You can rock any sunglass style. But finding the perfect pair can be enhanced by selecting one that complements your unique face shape.
What’s the secret to selecting the best glasses? The shape of your face dictates which sunglasses, or regular reading glasses, look like you. Once you know your face shape, you’ll narrow your choices to several solid options. Here’s how!
Most people’s faces fall into one of six broad shape categories:
- round
- square
- oval
- rectangle
- heart
- diamond
Pulling or tying long hair back helps get the most transparent look at the shape of your face. Looking at its outline, try to spot which area is the widest. It might be your cheeks, forehead, temples, or jaw.
Likewise, think about the general dimensions of your face. Is it taller than it is short, or vice versa? Based on these rough dimensions, you can work out the shape of your face.
If you get stuck, you can use lipstick or a dry-wipe marker to trace the outline of your face in the mirror.
Round faces have similarly curved hairlines and jawlines and are about the same height and width. Selena Gomez and Leo DiCaprio have round faces.
Rectangular, square, wrap or shield-shaped sunglasses are best for round faces. Glasses with bold lines and sharp angles help make your face look thinner and longer. Bright colors also help create a statement and complement your natural face shape.
Avoid curved frames or glasses that sit low down on your temples. Those risk making your gorgeous round face look too rounded.
Square faces, like round ones, are as wide as they are high but with distinctive angular jawlines and hairlines. Rihanna and Brad Pitt have square-shaped faces, so you’re in good company.
Complement your strong jawline with round or oval-shaped glasses to balance your overall look. Aviators and butterfly-style frames with center or top-set temples are ideal.
When a face is tall, relatively narrow, with even features and a long, curved jawline, that’s a beautiful oval face. Beyoncé and Justin Bieber represent Team Oval Face.
With an oval-shaped face, you’re truly blessed. Most styles of glasses work great as long as they’re not too big. Huge frames risk blocking your face’s natural symmetry. Keep them sitting below your eyebrows and above your cheekbones.
Rectangular faces are tall, evenly featured, and have sharp, clean angles around the jawline. Think Angelina Jolie or Robert Downey Jr.
Big, maybe even oversized frames help broaden rectangular faces. Vintage-style frames with sharp, bold angles add further definition. Wrap, shield, square, or wayfarer-style glasses work great. Steer clear of smaller structures, which risk making your face look massive.
Heart-shaped or triangle-shaped faces have wide temples which narrow downwards towards the chin. Billie Eilish and Timothée Chalamet fall into this distinguished category.
Wide, low-edged frames in cat-eye style or with rounded edges are ideal. Aviators, shield-style, butterflies, or rimless glasses are strong candidates. Avoid frames with clear, straight lines along the top. They risk over-elongating your face.
Diamond-shaped faces have narrow foreheads and thin jawlines. The cheekbones stand out as the widest part of the face. George Clooney and Tyra Banks are among the diamond-faced.
These lovely, wide, high cheekbones are best displayed alongside oval-shaped or rimless glasses. Frames should have gentle curves and be thinner than your cheekbones to avoid exaggerating your face shape.
Whether you’re picking sunglasses for summer vacation or new glasses for everyday life, the right pair is out there. It’s all about taking an honest, objective look at how you’re put together and working with nature. Using what you’ve read today, it’s easy to complement your most authentic look with some red-hot accessories.
