The Outside Clinic Community Opticians - Choosing Suitable Frames for Your Face

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Suitable Frames

There are so many styles, shapes, and colours of spectacles to choose from these days it can be very frustrating knowing which one would suit your face and hairstyle.

There are no hard and fast rules but there are three key factors that need to be taken into consideration when choosing your perfect pair of spectacles:-

• Choosing the right frame to suit your face shape and size
• Choosing the right colour to complement your hair, eyes, and skin tone
• Your personality

Choosing the right frame to suit your face shape and size

The important factors to consider are:

• The frame shape should contrast with the face shape
• The frame size should be in scale with the face size

Face Shapes

Although our faces are a combination of shapes and angles they generally fit into one of the following basic categories:-

	Round A round face is soft and has no angles. Your face is as wide as it is long, is fairly short in height and has a rounded jaw line. Celebrities with this type of the face include: Cameron Diaz. Choose frames that are wider than they are deep, such as a rectangular or squarer shape. Avoid big round frames, as they would make your face look rounder.
	Oval An Oval shape is considered the best face shape as it has the most balanced proportions. Your face has a gently curving jaw, and your forehead is slightly wider than your jaw. Celebrities with this type of the face include: Julia Roberts. This is the easiest shape as most frames styles suit this oval face - Lucky you! Just try and keep to the size of the frame in proportion of your face, i.e. the frame width should be as wide (or slightly wider) than the broadest part of your face.
	Oblong These faces are longer than they are wide with a long straight cheek line and sometimes a long nose. Celebrities with this type of the face include: Angelina Jolie, Russell Brand. Choose wider frames and styles with heavier tops. Strong looking large square frames can often balance a narrow looking face. Avoid small subtle shapes.
	Heart Shaped/Base Up Triangle Your face is narrow at the jaw line with a small neat chin and mouth. With wide cheek bones and forehead. Celebrities with this face include: Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston. Choose a frame style that is slender, rounded or square but avoid a style that has a greater width at the top. This will tend to reflect the shape of your face rather than enhance your look.
	Square A square face is angular with a broad forehead and a strong jaw line. Celebrities with this face include: Brad Pitt, Demi Moore and Sandra Bullock. Choose frame styles that soften the angles, try more rounded or oval and avoid slim square or angular shaped frames.

Choosing the right colour to complement your skin tone

Skin tone is the most important element in determining colouring because of the wide range of eye colours. All complexions can be divided into colour bases - blue (cool) or yellow (warm). A cool complexion has blue or pink undertones, and a warm complexion has a "peaches and cream" or yellow cast. Olive skin is considered cool as is it is a mixture of blue and yellow.

Some examples of frame colours best for cool colouring are: Black, amber, rose-brown, silver, gunmetal.

Some examples of frame colours best for warm colouring are: Gold, Copper, Camel, Khaki, off white.

Your personality

If you like to turn heads then be bold and daring. Stronger shapes and colours will have a powerful impact.
If you prefer a more subtle look, opt for semi-rimless (supra) or rimless spectacles. These tend to make a lesser impact owing to their minimalist design and are flattering to most face shapes.