What Is My Face Shape? How to Choose the Best Glasses & Sunglasses

Choosing the right pair of glasses or sunglasses is not just about the latest trends; it’s about enhancing your unique features to help you feel stylish and confident. One key factor in making the perfect choice is understanding your face shape. In this guide, we will take you through the process of measuring your face shape and discovering the ideal glasses and sunglasses that complement your facial contours, including which styles to avoid and how to find the most comfortable fit.

Woman in blue long-sleeve shirt holding yellow measuring tape across her face.

Photo from Pexels by SHVETS production

How To Measure Your Face Shape

Before delving into the diverse world of face shapes, let’s first understand how to measure your own face dimensions. Our guide provides a comprehensive breakdown, and we’ll focus on key measurements. We recommend measuring with a flexible tape measure, but to avoid wrapping around your face too much. Grab a mirror and piece of paper…it’s time to get drawing!

Face Length

Begin by measuring from the center of your hairline to the tip of your chin. This measurement helps determine if your face is longer or shorter.

Forehead Width

Measure the width of your forehead at its widest point, which is typically across your brow line.

Cheekbone Width

Find the distance between your cheekbones by measuring across the highest points of your cheekbone in upper part of your face.

Jawline Width

Measure the width of your jawline from one end to the other. Making small jaw-clenching movements can help you identify where your jaw muscles lie.

So Now, What Is My Face Shape?

Now that you’ve gathered your measurements, let’s identify your face shape and explore the frames that will enhance your natural beauty:

Person wearing glasses with facial measurement markers indicating where the glasses fit on the face.

Photo from Zenni

Oval Face Shape

Characteristics: Balanced proportions, slightly wider cheekbones, gentle narrowing at the forehead and jaw.
Ideal Frames: Most frame styles complement an oval face. Typically more angular frames such as rectangular and square complement the soft curves of your face shape.
Frames to avoid: Oversized frames can overwhelm your already-balanced features.

Woman wearing tortoiseshell glasses overlaid with facial lines and measurement points.

Heart Face Shape

Characteristics: Broad forehead, cheekbones tapering to a smaller jaw.
Ideal Frames: Heart-shaped faces are versatile. Round frames add symmetry and soften the angles, cat-eye frames accentuate your cheekbones, and rimless frames offer a minimalist look that lets your natural features shine.
Frames to avoid: Heavy, embellished top rims or bold browline styles add extra width to an already wide forehead.

Woman wearing light pink glasses with a face overlay highlighting key fit points.

Round Face Shape

Characteristics: Cheekbones and face length are similar, a rounded chin.
Ideal Frames: Angular frames such as rectangular or square help balance the round curves of your face shape. Large, bold styles can make faces appear smaller.
Frames to avoid: Small or rounded frames emphasize the roundness of your face rather than balance it.

Man wearing rectangular eyeglasses with black frames, smiling.

Square Face Shape

Characteristics: Forehead, cheekbones, and jawline have similar width, a strong jaw.
Ideal Frames: Round or oval frames can soften the angles, while cat-eye styles add a touch of flair.
Frames to avoid: Boxy square or rectangular frames only emphasize a strong jawline.

Man wearing brown glasses with face width measurement guides displayed horizontally and vertically.

Diamond Face Shape

Characteristics: A diamond face shape features a narrow forehead, high cheekbones, and a small, defined chin, giving it an angular, elongated outline.
Ideal Frames: Rimless glasses offer a minimalistic look, oval frames balance high cheekbones and a narrow forehead, and cat-eye frames add a retro-inspired twist while drawing attention upward. Geometric frames like rectangles or squares create a nice contrast to your angular features.
Frames to avoid: Very narrow or small frames get lost against wide cheekbones instead of balancing them

Beige eyeglasses on a smiling person with long dark hair and a round face.

Pear Face Shape

Characteristics: Broader jawline and chin, narrower forehead, less prominent cheekbones.
Ideal Frames: Frames with detailing or distinctive brow lines can add emphasis to the upper face, bringing overall balance.
Frames to avoid: Bottom-heavy or very small frames don’t add enough visual weight to the upper face to create balance.

