How to Choose the Right Eyeglass Frames for Your Face

Co-authored by Paul Julch, MA

Last Updated: December 20, 2022

These days there are so many choices when it comes to stylish, attractive eyeglasses. The first rule of choosing frames is to pick something that you love and that makes you feel confident. One way to find frames that accentuate your best features is to choose frames that complement the shape and coloring of your face and make a fashion statement. This article will help you choose the right eyeglass frames for your face, so your new glasses will bring out the best in your already gorgeous face!

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Determining the Shape of Your Face

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Know the basic face shapes. While everyone's face is different, there are seven general shapes: round, heart-shaped (base-up triangle), triangular (base down), square, rectangular, oblong and oval.
- Round faces tend to have full cheeks and rounded, full forehead and chin.^{[1]
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  Research source} Celebrities with round faces include Kirsten Dunst, Chrissy Tiegen, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
- The phrase "heart-shaped face" can be a bit misleading; a heart-shaped face is really more like an upside down triangle, with a wide forehead that narrows to a pointed chin.^{[2]
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  Research source} A heart shaped face can be long and graceful or more rounded, but both tend to have high, angled cheekbones. Celebrities with heart-shaped faces include Reese Witherspoon, Christina Ricci, Jennifer Aniston, Ryan Gosling, and Bradley Cooper.
- Triangular faces tend to have narrow foreheads and a wide, strong jaw (the jaw itself is often angular). Examples of celebrities with triangular faces include Queen Latifah, Minnie Driver, Kelly Osbourne, and Chris Pine.
- Square faces have strong, wide foreheads and equally strong, wide chins. They are also proportionate in the length and width of the face.^{[3]
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  Research source} Famous square faces include Olivia Wilde, Rosario Dawson, Josh Hutcherson, and Nick Lachey. Rectangular faces are very similar to square, but with a longer length than width, such as Demi Moore, Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolie.
- Oblong and oval faces are very similar as well; they are both rounded and proportional, but an oval face has a more pointed chin. Examples of celebs with oblong faces include Kim Raver, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jude Law; examples of famous oval faces include Liv Tyler, Kim Kardashian, and Adam Levine.
2
Look in a mirror to determine the shape of your face. Pull or pin your hair back away from your face so that you can see your face clearly.
- Many faces do not fit clearly into only one specific type but have features that resemble two or even more types. In that case, you're lucky! You will more options as you look for eyeglass frames.
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3
Use a dry erase marker to outline the shape of your reflection. Tracing carefully around the outline of your face in the mirror, with your face relaxed, outline your forehead, down each cheek to the end of your chin. Don't include your ears.
- Now, without moving your face from its outline in the mirror, do it again but with your biggest exposed-toothed smile. Put these lines directly over the lines you've already drawn.
- The two sets of lines will show you if and how your facial shape changes when you smile. For instance, some people with oval faces in their relaxed state might have more heart-shaped faces when smiling broadly (such as Kim Kardashian). Others, like Jennifer Lawrence, might have a strong rectangular face when relaxed, which changes to a heart-shaped face when smiling broadly.
4
Determine if your face is angular or soft. In many ways, this is more important than the exact shape of your face when it comes to choosing glasses. Using the lines you've drawn on the mirror, you should be able to tell if your face has hard edges and angles, or if the lines are more curvaceous.
- Many people with strong angles will have them at the temples and jaw, but a strong pointed chin is also an angular face. Rectangles, squares, hearts, and some ovals will fall into the angular category.
- Round, triangular, oblong, and some ovals will fall into the more soft, curvaceous category.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Choosing Frames to Complement Your Face Shape

