Why do you think the attractive glasses that you see on the display don’t suit you when you try them on? That’s because those attractive frames are the wrong style for your face shape.
It’s true that every frame style plays a significant role in whether it will look good on you or not.
WHAT IS THE SHAPE OF MY FACE?
First, you need to determine your face shape. For that take a closer look at yourself in the mirror and check the overall shape and contours of your face and head.
There are seven primary face shapes and the type of eyeglass frames that look best on each shape:
ROUND FACE SHAPE
A round face shape has curved lines with the width and length in the same proportion and no angles. To make a round face appear thinner and longer, try angular narrow eyeglass frames to lengthen the face. Frames with a clear bridge and rectangular frames that are wider than they are deep also can be good choices.
SQUARE FACE SHAPE
A square face shape has a strong jaw and a broad forehead, and the width and length of the face have roughly the same proportions. To make a square face look longer and soften its angles, try narrow frame styles, frames that have more width than depth, and narrow ovals.
OVAL FACE SHAPE
An oval face shape is considered to be ideal because of its balanced proportions. To maintain the natural balance of an oval face shape, look for eyeglass frames that are as wide as (or wider than ) the broadest part of the face. Walnut-shaped frames that are not too deep or narrow are a very good choice.
HEART- SHAPED FACE
A heart-shaped face has a wide top third and a narrow bottom third. (Sometimes this is called a base-up triangle face shape.) To reduce the apparent width of the top of the face, choose frame shapes that are wider at the bottom. Thin, light-colored frames and rimless frames that have a light, airy appearances also are good choices.
OBLONG FACE SHAPE
An oblong face shape is longer than it is wide and has a long, straight cheek line. To make an oblong face appear shorter and more balanced, try frames that have more depth than width. Frames with decorative or contrasting temples also add width to the face.
DIAMOND FACE SHAPE
Diamond-shaped faces are narrow at the forehead and jawline and have broad cheekbones that may be high and dramatic. This is the rarest face shape. To highlight the eyes and soften the cheekbones, try frames that have detailing or distinctive brow lines. Rimless eyeglasses and frames with oval or cat-eye shapes also can be good choices.
BASE-DOWN TRIANGLE
A base-down triangular face shape has a narrow forehead and widens at the cheek and chin areas. To add width and emphasize the narrow upper third of the face, try frames that are heavily accented with color and detailing on the top half(brow)of the frame. Frames with cat-eye shapes also can be good choices.
SKIN TONES, EYE COLOR, AND HAIR COLOR
When choosing eyeglasses, face shape isn’t the only factor that determines which frames will look best on you-your skin tone, eye color and hair color also play an important role.
The best eyeglasses will complement the coloration of your face, eyes, and hair.
SKIN TONES
Regardless of the color of your skin, skin tones are categorized as either “cool” or “warm”.
A cool complexion has blue or pink undertones, and a warm complexion has a “peaches and cream” or yellow cast. Olive skin is considered cool because it is a mixture of blue and yellow.
EYE COLOR
Eye colors usually are a secondary element in determining your coloring because of the many variations of eye color. For example, a blue eye can range from a cool almost-violet to a pale blue-gray, which is warm. Brown eyes can vary from a light cider shade (warm) through a medium-brown to a cool almost-black.
HAIR COLOR
Hair colors also are considered warm or cool. Strawberry blond, platinum, blue-black, white, auburn, salt and pepper and ash brown are cool. Warm hair colors include golden blond, brownish black, brown-gold and “dirty gray.”
EYE FRAME COLORS
Once you have determined if you are “warm “or “cool”, then you can find the eyeglass frame colors that will suit you the best. Some examples of frame colors best for warm coloring are camel, khaki, gold, copper, peach, orange, coral, off-white, fire-engine red, warm blur and blond tortoise.
For cool coloring, the best eyeglass frame hues are black, silver, rose-brown, blue-gray, plum, magenta, pink, jade, blue and demi-amber (darker) tortoise.