How to find the perfect glasses for your face shape and skin tone

If you are updating annual glasses prescription or if you get a new pair of glasses, it’s a great chance to change your look. Glasses can highlight the best features of your face and show off your personality if you know what to look for. If this is usually a time-consuming and frustrating process for you, try following these tips to make it a little better.

Not sure where to start? With thousands of eyewear options available online and in-store, you’ll want to consider many factors to ensure your new pair complements you. Luckily for you, our guide tackles how to pick the perfect pair.

How to determine the shape of your face

Your face shape should be an important factor in determining the style of frames you buy. After all, choosing the right pair enhances your facial features. Now how do you determine the shape of your face? Yours cheekbones, forehead width and chin length design your face shape. The key features of different face shapes, celebrities who share them, and which frames to buy are no-brainers.

Round face

Round faces tend to be more symmetrical — proving that your face is relatively equal in length and width. Your jawline or chin may also have a rounded appearance. There will be no hard angles and cheekbones will not be in focus.

• Celebrities with round faces: Selena Gomez, Drew Barrymore, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Bosworth
• Frame forms to prevent: Small or round frames clash with rounded facial features. Instead of emphasizing your strengths, it makes your face look rounder by emphasizing the shape.

Oval face

Oval faces are longer than they are wide. You’ll notice other distinctive features like a rounded chin and jawline and a wider forehead. It naturally forms an oval with a longer face and round features.

• Celebrities with Oval Faces: Jessica Alba, Gigi Hadid, Adam Levine and Mila Kunis
• Frame forms to prevent: Larger glasses frames will destroy the symmetry of your face.

Heart shaped face

How does a face make a heart shape? Start with a prominent, wider forehead. Then, as your eyes move down, you’ll see fuller cheekbones that taper into a sharp, heart-shaped chin.

• Celebrities with heart-shaped faces: Reese Witherspoon, Nick Jonas, Scarlett Johansson and Naomi Campbell
• Frame forms to prevent: To make your face look more symmetrical, you need to draw attention away from your forehead. With this in mind, avoid any frames with embellishments on top.

Square face

The jawline is the focal point of a square face because it has sharper angles than other facial elements. Moving up from the jawline, you’ll see that it shares the same width as your cheekbones and forehead, creating a symmetrical, square look.

• Celebrities with Square Faces: Angelina Jolie, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sandra Bullock and Demi Moore
• Frame forms to prevent: Avoid glass frames (boxy or angular) that share similar angles to your face. The result will make your face appear larger than it actually is.

Diamond face

Your cheekbones will be the most prominent feature of a diamond-shaped face. Your forehead and jawline are smaller, allowing the cheeks to take center stage. Since they are somewhat similar in shape, one factor that differentiates heart-shaped and diamond faces is the width of your forehead. Heart-shaped faces have wider foreheads than diamond-shaped ones.

• Celebrities With Diamond Faces: Viola Davis, Tyra Banks and Liz Hurley
• Frame forms to prevent: Narrow frames will not be your best friend for the face. Instead of enhancing your best facial features, they emphasize your narrow facial features.

More details: The best glasses and contacts

Consider whether your face has sharp or soft angles

As part of your new look, the angles of your face are one of the more impressive aspects.

• Acute angles: Square and heart-shaped faces have sharper angles. When setting frames, consider contrasting shapes. For square-shaped faces, use curved frames to soften the sharper angles of your face and give it a slimmer look. For heart-shaped faces, round glasses draw the eyes away from the forehead to give the face a more symmetrical look.
• Soft angles: Round and oval faces have softer angles. Go with round faces, square or cat eye frames as this can make your face look smaller. For heart-shaped faces, you can achieve a similar effect with wider frames.

How to determine which colors suit your skin tone

Skin tone The type of frames you choose also plays an important role. Since you want to create continuity in your face shape, you should choose a frame that matches your skin tone. Here are some tips to help you achieve this look:

Warm skin tone

Bronze, yellow or golden skin tones evoke a feeling of warmth.

• Colors to Avoid: Blue, bright pink, black and white frames contrast with warmer skin tones.
• Best colors: Olive green, honey, beige and light tortoise are the best colors for your skin tone.

Cool skin tone

Blue and pink skin tones indicate cool skin.

• Colors to Avoid: Yellows, bright oranges, and dark browns don’t go well together because they don’t enhance facial features.
• Best colors: Black, silver, pink, purple or gray frames will be your face allies.

More details: A Pair of Eyeglasses

The best glasses frames for your face shape

Once you’ve determined your face shape, you’ll want to decide which frame will complement it best. Here are the best matches for each type:

Round face: Note the rectangular frames with bold angled lines. In turn, these can make your features appear sharper.

Oval face: Oval faces are more versatile. Wide frames with a strong bridge enhance your facial features.

Heart shaped face: For a more symmetrical look, find frames that balance a narrow chin with a larger forehead. Frames with heavy bottom lines that are slightly wider than your forehead will also help achieve this.

Square face: Round frames soften the angles of the face. Paired with a lens that is slightly wider than your cheekbones, you will create more symmetry in the face.

Diamond face: Cat eyes and oval glasses enhance your cheekbones.

Consider your lifestyle

Your glasses should also be practical for your daily activities. A pair for gaming, long work days in front of an eye-straining screen, or you might want to read to reduce eye strain. If you’re active, having flexible frames that won’t break when bent is the perfect fit.

Let your personality shine

Ultimately, your frames should reflect your personality and style. You might want a fun, flirty couple for weekends with friends. A more elegant yet cute pair for the office — it’s fun, and you mean business. You can keep in mind the considerations of this guide, there are no rules. If the frame and color make you happy and confident, that’s all that matters.