How to Choose The Right Sunglasses (Forget Face Shapes)

One of the most useful accessories you’ll ever own is a good pair of sunglasses.

They shield your eyes from the sun’s harmful rays and prevent you from squinting, which is an unsightly expression that can result in early wrinkling of your face.

Let me be clear: I’m all for some wise lines. But b y the time I turn 50, I don’t want to look a raisin.

Additionally, the perfect pair of sunglasses will make you look stylish, classy, and sharp, whilst the incorrect pair will make you look ridiculous or self-conscious.

As long as they’re the proper pair for you, sunglasses can make every face type look amazing.

I never wore sunglasses before, but after learning how to find frames that complemented my face, I began donning them practically daily.

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Table of Contents

Forget Face Shapes

Why then is it so difficult to find a good pair?

There are, in my opinion, two causes.

One factor is that there are simply so many options available. There are countless brands, varieties in styles, sizes, and shapes, many of which are only accessible online.

Second, a lot of the advice available is poor quality. It’s likely that you’ve come across a lot of the same confused advice concerning face shapes.

I remember reading an article that tries to tell me Ryan Gosling’s face is shaped like a triangle. Although I’m not an expert in geometry, I’m rather certain that his face is not a triangle.

It’s amazing how frequently blog posts and infographics recycle this tired advice regarding face shapes because it doesn’t seem to be particularly effective.

Finding someone with a face that is precisely triangle, heart, or diamond shaped is quite uncommon.

So forget face shapes.

Here is a simple practical guide that has nothing to do with shape for picking sunglasses.

So don’t worry, you won’t have to determine whether your face is an isosceles triangle or an upside-down trapezoid.

Instead, you only need to comprehend three straightforward ideas.

Your face’s size is a factor in the first two, while facial features are a factor in the third.

Face Width

Face width is the first. The most critical factor to take into account when picking sunglasses is your face’s width, which is measured from temple to temple across your face.

Sunglasses that are too wide for a person’s face are among the most frequent errors people make.

Humans find symmetry and proportion to be aesthetically beautiful when it comes to attractiveness and how we perceive other people.

Wearing sunglasses that make you appear as symmetrical and proportionate as possible will help you look attractive.

The opposite is true for frames that are either broader or much narrower than your face.

For instance, I need to wear narrow sunglasses because I have a narrow face. My already narrow face will appear much narrower with wide sunglasses on.

You may be interested in learning how to determine whether sunglasses are wide or narrow. Actually, it’s very easy.

On the actual frames of sunglasses, the majority of brands print the frame width, and they also list this information in their online stores. The lens width and bridge width may occasionally be displayed in place of the frame width, but you can still add them to determine the overall width or frame width of the glasses.

You should use a ruler or a tape measure to measure the width of your face before utilizing this table to determine the ideal frame width for you.

Face Length

The length of your face is the second most crucial consideration while selecting sunglasses. The distance between the top of your forehead and the bottom of your chin is called face length.

You have a short face if it is almost the same length as it is wide. You have a long face if your face is much longer than it is wide.

There is a straightforward solution to this problem for the mathematicians out there. You have a long face if the length of your face is 1.5 times or greater than the width of your face.

Let’s say your face measures five inches wide and eight inches from top to bottom to use real measurements. So the length is greater than one and a half times the width.

You can make an educated guess by looking in the mirror if this seems extremely complicated.

The key is to select sunglasses that match your proportions, just like with width. Short sunglasses don’t look good on long faces since they make the face look longer. You should select longer frames to balance out your face length.

Look at the lens height to determine whether the sunglasses are long or short. The tallest portion of the sunglasses is the lens. You can typically find the lens height on the product page whenever you shop for sunglasses.

Short sunglasses often feature lenses that are smaller than 36 millimeters in height. Taller frames will feature lenses that are higher than 44 millimeters, whereas average or medium glasses will fall between 36 and 44 millimeters.

There is one more measurement that you might want to take into account. Match the bridge width to the distance between your eyes if they are unusually close together or apart. Stick with a narrow bridge width if you have closed-set eyes. Consider a broader bridge width if your eyes are spaced widely apart.

Although it isn’t as significant as total width, this is still something to take into account.

Facial Features

Your facial features should be the third factor taken into consideration when choosing sunglasses.

Each person’s face is made up of numerous lines. Things like bone structure and body fat percentage affect these lines. These lines make a person’s face’s overall feel, which is why some people are described as having a round face or a chiseled jaw.

Consider this to be a spectrum. Curvy, round, soft lines are on one side of the spectrum. On the opposing side, we have strong, angular lines that are straight.

However, the majority of people lie somewhere in the middle of this spectrum, with a mixture of straight and curvy features. You don’t really need to worry about this section of the guide if that is the situation for you. Simply concentrate on locating sunglasses that are the proper size for your face.

But pay attention if you are clearly at one extreme of the spectrum because some glasses will look bad on you.

Balance

Balance is the key. You want to pick glasses that balance out your features rather than draw attention to them, much like with size. Therefore, if you have very round features, stay away from very round frames. Avoid highly angular frames if your features are angular in nature.

I do, for instance, have rather rounded features. I will therefore refrain from using extremely rounded frames and instead stick to those that have a few sharper angles.

The same is true for Jet Li. Round sunglasses don’t suit him nearly as well as rectangular sunglasses do.

CeeLo Green looks terrific in sunglasses with lots of sharp angles, whereas Elijah Wood looks better in square and circular frames. Daniel Radcliffe has a very remarkable ability to pull off the circular frame.