Here’s how to choose the best sunglasses for your face shape (and our top picks for every face shape)
27th Jan 2023
Finding your style can be tricky. We want to hit that balance between on-trend and comfortable and wallet-friendly and—above all—we want to look good.
This becomes even more obvious when it comes to picking out a pair of sunglasses. Does a style suit you—or does it do weird things to your face shape? Does it flatter and lift your features—or does it drag them down?
Personal taste plays a major role in our sunglasses choice, but one of the biggest favors you can do for your style this summer season is simple: figure out your face shape.
Here, we’re unpacking that for you. We’ll show you how to shop shades for your face shape in several easy steps. We’ve also lined up some of the best styles for every face shape.
Let’s go.
What’s My Face Shape?
Figuring out your face shape isn’t all about hunting down a killer pair of sunglasses. It’s also handy for haircuts, figuring out which features you want to accentuate, and levelling up your makeup game.
Yours is likely to fall into one—or even two—of these face shape categories:
Round
Square
Rectangle
Heart-shaped
Oval
Here are a few simple steps to working out your face shape:
- Pull your hair away from your face and trace the outline of your face onto the mirror using a little soap.
- Find the widest part of your face—you can use a flexi tape measure or do it by sight.
- Determine your jawline. Is it short or rounded? Is it tapered and narrow? Is it strong and angular?
- Examine the length and width of your face. Is it wider than it is long—or longer than it is wide? Is it about equal in width and length?
Choosing The Best Sunglasses For My Face Shape
Choosing flattering sunglasses for any face shape is actually pretty simple: choose a sunglass style that contrasts your face shape.
Got a square face? Opt for a softer, rounder style of shades. Got a long face? Look for wider, shorter frames to complement your natural bone structure and draw the eye across. Here are some more tips to help you nail your summer sunglasses selection.
The best sunglasses for round faces
Round faces tend to be wider in the forehead and cheeks, with a gentle chin. Too add a little contouring and elongate the face, opt for square and rectangular sunglasses.
Asymmetrical shades provide plenty of flattering contrast to draw out your facial features, too. Think geometrics and cateye frames to provide lift and sharpness to your soft facial lines.
Our top picks for round faces
https://www.theopticshop.co.uk/saint-laurent-sunglasses-sl276-mica-009-53/
These upswept cateye frames are universally flattering, and provide enough lift and contouring to really make your elegant features pop. Play up your delicate rounded face with this sleek silhouette.
https://www.theopticshop.co.uk/ray-ban-sunglasses-wayfarer-black-rb2140-901-58-polarised-54/
This classic black Wayfarer style has the angles to contrast a round face, with the timeless and casual elegance to keep you looking cool in any setting.
The best sunglasses for square faces
If your forehead, cheeks, and jaw are all approximately the same width—and you’ve been blessed with a sleek and angular jawline—congratulations: you’ve got a square face shape.
Rounder, curvier sunglasses are the name of the game for square faces. Think aviators, oversized oval frames, and a retro-inspired round style to provide some relief to soften your sharp lines.
Our top picks for square faces
https://www.theopticshop.co.uk/tom-ford-terra-sunglasses-tf848-01b-63/
These Audrey Hepburn-inspired shades are perfect for lending elegance and softness to an angular face shape. Whether you opt for oversized celebrity style or a more muted tortoiseshell number, you can’t go past this oval frame.
Channel your inner 60’s icon with a pair of tea shades that would make John Lennon proud. The quirky round style softens sharp features, meaning yours is one of the few face shapes that can really pull this look off.
The best sunglasses for rectangular faces
If you’ve got a lot of angular lines to your face, it’s easy to clock it up to a square face shape—but there’s a difference for our rectangle-shaped friends. Long, straight lines—and a face that carries more length than width—are dead giveaways that you are a rectangle.
A longer forehead, high cheekbones, and a longer chin are also signature facial features of a rectangular face, which means we’re opting in for a strong brow line to draw the eye across the face.
We’re thinking browline shades and a strong bridge feature to provide horizontal contrast and give the face a little more width.
Our top picks for rectangular faces
https://www.theopticshop.co.uk/ray-ban-sunglasses-rb4342-710-83-polarised-59/
These Ray Bans draw the eye horizontally, thanks to the ultra-chic tortoiseshell browline. This is the kind of style favored by style icons who want to widen their face and draw attention up—just be sure that the strong browline extends past the sides of your face for the most flattering statement.
https://www.theopticshop.co.uk/carrera-sunglasses-1035-gs-ddb-1v-58/
Another style that draws the eye horizontally, the gradient lens and bridge detail also keep the eyes focused high on the face for an ultra-flattering rectangular style.
The best sunglasses for heart-shaped faces
Heart-shaped faces are instantly recognizable with their wide forehead and cheeks and tapered, pointed chin. The trick to flattering the sweetheart face shape is to create balance between the jawline and brow.
Our top picks for heart-shaped faces
https://www.theopticshop.co.uk/dolce-gabbana-sunglasses-dg4394-324413-50/
Dolce ; Gabbana deliver the ultimate in flattery for the heart-shaped face with this round style and elegant leopard-print detail.
https://www.theopticshop.co.uk/chopard-sunglasses-schd54-8ffz-polarised-61/
The metallic gold bridge and outer detail of these aviator frames draw the eye across, while the aviator style draws attention down heart-shaped faces and tapers away to elongate.
The best sunglasses for oval faces
Oval faces are pretty evenly balanced. Your forehead and chin will be narrower than your cheeks—but not by a lot—and your jawline will taper off to a defined, but not pointed, chin. You might have a longer forehead—and you definitely have a wealth of choices when it comes to sunglass styles.
Square and rectangle shapes will bring out your contours and angles, while round and oval styles will soften.
Our top picks for oval faces
https://www.theopticshop.co.uk/tiffany-co-sunglasses-tf3076-83253b-57/
This bold and elegant Tiffany ; Co. style delivers the classic lift and draw of cateye sunglasses to flatter every oval face.
https://www.theopticshop.co.uk/gucci-sunglasses-gg1048s-004-52/
A little quirky and a lot flattering—this Gucci style draws attention to your facial contours and cheekbones, while adding just enough lift and width to your face.