Everything you need to know about selecting optical frames. Whether you are a first time user of spectacles or an experienced buyer looking for suggestions – we have got you covered.
The oval face is considered the ideal shape because of its balanced proportions and frames should maintain natural balance of the oval face. Frames selected should be wider than the broadest part of the face, avoid low swooping temples which will unbalance the frame and make the face look smaller. The frame selected should be proportion to the face.
These shapes are narrow at the eye line and jawline with a relatively small forehead and chin with high cheek bones, making this shape the rarest of all facial shapes. Frames for these shapes should widen the forehead and jaw, minimize the temples and cheekbones and should be heavy on the top – avoid low temples. Frame sides should be straight or round. Rimless frames in square would be an option along with straight top and curved bottoms.
The round face is full with few angles and the width and length of the face are roughly in equal proportions, the frames suggested should make the face appear longer and thinner. Eyewear that creates engles or horizontal lines will make the face appear more angular, slight angular frames will narrow the round face, avoid excessively rounded or square styles which will exaggerate facial roundness, Higher or mid height temples will create a longer profile and a clear bridge widens the eyes along with coloured temples and larger size frames.
This shape is characterized by a strong jawline a broad forehead and a wide chin and cheekbones, frames suggested should make the face look longer. Gently curved and narrow styles will minimize squareness and lengthens the face, frames suggested should be more horizontal and vertical, select frames with weight on top, oval shapes with mid level to high temples, color or ornamental engravings on the frames temples will lengthen the face.
These faces has a narrow forehead that widens at the cheek and chin areas, frames should add width to the forehead while softening and narrowing the appearance of the jaw, chin and cheek, the suggested frames should accent the eye area and be wide enough to balance the jaw line, the top of the frames should be slightly heavy and bottom should angle inwards . Avoid low temples styles, use square, straight top aviators or metal frames with rimless bottoms.
This is characterized by a very wide forehead and high cheek bones which narrows gradually to the chin, the frame chosen should add width below the eye line to offset the narrow chin, a challenging face for eyeglasses, however the more appropriate frames are those that are wider at the bottom, suggestive shapes include aviator, butterfly, or low triangle styles, frames with rounded tops and square bottoms can be suggested along with very light colors, delicate metal and rimless styles are effective.
These faces are longer than its wide, the frame selected should be deeper than its wide to create an illusion that the face is shorter, the suggested frames should break up the length of the face to make the face appear shorter and wider, frames with decorative temples can add width to the face.
Measuring the length of the face
• The face is divided into three horizontal sections namely Hairline to Brow line, Brow line to tip of the nose and tip of the nose to the Chin.
Facial Proportion and Balance
• Perfectly balanced faces are rare
• Frames are used to balance facial inequities
• If the middle of the face is too long a larger size frame could be considered
Face Shapes
• Oval
• Diamond
• Round
• Square
• Base down triangle
• Base up Triangle
• Oblong face
To shorten a face: Use mid or low temples, deeper narrower frames on a low bridge frame.
To lengthen a face: Use mid or high temples, a high bridge, shallow and wide frames with little or no colour on the lower rim.
To shorten a nose: Choose a frame with a low or solid coloured bridge, avoid keyhole bridge, a high bridge or clear nose bridge.
To lengthen the nose: Choose a keyhole bridge, a high bridge or a clear bridge, avoid frames with a low or solid coloured bridge.