1
Choose frames that complement the shape of your face. In general, frames add the most visual interest and look the least cartoonish when they are a contrast from your natural features, which means that most rounded faces look best with more angled glasses, while more angled faces look best with more rounded glasses.
- Soft, round faces look best with frames that have hard angles, like square or rectangular frames. These tend to make the face look longer and break up the softness of the face. If you have a very full face, you might consider horizontal rectangles, which make the face appear thinner.
- Square and rectangle faces look nice with frames that balance the hard lines of the face, so look for round or oval frames. To minimize the appearance of a very heavy jawline, look for a frame that has a thin, delicate frame (made of wire and in a color similar to your skintone) so that you don't add more bulk to your face. The glasses should be slightly wider than your cheekbones to fit the face properly.
- Heart-shaped faces usually look nice with frames that are wider on the bottom or have some kind of detail on the lower half of the frames. Be sure that the frames are slightly wider than the forehead for a proper fit.
- Triangular faces look great with glasses that emphasize the top half of the frame, like half-rimmed glasses or cat-eye glasses, or two-toned frames with darker tops and lighter bottoms. Since triangular faces tend to have strong jaws, be sure that the frames are slightly wider than your jaw to balance it out.
- Oblong faces look better with round or curved frames, which take away from the length of the face and emphasize the width. Pick frames with the upper and lower rims of the frame equal in shape. This breaks up the length of the face. Also, choose frames that have a low bridge, which shortens the nose.
- Oval faces look great in any type of frame, so choose something that fits your personality. You can play with colors and styles to fit your mood, and you can feel confident in trying out the latest fashion or go with a classic frame to ensure it will stay in style longer.
2
Choose a frame size that complements your face size. Faces come in all sizes, and glasses should sit in the right position and be the right proportion to the rest of your face in order to avoid distracting from your appearance or obstructing the rest of your face.
- Just like Goldilocks, be sure your frames are neither too large nor too small but just right! Glasses that are too big for your features and for your overall face size will overwhelm your appearance and look cartoonish. Glasses that are too small can look out of date or draw attention.
- The top of the frames should follow underneath the curve of the eyebrows. For the most part, most people look best if you can see their eyebrows easily above the frames; otherwise your facial expressions will be obscured.
3
Choose a color of frame that complements you. Depending on your skin, eye, and hair color, different colors of frames may look better on you and bring out your features.
- Determine if you have a cool or warm tone to your skin. If you have a cool skin tone (epitomized by blue eyes, pale skin, and blue veins in the skin), a frame in a cool color will complement your coloring best. Cool colors include silver and jewel tones like amethyst, ruby, emerald, or sapphire. If you have a warm skin tone (epitomized by brown eyes, tanned skin, and green veins), then you might look best in warm colored frames. Warm colors include gold and earth tones like beige, orange, yellow, and mustard. Neutral skin tones can pull off frames in any color.
- If you are not very happy with your look in glasses in general but have to wear them, go for the clear frames because they will draw less attention.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Knowing When to Flout the Rules

1
Choose glasses that work for what you need. Remember that glasses can be a great fashion accessory, but for most people they are also there to serve an incredibly important function which is to help you see. If your glasses don't serve those needs, then they don't work for you.
- Begin by asking a salesperson which frames will work with your prescription (for instance, some people with very high prescriptions must choose frames that have wide frames to hold the lenses, so thin wire frames might not be an option).
- Ask a salesperson to measure your head and show you which glasses will fit you and which will not. Having a good, comfortable fit will help you feel confident in your choice.
2
Be unique, even if you have to break the rules. Your sense of style and personality can really come out in your glasses, and you should not feel confined to certain shapes or colors if something else is more your style, or if your big personality is best expressed in a different shape or style.
- If that means choosing big square glasses on your big square face, do it! Olivia Wilde has famously pulled off that look, and because she was confident in herself, she made those glasses look like they were made for her.
- Similarly, Ginnifer Goodwin has a very round face, but paparazzi have taken pictures of her in equally round sunglasses on many occasions and she pulls them off without a hitch.
- When Daniel Radcliffe made round glasses hip as the character Harry Potter in the popular movie series, his character started out as a round faced young boy and eventually grew into a more square-jawed young man. He was able to pull off the round framed glasses both ways.
3
Compromise. Instead of following the so-called "rules" about face shapes, decide what elements of the rules are important to you and what parts you are comfortable bending or breaking altogether.
- For instance, if you have a round or soft-edged face, instead of avoiding round frames altogether, pay attention to the size of the glasses and avoid small, delicate round frames. Any larger frame will tend to look better on a round face, even if its a rounded frame, since small frames can get lost on a round face. Choose a bold, thick frame to help add interest.^{[4]
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  Research source}
- If you have a more angular face, instead of avoiding angular glasses altogether, try choosing a pair of angled glasses with a thin or delicate frame, rather than a big square pair with thick plastic. You can even choose a color like bronze or copper to help it blend with your skintone.^{[5]
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Warnings

Don’t pick frames that are too colorful or trendy if you want to be happy with the frames for a long time.

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