also find that the Cat-Eye or Butterfly looks good.
Eyeglasses for Round Shape
Round faces are usually proportional in length and width, featuring full cheeks and a wide forehead. Frame styles that have a lot of sharp curves and angles look the best, as they contrast the roundness. These frame styles give more definition to a round face, and seem to lengthen it. Again, rectangular frames look great here, but you should also consider angular frames like the browline. Anything that brings attention to your eyes is good!
Eyeglasses for Square Shape
Square faces are characterized by a broad squarish forehead and a strong jawline. Similar to round shape faces, the aim here is to balance out the characteristics, so we go for an opposite look here. Since there’s already a lot of angles, we’re looking to soften them by going for round or oval shaped glasses. They help lengthen the face shape and highlight the upper part of your face. Browlines look good here as well, in addition to what we mentioned.
Eyeglasses for Rectangle Shape
Think of rectangle shaped faces as longer versions of square shaped ones. Elongated proportions means a longer, narrower face and nose, plus the same strong jawline and squarish forehead. Since these faces are already long, we look for something that adds more definition to the width of the face. Your best bet is going for frame styles that have an accentuated brow and rounded edges. Thick temples and peripheries also work well to make the face shorter.
Eyeglasses for Heart Shape
Finally, we have the heart shaped faces. As you can imagine, heart shaped faces have a broad forehead and narrow jawline or small chin. They can also be looked at as upside down triangles, in fact. Here, the objective would be to draw attention away from the top width and balance it out by emphasizing the lower part of the face. Those with heart shaped faces would be wise to pick up rimless frames or small square shaped frames to make sure their face proportions don’t seem odd. Generally, narrower frames are the way to go here.
So there you have it, our ultimate guide to choosing the best frame styles, no matter the shape of your face! Keep in mind that you can go for other styles as well, as long as you think they look good on you. This is by no means a be-all, end-all list, so if you’re up for some experimentation and don’t mind looking different, go ahead and try out different styles. There’s no limit to the looks you can come up with, if you want to try out funky colors, shapes and accents!
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