Optically unsure?
Choosing new glasses is a BIG deal.
They become part of your identity.
To help, we've made you this detailed guide on how to choose glasses that suit you.
Using the links below, skip-ahead to any section.
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Find your face shape
How to choose glasses
Glasses for hair colour
Glasses for skin tone
Glasses for eye colour
Find your face shape
There’re several factors to consider when choosing your new glasses.
Most crucially, your frame will be largely determined by your face shape. This can be tricky to categorise, so here's three easy methods you can use.
Phone method
Trace over a photograph/selfie using your phone. Use a photo editing pen-tool to pick out the basic geometry of your face. Don’t worry if your trace is wobbly, the basic shape will be perfect.
Photograph method
To save ink, print a black and white photo of yourself. Trace around your face and hairline using a coloured pen to reveal your face shape.
Mirror method
Grab a wipeable whiteboard markers. Get yourself in front of a mirror and trace your face shape onto the mirror’s surface. Just make sure, you can wipe it off afterwards.
How to choose glasses
Now you know your face shape, this'll help you choose the right style of glasses.
A reliable technique is to contrast the shape of your face with your glasses.
So if you have a round face, stick to boxy frames. Inversely, if you have a long face shape, round glasses will juxtapose your features.
But what if your face is kind of oval but also square?
Totally normal.
Skim through the face shapes below to learn how to choose glasses for your face.
Glasses for a round face
What glasses suit a round face?
Rectangular spectacles make your face seem narrower and less round. Large boxy frames help to make your face look smaller. Dominant colours like black will strongly contrast your face for impactful definition.
Spectacles with sharp corners will contrast your cheeks to create balance. This is why angular spectacles with straight lines juxtapose your face for good definition.
Best eyeglasses for a round face
Best glasses for a square face
What glasses suit square faces?
Square face shapes are easily balanced with round glasses.
A circular frame shape will balance your angular jawline and cheekbones to create aesthetic balance. Your frame doesn't have to be completely circular, but rounded corners in the lower half will work nicely.
If round frames are too “out-there" for you, try glasses with a flat browline and rounded lower section. This gives you the best of both, giving great visual balance.
Glasses for triangle face shape
What glasses suit a triangular face?
Triangular faces suit a wide array of frame shapes. Depending on your style, you can choose from a number of glasses shapes; but we suggest you avoid boxy frames.
Instead, consider wearing rounded spectacle frames. They'll balance your tapering face shape from your forehead down towards your narrow chin.
Oval face shape glasses
What glasses suit an oval face?
This common face shape works particularly well with boxy glasses frames.
Angular frame styles will contrast your softer facial features nicely. For that traditional sort of look, big boxier glasses will suit a professional environment, day to day.
If a large boxy glasses frames are too bold, you might want something less stark. Perhaps a slimmer, more rectangular glasses frame might be the one for you. This is a more discreet choice for glasses for an oval face.
Glasses for a heart shaped face
What glasses suit long face shapes?
Your forehead and upper brow are rounded and soft, giving your face shape that heart-shaped appearance. We recommend you stick to large rectangular frame shapes. A bigger spectacle frame will juxtapose your narrow chin to create balance and contrast.
If you fancy something a little more adventurous, you can opt for a frame with a straighter brow-line but rounded lower half. This works well as it gives you the best of both frame features.
Glasses for hair colour
Your hair colour can also determine your choice of glasses.
Like your skin tone, your hair colour can have warm or cool tones.
It's a good idea to understand this as you can use the colour of your glasses to accentuate or contrast your hair colour.
Is your hair colour warm or cool?
In the images below, we've illustrated common hair colours and the sorts of glasses frames that you should consider.
Glasses for brown hair
Glasses for dark brown hair:
We recommend tortoise or black acetates. The honey and amber tones of tortoise will marry nicely with your warm hues.
For the more reserved, our black acetate is a safe bet. It's neutral and bold and will be a good match. Grey acetate can work here, as long as your hair is definitely dark brown.
Glasses for light brown hair
We suggest you steer away from grey acetate frames. Instead, opt for warm acetates such as dark brown, black and tortoise. Warm metal colours such as rose-gold and bronze will accentuate your hair.
Glasses for blonde hair
Glasses for dark blonde hair
Your hair is heading towards being brown you should consider emphasising your amber and honey notes. Your blonde hair means you want a darker off-set, so darker acetates are a good option for you.
The best possible acetates for this are dark earthy colours such as dark brown and black with warm coloured metals.
These colours will compliment your hair nicely.
Glasses for light blonde hair
You have a slightly broader scope of glasses colour choice.
With such lightly coloured hair, you can experiment with alternative spectacle colours and metals such as green, bronze and peach colours.
For an alternative style, you can opt for a brightly coloured blue glasses frame, especially if you have blue eyes.
Glasses for grey hair
Searching for glasses for grey hair, there's literally zero limitations.
Embrace your monochrome hair and experiment with some alternative frame colours and metal choices. With such neutral hair, you can really go for it with a bold and bright glasses frame.
Check out our blog on choosing glasses for grey hair.
Glasses for ginger hair
Glasses for ginger hair
Keep to neutral coloured frames.
You probably know this by now but your hair colour is strong. Let it do the talking.
Keep things simple with our grey and black acetates. These are the ones for you.
Glasses for auburn hair
Your coppery hair tones are slightly less restrictive to your glasses choice.
Most people have tints of Auburn in their hair so you should celebrate this with warm coloured metals and deep coloured frame fronts.
Earthy acetates such as deep browns will work well for you. Alternatively, if a coloured frame seems like too much, you can play it safe with a neutral coloured frame.