Glasses for Your Face Shape. Find the most flattering frames with our face shape glasses guide. Heart Face Shape. Square and aviator glasses bring softness and balance to angular heart faces. Frames for heart faces. Oval Face Shape. Proportionally balanced oval faces will look good in almost any frame style `

Cat-Eye Frames for Every Face Shape

Cat-eye frames are one of the most versatile trends in eyewear, but the right cat-eye style depends on your face shape:

Oval: Almost any cat-eye style works, opt for frames slightly wider than the widest part of your face.
Square: Choose a winged style with rounded edges, and avoid square or rectangular shapes.
Round: Go for oversized, angular, or thicker frames that curve upward.
Heart: Look for cat-eye frames wider than your forehead, in light colors or tortoiseshell.
Diamond: An angular style with pronounced wings balances your jawline.

Choosing Sunglasses for Your Face Shape

Sunglasses protect your eyes from UV rays as well as make a style statement, and the same shape-balancing principles above apply here too, plus a few extra factors matter for fit and comfort.

Oval: Aviators are a timeless match, or go bold with oversized or cat-eye frames. Round and rectangular styles work well too.
Heart: Bottom-heavy frames or styles slightly wider than your forehead keep the same balance as your glasses.
Round: Angular styles like square or rectangular shapes add definition.
Square: Rounded or oval shapes soften a strong jawline and forehead.
Diamond: Cat-eye or oval frames highlight your cheekbones and soften angles.
Proportion: Match frame size to your overall face size so it doesn’t overwhelm or get lost.
Comfort: Look for adjustable nose pads and lightweight materials like acetate or TR-90 for a secure fit.
UV protection: Choose sunglasses with 100% UVA and UVB protection.

Beyond Face Shape: Color, Lifestyle & Fit

A few other factors help you land on the perfect pair: choose colors that complement your skin tone and hair color, make sure frame width aligns with your face at the temples, and pick a material (lightweight metal, durable plastic, or flexible TR-90) that suits your lifestyle.

Find the Perfect Pair with Zenni

Zenni Optical goes the extra mile to assist customers in finding the perfect frames by providing a dedicated page specifically tailored for shopping for different face shapes. Offering glasses that are suitable for every face shape, Zenni furthers its mission to provide affordable and accessible eyewear to all. Not sure which style suits you best? Zenni’s virtual try-on tool lets you see how different frames look on your face before you buy. This resource makes shopping easy and ensures that customers can confidently choose eyewear that complements their unique facial features and enhances their overall look. Shop Glasses & Sunglasses for Your Face Shape.

FAQs

How do I know what my face shape is?

Measure your face length, forehead width, cheekbone width, and jawline width with a flexible tape measure to see if your face is oval, heart, round, square, diamond, or pear-shaped.

What glasses frames should I avoid for my face shape?

It depends on your shape. Oval faces should avoid oversized frames, heart faces should avoid heavy top rims, round faces should avoid small frames, square faces should avoid boxy rectangles, diamond faces should avoid narrow frames, and pear faces should avoid bottom-heavy frames.

Do the same face shape rules apply to sunglasses?

Yes, the same shape-balancing principles apply, though fit, comfort, and UV protection matter just as much as style.

What face shape is best for cat-eye glasses?

Oval faces can wear almost any cat-eye style, while square, round, heart, and diamond faces should look for specific details like winged edges, oversized angles, wider frames, or pronounced wings.

Are there glasses frames designed for men’s face shapes?

Yes, Zenni offers a range of styles and sizes to suit every face shape, including options designed with a men’s fit in mind.

Can I try on frames virtually before I buy?

Yes, Zenni’s virtual try-on tool lets you see how different frames look on your face before you buy.

Catherine Ong

Dr. Catherine Ong, OD, is an optometrist based in the Bay Area, California. She earned her doctorate from UC Berkeley, School of Optometry and currently provides primary and speciality eyecare in a private practice setting. She has a passion for patient education and enjoys reshaping technical concepts into digestable topics for all patients. When she is not seeing patients, you can find her exploring new restaurants, exercising, or trying out new recipes.