The 1st of March is World Compliments Day, so tell your friends and colleagues something nice and let their hearts melt! But of course, it’s also nice to get compliments yourself from time to time. With a perfectly fitting pair of glasses on your nose, you make it easy for your friends and colleagues and are guaranteed to get lots of extra compliments. The only question is: which glasses suit you best?
This guide explains which frame suits which face shape and how you can easily find your new favourite glasses with the help of the filter functions in our online shop. And if you prefer to watch instead of read, check out the videos by Phil, our Master of Glasses, who shows you his optician’s tricks for finding the ideal shape and width of glasses.
What shape face do I actually have?
To find out your face shape, you simply need a mirror and either lipstick, eyeliner or a whiteboard pen. Very important: hair out of your face! After all, you can’t see anything if your hair is hanging down. Then look straight ahead and trace the outer contour of your face (not the whole head) on the mirror or on your face. You can also grab your smartphone, take a selfie, go into image editing mode and then draw a line around your face there. When you look more closely, one of these five shapes should stand out: Oval, Heart, Square, Round or Trapezoid. And don’t worry, there’s no such thing as a bad face shape, we have the perfect frame for every face. While we don’t currently have virtual compliments in stock, they’re guaranteed to come to you in real life when you wear your perfect pair of glasses.
Oval
Oval faces tend to be long and narrow and usually have balanced contours. This is the perfect face shape for glasses, because they suit almost every frame shape, whether round <or square frames. Only those with very narrow faces should be careful not to choose a frame that is too bulky as this could visually overpower the face. Round frames are ideal for an oval face shape as they look particularly harmonious and emphasise the proportionality of the face.
Heart
A heart-shaped face is characterised by a broad forehead and a rather narrow chin, which can appear pointed. Curved frames or frames with round lenses soften a heart-shaped face, as do rimless glasses or very delicate models. We would also recommend rectangular frames that get wider towards the top. No go: styles that are too striking or brightly coloured.
Rectangular
Angular face shapes where the forehead, cheeks and chin area are almost equally wide can sometimes look a bit harsh when wearing square glasses. To soften the face, round or oval frames are a good choice. If your face is rather long, you can safely go for frames with arms attached lower down on the lenses, so that the lenses rise up higher towards the eyebrows. Frames where the arms attach higher up on the lenses, therefore making the lenses go lower down on the face, are recommended for more square faces. Whether you prefer a striking or subtle frame is entirely up to you because people with square faces can wear both.
Round
A more circular, round face shape usually suits glasses that add a little contrast, such as narrow, angular glasses, preferably with low lenses. Also recommended for a round face are bold frames that emphasise the browline. These create a visual focus on the eye area and give structure to a round face.
Trapezium
In trapezoidal faces, the cheek and chin area is the widest part and the forehead appears narrow. The aim is to give more weight to the upper third of the face. This works, for example, with oval, angular or curved frames that become wider towards the top. Wide arms attached at the top of the lens can also look good.
How do I find the right glasses for me?
Once you have found out which face shape you have, our filter functions in the online shop will help you to narrow down your search. So you don’t have to scroll yourself silly, you can narrow down the selection even further by shape of glasses, frame type, colour, gender, price, material or, of course, your favourite brand such as Ray Ban, Gucci or Tom Ford. Many models can be viewed directly using our virtual 3D try-on to get a first impression. This will help you to quickly realise which shape of glasses make you predestined for compliments and which is perhaps not quite right for your style.
The Ideal Spectacle Width
The width of a pair of glasses is at least as important as their shape. Only when your frame sits perfectly on your face, is not too narrow and not too wide, do you get a harmonious look that is attractive and inspiring to those around us (and to ourselves in the mirror, of course). But how do I find out the right size of glasses? If you already have well-fitting glasses at home, you can use a ruler to measure the width of the frame from temple hinge to temple hinge. A good fit means that the temples do not bend outwards much when worn (which would mean the glasses are too small), but also do not angle inwards too much (which would mean the glasses are too big). You could also borrow a pair of glasses from a friend to check the size. If you can’t get hold of a pair of glasses, we recommend the trial and error method: simply order your favourite model in several sizes and have them delivered to your home. Only glasses already fitted with prescription lenses are excluded from returns.
And which glasses colour suits me?
When it comes to choosing a colour, things can get a little tricky, because not every colour that you like goes perfectly with your complexion or your eyes. But that’s exactly what your glasses should do to create the wow effect. So it’s smart to first find out what colour type you are (people with red-green vision problems might want to consult a friend).
Basically, there are four colour types:
- Spring type: Spring people usually have a light, rosy complexion and a warm, reddish undertone in their hair. The eyes are usually blue, green or light brown. Fresh colours are ideal, e.g. reds, beige, yellow, apricot, turquoise, brown and cream. Black and white, on the other hand, can make you look pale.
- Summer type: Here the skin is also very pale and rosy, but the hair is ash blond to ash brown. The eyes are usually blue-green, green-grey or dark brown. Delicate colours and so-called water tones are ideal, e.g. light blue, blue-green, petrol, mint, grey, white, pastel red and violet as well as matt silver.
- Autumn type: A golden skin colour in combination with brown, reddish-blond or copper-coloured hair characterises the autumn type. Your eyes are usually brown or green. Warm, earthy colours are ideal, e.g. brown tones, red, orange, yellow, olive green and warm gold.
- Winter type: Winter type people have either a cool, olive skin tone or dark skin and usually dark brown to black hair. They also have brown or blue eyes. Black and white are ideal, as well as clear, bright colours, e.g. blue, red, clear grey, shiny silver or violet.
The colour of your new glasses should also match the contents of your wardrobe – after all, they are not only a visual aid but also a fashion accessory. It might be worth buying one more subtle and one more striking frame so that you’re equipped for every mood and style situation. That’s why our own brand VOOY follows the smart principle: buy one, get two.
Keep Smiling
Once you’ve found the perfect pair of glasses with the perfect fit and the ideal colour for you, you should be beaming like the sunshine and compliments will just fly to you. If you feel good in your skin, you will radiate from the inside out. And if, on some days, you don’t want to smile right away: simply stand in front of the mirror and smile to yourself. Studies have shown that this self-therapy actually automatically lifts your mood. It’s worth a try, we think. Time then to get out there and get your compliments!