How To Choose Glasses That Suit You

Choosing glasses can be tricky. Sometimes the pair you like may not suit you, or a pair that suit you aren't your style at all. There are several factors to consider when it comes to choosing a pair of prescription glasses, and are valuable to know if ordering a frame online.

Face Shape

When choosing a frame shape, face shape is all important. There are several different face shapes that most people fall into. Here we will have a look at the shapes, the characteristics for identifying them and what frames suit them.

Oval

This face shape is considered the ideal as it has the most balanced proportions. An oval shape face will generally have a narrow forehead and jawline, with a slightly narrower chin. The cheekbones will normally be high. Oval faces tend to have smaller features, so make sure your frames don't overpower your face by being out of proportion. With the oval shape, almost all frame shapes can be worn. Frames that are slightly wider than the widest part of the face tend to look good. Cat eye frames should be avoided if you have high cheekbones, as this can make the face look too angular and harsh.

Square

The square face will have a broad, wide forehead, and a wide jaw of roughly similar width. Thin chin will be square and quite flat at the bottom. The face will be almost as wide as it is long. To balance out the features, round and oval frames tend to suit square faces, with the contrast in shape being complimentary. Avoid square and rectangular glasses, as well as angular frames such as cat eye. The softer the better with this face shape.

Round

The round face is fairly short, and almost as wide as it is long. The features are quite rounded, with a wide forehead full, soft cheeks and a rounded chin with not much definition from the jaw. This shape should try wearing square or rectangular glasses, anything with sharp angles to contrast with the face. Cat eye glasses can look good, but rounded and oval styles should be avoided. Frames with more decoration or thicker rims at the top are great options, as these draw attention to the upper half of the face.

Heart/Triangular

Heart shaped faces (or inverted triangle) are characterised by a wide forehead, which slowly tapers down into a small, neat and pointed chin. Normally the cheekbones are high. This face is often described as elvin, and the features tend to be smaller. A variety of frames can be worn such as rectangular or rounded. Those with detailing at the bottom or lower set sides normally suit. However, detail on the top portion of the frame should be avoided, as should semi-rimless designs which only have a top half of frame. Heavier top halves tend to emphasise the face shape in an unflattering way.

Rectangular

The rectangular face shape is like an elongated square. Sharp features combine with a wide forehead and wide jaw, with a flat chin and high cheekbones. To balance out the length of the face a wide frame is advised. Oval shapes work well, as these are both wide and rounded, contrasting with the natural face shape, and therefore complimentary. Small frames and square frames should be avoided.

Triangle

The triangular face is slightly longer than it is wide. The jawline is broad, and tapers in slightly towards the forehead. The forehead is narrow and cheekbones may not be prominent or visible. More men generally have this face shape due to a strong jaw being a more masculine feature. To minimise width at the jaw, wear glasses that are wider than the widest part of the face. Also styles such as semi-rimless that have more or heavier detailing on the upper half of the frame look good as they balance the face.

Diamond

The diamond shape face is probably the rarest, but tends to be seen on a lot of runway models. This face shape is characterised by a small a narrow forehead, with a small and pointed shin. The widest part of the face is at the cheekbones, and these tend to be high, prominent and angular (hence the prominence of fashion models with this shape face). Softer shaped glasses tend to suit this face shape, such as oval or rounded. Thick rims or those with detailing draw more attention to the eyes and soften the cheekbones so are a good choice, as do semi-rimless frames or those with a heavier upper section. Cat eye frames should be avoidess unless a very harsh and dramatic look is required, as this will increase the prominence of the cheekbones.

Skin Tone

Everyone has either a warm or cool skin tone, and which one you have can be vital when it comes to picking a colour for your glasses.

Cool Skin Tones

People with cool skin tones generally have blue-ish coloured veins, so this is a good indicator. Those with cool skin tones will generally have a pink undertone to their skin, and if black skinned there will be a slight blue but no golden tones present. Most very pale people will be cool skinned. Those with cool skin tones generally suit glasses that are also cool shades, such as silver, black, blue, amethyst, grey and purple.

Warm Skin Tones

Those with warm skin tones normally will have veins with a greenish tint. Yellow undertones are present in warm skin tones, so olive skin and most East Asian skins will be warm. Those who tan and go 'golden' would also be considered warm, as are those who have naturally golden toned black skin. This skin tone suits glasses that are similar, such as gold, reds, oranges, browns and other fire-like shades.

Eye Colour

Eye colour is also an important factor when choosing glasses. The colour of the glasses can make eyes really pop, or make them look dull.

Blue eyes look brighter and bluer with blue or purple frames, but brown frames may also compliment them. A black frame can make blue eyes brighter if the skin tone is darker, but paler people will find the black frames wash them out. Those with brown or hazel eyes may find brown frames make their eyes look dull. Anything contrasting looks great, such as lighter or more dramatic colours such as red. Green eyes appear greener with green, purple or red frames, and blue frames actually tend to make the eyes appear blue. Green eyes can get away with the most colours being a more neutral shade, so browns and blacks also work well.

Remember though, these are all general guidelines. Personal style and personality should be taken into account; those bold Tom Ford's that may be the right shape and colour for someones face may not be right for them if they have a shy personality. And although pale blondes should generally avoid black frames to stop looking washed out, they make look fantastic in contrast. There are always exceptions to the rules, so the best thing is to try on a selection of frames to see what fits you.