Shady Lady, Find Your Shape

With sunny days ahead, it’s time to refresh those shades! I’ve linked my picks for sunglasses by face shape at the end of this post BUT I recommend finding your best shape first! (But I also say it’s 2021 & we wear what we want, so scroll on down if you want to jump right into shopping.)

My sister & I were both shopping for new shades a few weeks ago, and it came to our attention that not all face shapes love the same glasses shapes. TURNS OUT that more angular faces love round frames, and round faces love more angular frames. Basically, more angular frames give soft faces more structure, and round frames soften angular faces.

• Look at the proportion of forehead/brow, cheekbones, & jawline. What is your first impression about length, width, angles & roundness? Don’t overthink this, it’s 2021 & ultimately we wear what we want so go with your gut.
• ROUND: similar width & length of whole face, round jawline & chin // think Selena Gomez & Chrissy Teigen.
• SQUARE: similar width & length of whole face; forehead, cheekbones & jaw same width – jaw is angular instead of round // think Demi Lovato & Cameron Diaz.
• RECTANGLE: whole face is longer than it is wide, square jawline // think Liv Tyler & Meryl Streep.
• DIAMOND: narrow forehead & jaw, cheekbones wide & high // think JLo & Megan Fox.
• OVAL: whole face is longer than it is wide, round jawline & chin // think Jessica Alba & Rachel McAdams.
• HEART: wide forehead, wide cheekbones, narrow jaw // think Reese Witherspoon & Ruby Rose.

I have an oblong heart shaped face – my jaw is more narrow than my forehead, and my whole face is longer than it is wide. Rounded frames look best on me since my face has sharp angles, instead of the square styles I loved in my fuller-cheeked days. My sister, on the other hand, has a rounded rectangle face (yes we are hybrids) so more angular shapes are flattering on her.

How to find your glasses shape:

• ROUND & OVAL: structured – angular wayfarers, navigators, square
• SQUARE & RECTANGLE: soft – rounded wayfarers, cat-eye, aviators
• DIAMOND & HEART: balanced – look for round, cat-eye, butterfly

When choosing the size of your shades, face shape is just as important as face size. I have to be careful not to choose frames that are too oversized because they will be too heavy (visually) up top. My forehead & cheeks are already the widest part, so I want to balance rather than accentuate that.

Sizing Rules of Thumb:

• The size of glasses should follow the proportions of your face – distance between lenses mimics distance between eyes, frame width mimics face width & lens size corresponds to eye/cheekbone distance.
• The width of your glasses should not extend more than SLIGHTLY past the width of your face.
• The bottoms of lenses should not extend far past your cheekbones.

So grab a pair (or two) & BE SHADY, LADY! Let me know your face shape & favorite style in the comments!