Whilst your hair isn't all-out ginger, you might want to avoid clashing with your gingery hues. Go monochrome with grey and black acetates, these are the plain-safe option.
Glasses for dark hair
Glasses for very dark hair
Your hair is deeply coloured and is nearly almost black.
With such a dark hair colour, you've got a large degree or choice when it comes to frame choice. A grey frame with silver metal can work particularly well for a formal/neutral style.
If you like colourful glasses, stick to warm acetates and metals such as walnut browns, tortoise or caramel acetates. Rose gold and bronze temples will have a warming effect on your skin, which will tie nicely with your dark hair.
Glasses for dark hair
Verging on blonde, your light brown hair lends itself to darker, more earthy glasses frame colours.
These consist of dark black, deep brown or tortoise patterned acetate. Amber and honey hues will tie-in nicely with your mid-coloured hair.
For a neutral style, you can opt for grey acetate and silver metals. A neutral frame can be easier to dress for and are a little less stark if you have a warmer skin tone.
Glasses for bald men
Your face shape and skin tone are going to play a much large role in your frame decision. With one less thing to think about, you can be much bolder in frame colour and shape.
For men, it can be a good idea to play around with bolder frame colours that work with your wardrobe. Masculine, chunky glasses frames in brave colours are certainly an option here.
For advice on glasses for bald men click here.
Glasses for skin tone
Eyeglasses are made from a large variety of colours, patterns and transparencies, with varying metal colours, tones and textures.
The combination of frame colour and metal should be considered when you're deciding how to pick the right glasses frame for your face, especially in relation to your complexion.
We've listed six of the most common skin types in the section below. Identify your skin type via the descriptions and images below.
Light skin & warm tones
Light skin glasses tend to consist of darker, warmer acetates such as tortoise, earthy brown or heavy black.
Your pale complexion with warm undertones asks for a glasses frame that is going to compliment your skin's warmth.
We suggest you opt for warm metal colours such as rode gold, bronze or copper. Combined together, these are a more traditional choice of spectacles.
If you'd like a frame with a little more contrast, your warm skin tones can effectively offset aquatic glasses colours such as green and teal.
Your warm undertones and light complexion will work well with blue eyeglasses frames if it's a creative/alternative style you're looking for.
Light skin & cool tones
Your pale complexion has cold tones of blue and pink.
This is a common skin type and works best with mid to dark acetates. Honey and amber acetates such as tortoise will also work well for you, bringing warmth to your cooler tones.
Black acetate can contrast to your light complexion but is a good option for those with very pale skin with dark hair. Look for a matte surface finish on the frame front to reduce the starkness against your paleness.
Pale skin tends to go hand in hand with blonde hair. If this sounds like you, this combination can work very well with a broader spectrum of statement glasses frames. Consider thick-rimmed glasses in aquatic colours such as blue acetate. If you fancy being more adventurous with your frame colour, this will yield an alternative style.
Medium skin & warm tones
Your medium skin tones put your right in the middle of the spectrum.
Your adaptable complexion opens a large avenue of spectacle frame colours. As seen in the image above, it's traditional to opt for deep acetates containing dark brown and rich black. These will tie-in with your naturally warm skin tone and dark hair colour.
Another consideration would be neutral acetates. Thanks to your tanned undertones, you can opt for transparent or icy grey glasses frames.
Cold metal colours such as silver and gun metal will be contrasted by your warm skin. Avoid yellow or hay coloured spectacles as they will end up washing you out.
Medium skin & cool tones
Your cool, mid-tone skin allows you to be more adventurous.
Try experimenting with bolder frame colours if you're looking for a statement glasses frame. In the image above, the female model demonstrates how dark hair with a cool skin tone can work really well with blue eyeglasses frames.
If you'd rather play it safe, we suggest you stick to more traditional frame colours. Warm hues of tortoiseshell or split tone glasses with brown and black will do well to warm your pinkish complexion.
Deep skin & warm tones
With your deep skin and warm undertones, it's a good idea to opt for darker acetate spectacles.
Ideally, you'll want to emphasise your golden hues, so earthy frame-colours such as honey, amber, black and brown acetates are the more traditional choice. These suggestions might seem a little low-key so you can jazz things up with some rose-gold or bronze metal colours.
Alternatively, you can opt for a contrasting frame style in an unusual, lightly coloured acetate. Bold frame colours such as green, teal or cream will juxtapose your deep skin nicely. These suggestions are definitely "statement" glasses for black skin.
Deep skin & cool tones
Deep skin with cool undertones ask for naturally warm acetates. We recommend you opt for rich acetate colours such as plum, cherry, deep brown or tortoise. These colours will lift your cool skin with their natural tones.
If you prefer to keep things neutral acetates such as grey or black thick-rimmed glasses. Thick glasses will appear more contemporary and create greater contrast.
Try to avoid rimless or thin glasses frames here as they will become lost on your cooler skin. Rimless glasses also have a habit of making you look older.
Glasses for eye colour
Your eye colour can also determine how you choose new glasses.
If you’re lucky to have a strong eye colour, you can match this with the tone of your glasses frame.
It's rare to have vividly coloured eyes, so why not choose a frame to enhance one of your best attributes?
Head over to our blog discussing glasses for eye colour.
Other considerations
It can be all too tempting to stick to safe glasses colours which fit the norm.
In professional situations, it's probably best to stick to understated spectacles however these "work glasses" are going to be worn for the majority of the week. You'll certainly benefit from having more than one pair to rotate between.
Attending dinners or casual events, we urge you to be more adventurous with your glasses choice. At first, bold new glasses can be daunting, but you'll be amazed at the compliments you'll receive.
Before you head off, why not check out our article on the latest eyewear trends and styles?
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