Your Complete Guide to Choosing Sunglasses That Suit Your Face Shape

Finding the ideal pair of sunglasses for you can be a tad challenging. However, the moment you find the perfect pair, they can change your appearance from plain or boring to bold, fashion-forward and exciting. 

Using your face shape as a reference point can help you choose sunglasses in styles that suit you. When you find a pair that complements your features perfectly, it means you can wear the right sunglasses for your face shape. But first, you need to be aware of your facial structure to determine the shape of your face. 

If you’re unsure where to start, we’ve got everything covered in this post. Here, we’ll show you how to identify your face shape and find what style of sunglasses suit your face. 

What Sunglasses Suit Your Face Shape?

What sunglasses suit my face? What sort of sunglasses suit my face? What style of sunglasses suit my face? 

The above are all variations of the same question we encounter almost every day when customers ask about which sunglasses are suited for certain face shapes. 

Before you start shopping for sunglasses, you first need to check what your actual face shape is. To find out, you can ask a friend, check yourself in the mirror, or take a selfie. 

However, there’s a methodical way to determine your face shape; that is, by taking measurements and using these as a basis to ascertain whether you have a round, oval, square, diamond, heart, rectangular or triangular face. 

You’ll need a tape measure, pen and paper (for recording) to get measurements of your face. If you’re ready, follow these steps: 

• Start by measuring your face from the end of one cheekbone to the other.
• Next, measure the section from your forehead to your chin.
• You also need to check your forehead size, specifically the width as this has a significant impact on the types of sunglasses you can wear that’ll complement your face shape.
• Check whether your jawline is sharp or rounded by taking a good look at it in the mirror. 

Now that you’re done taking measurements, it’s time to evaluate your features and decide what your face shape is. 

So, what’s your face shape?

Knowing your face shape is useful when choosing the best sunglasses to complement or enhance your features. 

Check out the following face shapes and make sure to refer to the measurements you took to help you identify the shape that best represents your face. 

• DIAMOND: This face is very similar to the heart-shaped face, save for the high cheekbones and narrower or smaller forehead.
• HEART: A beautifully pointed chin is this facial shape’s defining characteristic, with the hairline having the widest area of this face.
• OVAL: Oval-faced people have well-balanced, proportional features. Their jawlines and chins are rounded, and their faces tend to be longer than wide. On an oval face, it’s usually the forehead that has the most width.
• ROUND: On round faces, you’ll find the top end of the hairline to be shorter and wider. Round-faced people usually have softer features, with the widest section being the cheekbone area. Meanwhile, the width of their forehead and jawline are nearly identical.
• SQUARE: A strong jawline and a broad hairline are hallmarks of someone with a square facial shape. The square face is longer than wide, with the forehead, jawline, and cheeks sharing more or less the same width.
• TRIANGLE: If you have a prominent jaw that’s also wider than your forehead, you probably have a triangle-shaped face. This face type is typically characterised by wide cheekbones and a pointed chin.

If you’re unsure about your face shape still, enlisting the help of a friend or family member could help. Once done, you can move on to finding the ideal sunglasses for you. 

How to Pick Sunglasses for Your Face Shape

The easiest and most reliable way to pick sunglasses for your face shape is by trying the ones you fancy on, one by one. 

If you’re purchasing sunglasses at a brick-and-mortar store, you can easily choose the perfect sunglass style for face shape, as there’s no need to visualize or imagine how each pair you like would look on you. Simply put on the pair you want to try on and look at yourself from all angles in the mirror. 

Also, you can ask a friend to take a look at you, and tell you whether the ones you’re wearing are the perfect sunglasses for your face shape. You can also ask the sales associate for their opinion. 

However, things are a bit trickier when you’re deciding on whether the ideal sunglass frames for your face shape are the ones you’re seeing on your computer or mobile device. 

This means that if you’re shopping online for sunglasses for different face shapes – whether as gifts for yourself or others – you need to be absolutely certain about the shape of the prospective wearer’s face. This way, it’ll be easier to choose from among the various types of sunglasses for specific face shapes. 

