Glasses for your face shape: which frames suit you

Pair your frames with the rest

Glasses by face shape: the quick table

Use the shape the detector gives you, or the closest from your mirror. Each row names the frames to try, the ones to be careful with, and why the contrast works.

How to find your face shape first

Frames are chosen by contrast, so the shape matters. The detector above uses 68 landmarks on your face in your browser. It compares your face length with your cheekbone width, then your jaw and brow widths with your cheekbone width, and checks your jaw angle. Oblong is a length-to-width ratio of 1.53 or more. Square is a jaw at least 0.833 of the cheekbone width with an angle of 145° or less. Round is a length-to-width ratio of 1.38 or less with a wide jaw. Heart and diamond come from the brow and jaw ratios. Everything else is oval.

There is no triangle class in the detector. If your jaw is at least 6% wider than your brow line, which we call a triangle tendency, the result still shows the nearest of the six, with the ratios beside it. In our reference set of 1,196 faces, 9.9% showed this pattern: 16.4% of men and 2% of women. The advice for that row in the table applies to you whatever label you received.

How to check that glasses actually fit

A frame can suit your shape and still look wrong if the size is off. Four checks decide the fit:

• Frame width: the frame should be about as wide as your face at the cheekbones. If your cheeks bulge past the frame, it is too narrow; if the frame sticks out past your temples by a lot, it is too wide. Sunglasses are more forgiving.
• Bridge: the bridge should sit on your nose without sliding or pinching. Wide-set eyes suit a bridge with some width and a darker colour; close-set eyes suit a lighter, clear bridge. The eye spacing label in your analysis (wide-set, balanced or close-set) is a hint here.
• Brow line: the top of the frame should follow, not cover, your eyebrows. A top bar above the brow hides the arch; a frame that sits just under it frames the eye. The brow shape guide explains how to match the arch to the frame.
• Eye position: your pupils should sit near the middle of each lens, not at the edge.

Most frames print three numbers on the inside of the arm, such as 52-18-140. They are lens width, bridge width and arm length in millimetres. If you own a pair that fits well, use its numbers as your starting point when shopping online.

Round, square and oval faces

Round faces are about as long as they are wide with soft angles. Rectangular and angular frames add structure; thin, very small round frames can make the face look rounder. Choose frames that are wider than they are deep.

Square faces have a wide jaw with clear corners. Round, oval and rimless frames soften it; a thick, boxy frame repeats the angles. The detector reads square from the jaw angle, so a jaw angle of 145° or less with a wide jaw points here.

Oval faces are balanced, so nearly every style works. The main rule is to keep the frame in proportion: about the width of the face, and not so deep that it covers the cheeks. This is the shape for experiments: try a bold colour or an unusual shape.

Heart, oblong and diamond faces

Heart faces are widest at the forehead and narrow at the chin. Light frames, such as rimless, thin metal or aviators, keep the focus on the eyes; a heavy top bar adds to the width of the forehead. Round or bottom-heavy frames balance the chin.

Oblong faces are noticeably longer than wide. Deep frames that cover more of the face vertically, wide frames and decorative temples all shorten the look. Avoid small, narrow lenses that sit like a thin strip across a long face.

Diamond faces are widest across the cheekbones. Cat-eye frames, ovals and rimless styles echo or soften the cheek line. Avoid frames that are narrower than the cheekbones, since they emphasize them.

Triangle (pear) tendency and other special cases

When the jaw is wider than the brow line, add visual weight at the top. Browline frames, cat-eyes and frames with colour or detail on the upper rim all do this, and a light or rimless lower edge keeps the jaw from looking heavier.

Strong prescriptions change the look of the frame. Thick lenses are easier to hide in a smaller, rounder, thicker frame, while a large frame shows the edge of a strong lens. If your prescription is strong, start with the optician’s advice and use the shape table for the style.

None of this is a rule you have to follow. A face shape suggests which frames balance your features, but personal style, hair colour and skin tone matter more than geometry. Try several pairs in a mirror.

More from the same selfie