There are no “rules” about face shape and sunglasses. No one's face at 50 is really a square, heart or round shape; in fact, our faces become more asymmetrical with age. Hairlines recede, ears and noses continue to grow, lips sometimes flatten or thin and jawlines can look droopy. The right sunglasses shape should give your face back some definition, lift your features and create a more balanced look while diverting attention away from whatever you'd like to ignore. In general, opposites attract. Sunglasses with angular lines such as squares and rectangles flatter round/full/plump faces, while rounded frames or lenses (even rounded squares) flatter very angular, sharp faces with strong features, chiseled jaws and cheekbones.
View Details See All Benefits(Clockwise from top left) J. Crew Pacific Cat-Eye Sunglasses in Caramel Tort; Foster Grant TP 05; Laundry by Design Women’s Rectangular Sunglasses with 100% UV Protection; Jessica Simpson Women’s Metal Aviator Sunglasses with 100% UV protection; J. Crew Dock Sunglasses for Men; Women’s DIFF Eyewear Ruby Tortoise Polarized Sunglasses
J.Crew (2); Walmart (2); Kohl's; Foster Grant
Forget about trendy sunglasses with narrow tiny frames, extreme-looking flat-tops, odd geometric shapes and cute hearts and unusual colors. Basic contemporary frames in black and tortoiseshell plastic or silver or gold metal never fail us — they always look cool, not crazy and provide us with all the shading benefits. They include modern cat-eyes like the J. Crew Pacific Cat-Eye Sunglasses in Caramel Tort ($70, jcrew.com) and Women's DIFF Eyewear Ruby Tortoise Polarized Sunglasses ($85, kohls.com), aviators like the Foster Grant TP 05 ($31, fostergrant.com) or Jessica Simpson Women's Metal Aviator Sunglasses with 100% UV protection ($45, walmart.com) and angular frames like Laundry by Design Women's Rectangular Sunglasses with 100% UV Protection ($43, walmart.com) and J. Crew Dock Sunglasses for Men ($65, jcrew.com).
Caterpillar Ridge Sunglasses for Men (top left); Foster Grant Juliet for Women (bottom right)
FramesDirect.com; Foster Grant
Sunglass size and face size should be in sync. Many women now like the chic look of oversized frames but make the mistake of choosing sunglasses that are too wide or just plain gigantic. Frames — even larger ones — should never extend past the outer borders of your face. Oversize sunglasses are great but keep them in proportion. The only sunglasses that should extend at the sides are wraparound styles, which have a jet-set sporty look. Some women and men with very sensitive eyes like the way they widen peripheral vision, block wind and add extra protection to the outer eye area but choose an updated style now, like the Foster Grant Juliet for Women ($31, fostergrant.com) or Caterpillar Ridge Sunglasses Men ($45, framesdirect.com). In general, the wider/fuller/plumper the face, the bolder and bigger the glasses can be. These will usually be plastic frames for the drama.
(Clockwise from top left) Michael Kors MK2080U in Dark Tort/Smoke Gradient; Circus by Sam Edelman Women’s CC447 Cat-Eye Sunglasses; Le Specs “Crazy in Love” Cat Eye Sunglasses in Tortoise; Polo PH4110 in Striped Havana/Light Blue Lens; J.Crew Portico Sunglasses in Brown Tort
FramesDirect.com (2); Walmart (2); J.Crew
Grownup women and men know the value of illusion. We choose neutral clothes with spandex to look slimmer and wear tops untucked to blur a belly bulge. We choose hairstyles that make our locks look fuller, cut bangs to camouflage forehead creases, grow beards to hide a looser jawline. Choose sunglasses that work the same way. Frames for women with a subtle uplifting cat-eye shape, like Circus by Sam Edelman Women's CC447 Cat-Eye Sunglasses ($40, walmart.com) and Le Specs “Crazy in Love” Cat Eye Sunglasses in Tortoise ($39, walmart.com), redirect attention up and out to counteract the downward droop of wrinkles, lines, eyes and brows. One thing to note: No retro shapes or points are necessary or wanted anymore. Rounded frames like the Michael Kors MK2080U in Dark Tort/Smoke Gradient ($99, framesdirect.com) for women and the Polo PH4110 ($126, framesdirect.com) or J. Crew Portico Sunglasses for men ($65, jcrew.com) soften the effect of deeply ingrained expression lines and give faces a happier, less fatigued look.
(Left to right) Spike Lee, Queen Latifah and Anna Wintour
Amanda Edwards/Getty Images; Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images; George Pimentel/Getty Images
You know your comfort zone by now so stick with it. Every basic sunglass from square to round and cat-eye is of course available in frames from thick to thin, bold to barely there. Want a rule of thumb? In general, bolder sunglasses with thicker frames work well on larger faces or those with strong/large/defined features, anyone with a big personality or a personal sense of style. Think: Spike Lee and Robert Downey Jr., Anna Wintour and Oprah Winfrey and you get the idea. Thinner frames with plastic or wire rims and rimless styles work well on smaller faces or those with small/delicate/thin features and for anyone who prefers their glasses to blend in and not stand out. Think Jennifer Aniston or Tilda Swinton or Queen Latifah in their aviators. Of course, you can have it both ways: simple thin sunglasses with bolder tinted or mirrored lenses, or a bold frame in muted pale or transparent colors. It's a win-win.
If you aren’t sure what kind of face shape you have, it’s alright. We’ve got some helpful tools for figuring out what shape your face is so you can choose the best frame shape.
There are five basic face shapes: square, heart, oval, round, and diamond. There are a few ways to learn what kind of face shape you have. You can ask a family member or friend their opinion on your face shape or look in the mirror and take a look for yourself. You can also use a dry erase marker or a little bit of soap to trace your face in the mirror. Whatever the resulting shape most closely resembles is likely your face shape.
It’s important to remember that no two faces are exactly the same shape. While most faces fall into these basic five categories, there are some that are more pear-shaped and others that are triangle-shaped. More than 130 different aspects of DNA and genetics come together to influence face shape, so don’t be discouraged if it takes a few try-on sessions to find frames you feel confident in!