Best Sunglasses for Each Face Shape

Finally, it’s time to check out the different styles of sunglasses and which face shapes they can enhance or complement. Here’s a list of the best sunglasses for different face shapes: 

Best Sunglasses for Heart-Shaped Faces

Sunglasses for heart-shaped faces come in a range of styles. If you recall, heart-shaped people have a narrow jawline. Sunglass frames with a top that’s wider than the bottom are ideal for heart-shaped faces. For men with this face shape, the best styles to try include sunglasses in the browline or clubmaster, sport and retro square styles. Women, on the other hand, can try wearing sunglasses with cat-eye, browline or retro square frames. 

Best Sunglasses for Oval-Shaped Faces

Since an oval face is well-proportioned, it’s also the easiest to style with sunglasses. If you have this face shape, you’ll find both round and square frames to be flattering. However, remember to not go overboard by going too big or small. Men and women with oval-shaped faces can wear aviator and retro square sunglasses with confidence. Males can also try sporting round sunglasses. Meanwhile, another style from among the best sunglass shapes for oval-faced females are oversized shades. 

Best Sunglasses for Diamond-Shaped Faces

For people with diamond-shaped faces, angular and somewhat-oversized sunglasses work, as the narrowness of this face shape benefits from frames that add width. The ideal sunglasses for diamond-shaped faces also includes eyewear that broadens the forehead and highlights the eyes, as this will help distract the eyes from the elongated jawline. The best styles for diamond-shaped faces include aviators, oval, browline or clubmaster, rectangular and cat-eye frames. 

Also, dark colours help provide structure to the upper half of the face. 

Best Sunglasses for Round-Shaped Faces

Since this face shape tends to be widest along the cheekbones, while being narrow at the jawline and forehead, the right sunglasses shape for round faces (regardless of sex) are square sunglasses. For men with round faces, specifically, other options include aviator and retro square-style eyewear. For women, cat-eye and oversized shades do the trick. 

Best Sunglasses for Square-Shaped Faces

For square-faced people with a prominent jaw, wide forehead and cheekbones, the best shades are those in styles that work to soften angular features. 

This means that the best sunglass shapes for square faces include those with aviator, browline and round frames. These styles work for both men and women. As much as possible, choose shades with rimless edges and soft lines for the best effect. 

Best Sunglasses for Rectangle-Shaped Faces

People with oblong or rectangular face types are fortunate in that a wide range of frame styles suit them. Taller rims, rectangular lenses, and ornate temples are all desirable options as these features can help add width to the face. The best sunglass shapes for oblong faces include aviators, wayfarers, cat-eye, rectangular, or square. People with rectangular faces should avoid wearing shades with small frames. 

Best Sunglasses for Long Faces

A long face shape has been coveted throughout history because of its regal and statuesque air, accentuated by prominent cheekbones, and a strong jawline and forehead. A long face is one that is narrow from the top of the forehead down to the chin and has rounded corners, so your face is longer than it is wide.

The best sunglass shape for long faces will shorten and soften the face visually to balance the length. Shades with wide frames, such as big round sunglasses, give the appearance of having a shorter and wider face. Other choices include wrap-around frames, and ones with contrasting colours or embellishments at the temples, as these features all work to add width to a long face. 

Avoid thin, slender frames that emphasise length. 

Best Sunglasses for Small Faces

Finding a pair of sunglasses that fits properly and looks attractive can be challenging for people with smaller faces. Several styles that flatter other face shapes can mask small features. Some sunglasses won’t even stay in place to keep your face covered as they’ll be dropping down your nose.

However, all is not lost. 

The best sunglass shapes for small faces include rectangular, oval, or classic cat-eye. Sunglasses that are square or round can also be used; that is, if the lens size is not too large. Great, unobtrusive alternatives include rimless and semi-rimless frames. 

Make sure to avoid shades with tall lenses, thick and oversized frames as well as aviators as these can overwhelm your face so it ends up looking smaller than it already is. Shades with thicker frames can cover up too much of your face as well.