Eyewear fashion is on all of the runways, shop fronts, and magazines, making it impossible for any dedicated follower of fashion to ignore. But choosing a new pair of the right sunglasses can be a little daunting, as the wrong style can clash with our features more than any item of clothing ever could! There is no exact science with sunglasses, but there are a few guidelines that can point you in the right direction. In this guide, we’ll explain how you can figure out which face-shape category you fall under and which sunglasses styles are most likely to suit you.
The first step towards finding the right sunglasses for your features is to figure out which face-shape category you fall under. The general categories are as follows: round, oval, square, rectangle/oblong, heart- and diamond-shaped. Obviously, no one’s face is a perfect circle, square, heart, etc; these shapes are just used to refer to the dimensions of the chin, eyeline, and hairline.
Figuring Out the Shape of Your Face
You can work out your face shape by using a tape measure and recording your dimensions, but a better, more illustrative way is to draw around the outline of your face in a mirror. This method works best when you can stand in the same spot whilst someone else draws the face’s reflection with a crayon or anything oil-based that can be washed off (an old lipstick works a treat). Once you have the outline that probably looks like a strange potato (don’t panic, that’s normal!), you can figure out which category your face belongs to:
Round: If the shape in the mirror is roughly as tall as it is wide and the hairline and chin taper slightly, making the widest point in the middle of the shape.
Oval: If the shape in the mirror is taller than it is wide and the hairline and chin taper slightly, making the middle the widest part of the shape.
Square: If the shape in the mirror is as tall as it is wide and the hairline and chin are both the widest points.
Rectangle/Oblong: A rectangle-shaped face is just like the square shape described above, except it is taller than it is wide. An oblong-shaped face is like a much taller round face.
Heart- and Diamond-shape: Heart- and diamond-shaped faces are similar, as both have pointy chins and wide cheekbones. The difference is that a heart-shaped face also has a wide hairline, whereas a diamond-shaped face has a tapered hairline.
Sunglasses for Round Faces
First off, it’s important to mention that having a round face does not mean you’re carrying extra weight in your face; it just means your face is a particular shape. In fact, there are lots of very attractive celebs with round faces, such as Zach Efron, Leonardo Di Caprio, Charlize Theron, and Emma Stone! The main idea when choosing the right sunglasses for round faces is to introduce angles that help balance out your round features. This means that round sunglasses are a big no-no, and that square and rectangle frames are your friends. Geometric shapes are also a good call, as long as they add contrasting angles. Avoid hexagons and octagons with soft angles as they have a similar effect to round sunglasses.
Sunglasses for Oval Faces
If you have an oval face, you’ve pretty much won the face-shape lottery. This is because oval faces seem to suit every style of sunglasses! Do you have that one friend who suits every hat they wear? Well, you’re now that friend who suits every pair of sunglasses you wear! If you have an oval face, the only thing to watch when choosing sunglasses is the size. Smaller sunglasses are ideal for men with smaller faces. Larger sunglasses are ideal for men with larger faces.
Sunglasses for Square Faces
Congratulations, you have a square face! This is one of the rarer face shapes and its defined lines and angles usually make people with square faces distinctive and memorable. You’re in good company too, as Brad Pitt, Chris Pine, Angelina Jolie, and Olivia Wilde all have square faces. As with round faces, you should balance out your features with opposing shapes; for you, this means that round and curved sunglasses will suit you best, as they’ll soften your angles slightly.
Sunglasses for Rectangle/Oblong Faces
Even though rectangular faces and oblong faces are a little different, they’re both significantly taller than they are wide. This means that they both look best when paired with larger sunglasses, as this size widens your face a little, equalizing your features slightly. As rectangular faces are angular, it’s best to opt for larger round and curvy sunglasses, to soften your features. As oblong features are really just longer circular faces, you’ll need oversized angular frames to balance out your features.
Sunglasses for Heart- and Diamond-shaped Faces
Lastly, both heart- and diamond-shaped faces have pointy chins. And although this can be a really defining feature on your face, it’s usually good to draw people’s eyes up a little with top-heavy sunglasses such as Clubmasters, cat-eye sunglasses, and anything with a strong brow. For men, Ray-Ban’s Clubmaster style is a great call, as it has a vintage look to it, but will never go out of style.
That’s everything for this face-shape guide. We hope we’ve helped a few readers figure out what style of sunglasses suits their face best. It can be tricky shopping for sunglasses, so knowing which designs work for you can help narrow down the search. Happy shopping!
