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How to pick glasses for your face shape

How to Pick Frames for your Face

There are several factors to consider when choosing the perfect pair of glasses for your face. Most people realize that some frames look better on their faces than others but do not completely understand why.

The keys to finding the right eyeglass frames include three things.

39dollarglasses has shapes, designs, and colors for every face shape, individual personality, and design sense

One individual might look great in round glasses in red or purple but not feel so comfortable with the bright colors. Someone else might love orange but not choose it for eyeglasses because it clashes with their red hair. Athletes should consider break-resistant frames and people with allergies need hypoallergenic frames. Executives might want subtle and sophisticated looks for 9-5 and something more fun for the weekends. To find glasses that look good on you, first determine your face shape and what types of glasses fit that shape best.

Different Frame Types Fit Different Face Shapes

Have you ever thought about the shape of your face?

Oblong Face

Oblong Face Shape

Square Face

Square Face Shape

Diamond Face

Diamond Face Shape

Triangular Face

Triangular Face Shape

Round Face

Round Face Shape

Oval Face

Oval Face Shape

Heart Face

Heart Face Shape

It could be round, oval, or heart-shaped. It could also be square, triangular, or diamond shape.

Get a soft measuring tape, paper, and pencil and start measuring

By looking in the mirror (or at pictures of yourself), imagine drawing a line across your forehead, down to the sides of your cheekbones, and down your jawline to your chin. That can give you a general idea of which shape your face most resembles, but you can get a more accurate answer by taking a few measurements.

1
Measure the widest part of your forehead, which should be halfway between your hairline and eyebrows.
2
Then figure out the distance from one outer eye corner to the other outer eye corner to get a cheekbone measurement.
3
For your jawline, measure from the tip of your earlobe to the middle of your chin and divide by two.
4
The last measurement you need is your face length which you measure from your hairline to the tip of your chin.
Picture of the different section and sizes of the face

A haircut with bangs can visually change this dimension, so you might want to measure from the bang line down instead. Which of the face part dimension is longest, and the relationships between the various measurements will determine your face shape. Read the descriptions for each shape below. Once you know your face shape, you will learn how to choose the best frame designs for you.

Read the descriptions for each shape below

Once you know your face shape, you will learn how to choose the best frame designs for you.

Read the descriptions for each shape below

Once you know your face shape, you will learn how to choose the best frame designs for you.

The Best Type of Glasses for an Oval Face

An oval face looks like an egg, standing on its narrower end. That means your forehead might be slightly thinner than your cheekbone width, and your jawline might be somewhat smaller than your forehead. Generally, your face's length will be one and a half times your face's width at the cheekbones. The best frames for an oval face are wider than the widest part of the face and have a strong bridge. Geometric shapes rather than round or oval shapes work best because they contrast and compliment the soft edges of the oval.

Oval shaped face

Best Frames for Heart Shaped Faces

Heart-shaped faces have cheekbone and forehead measurements that are about the same and a smaller distance along the jawline. The key to finding perfect type of glasses for your heart-shaped face is finding frames that improve balance and symmetry. People with heart-shaped faces should look for glasses that balance the wider forehead with the narrower chin. To add some width to the lower part of your face, choose bottom-heavy frames with low-set temples. Square glasses with some rounded edges or completely round eyeglasses can draw the eye’s attention away from a broad, high forehead. Someone with a heart shape should avoid styles, patterns, and colors that add focus to the forehead area. Avoid ornate temples or tops for the same reason.

Heart shaped face

Best Frames for a Triangular Face Shape

Triangular faces can be base-down, where the triangle's base is along your jawline, and base-up, where the widest part is at the forehead. Base-down triangular and heart-shaped faces are similar, and you can follow the suggestions for heart shapes to counter the imperfect symmetry. In either type, the goal is to improve the balance between the narrowest part of the face and the widest. For base down triangles, you want to add width to compensate for the narrow forehead. Try some frames with more color and pattern at the top of the frame to give the smaller part of the triangle more weight. Lighter colors like white, light blue, peach and light gray often are good choices for a triangular face. Cat-eye styles work especially well for this shape.

Triangular shaped face

Choosing glasses for an Oblong Face

If the longest measurement you took was the length of your face, you have an oblong face. People with oblong faces have it the easiest when it comes to choosing glasses. An oblong shape is long, with the forehead, cheekbones, and jawline all about the same width. Although oblongs are similar to ovals, they are not quite the same. Oval-shaped faces usually have softer, slightly narrower jawlines.

Oblong shaped face

The best glasses for Diamond shaped faces

A diamond-shaped face has a narrow forehead and narrow chin that have similar measurements. The cheekbone measurement will be the longest. For diamond-shaped faces, choose frames that accentuate the cheekbones. Just like with oval faces, you can try any that are wider than your face’s widest part.

Diamond shaped face

Types of glasses for Square face shapes

A square face is easy to recognize. It measures about the same at the forehead and jawline. It has a strong jawline and wide cheekbones, which means a lot of angles, so choose eyeglasses to soften the geometric shapes. Look for styles that sit high on the nose bridge. Ovals, rounds, or some of the squares with rounded edges look good on square faces. Avoid sharply geometric shapes or bulky looks that accentuate the face’s sharp angles.

Square shaped face

What glasses fit your Round face best

You probably know if you have a round face. If your face is equally wide at the cheekbone as it is long from hairline to chin, but your jawline isn’t square, you probably have a round face. Just like square faces need softer, rounder frame shapes to soften them, square and rectangular-shaped frames help give round faces some definition. Consider glasses slightly wider than your round face, which will slim your look and add some balance. If your face is round, avoid round and rimless eyeglass frames. Keep away from small delicate-shaped glasses which can make your face look even rounder.

Round shaped face

How to Find the Best Glasses Shapes for Your Face

When you start to look for glasses and want to find the best shape for your face, start by measuring the lines of your face and identifying its shape. Once you’ve taken your measurements and determined your face shape, you will know how to find glasses that look good on you. Keep in mind that your face may be a combination of shapes or halfway between two shapes. If that’s the case, try glasses for each of the shapes and see which work best for your unique look. On 39dollarglasses.com, we make it easy to find the perfect shape and design for any face shape. Using our handy filter feature, choose between shapes like oval, round, square, cat-eye, aviator, or wayfarer. You can also add filters for gender, color, materials, and even to find wider or narrower styles. Use the virtual try-on feature to see your choices and make your final choice.

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