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What is my face shape? Use this guide to find out what glasses suit you

man framing his face shape with his fingers

It can feel a little overwhelming when it comes time to choose new glasses frames after your annual vision test with your eye care provider. Of course, it’s exciting to imagine your new look, but it can feel like there are just too many styles from which to choose.

When you’re looking for attractive eyewear, you might note how well a particular style looks on a friend. So you try on a similar frame — but it just doesn’t look good on you.

Before you start shopping for new eyewear, it’s a good idea to understand what style will flatter your unique face, and determining your face shape is a great place to start.

Once you’ve determined the shape of your face, you can try on frame styles that are known to compliment that face shape. For example, circular frames look great on heart-shaped faces; while full-rimmed, rectangular glasses flatter round faces.

Understanding your face shape and how best to compliment it will help simplify your shopping experience — and ensure you find the best glasses for your face shape.

How to answer: “What is my face shape?”

The face shapes are relatively standard terms when choosing glasses. But it is difficult to know what glasses will suit you if you are not sure about your face shape. The best way to resolve this problem is to use the available tools to do a quick analysis.

You can use several methods to determine what shape your face is when you have the right tools. You can:

Use an online visual guide.
Take a “What is my face shape?” quiz.
Download a “What shape is my face?” app.

Explore your options in this guide to decide which tool is the most convenient for you. You may want to try all three of these methods and then compare the responses to ensure that you have the right answer.

Use an online visual guide

You can find out your face shape by examining a visual guide. This particular option details face shapes and provides images to help you recognize what your face shape is.

The standard face shapes are oval, square, rectangular, round, diamond, heart and triangular.

This type of guide may even provide you with tips on how the color of your eyes, skin and hair can impact your choice of glasses style.

A visual map of your face shape and other elements is paired with further suggestions to help you decide on glasses styles and colors.

If you decide that you want more information after browsing through these tips, try using an online quiz to determine your face shape.

Take a “What is my face shape?” quiz

Use an online tool to learn about your face shape. This handy quiz takes you through three easy steps to find your face shape.

For the first step, you will need a tape measure to get an accurate reading of your face’s length from the top of your forehead to the tip of your chin. Select the size in inches from the dropdown list.

The second step involves measuring across your face at its widest point. The widest point of your face may be your forehead, cheekbones or jawline. It is easy to follow the visual guide to take this measurement. Write the figure down for each if you are uncertain about your face’s widest point. Use the largest of the three sizes to choose from the options on the dropdown list.

The third step asks about the shape of your jawline. Is it angled or round?

Answering these three questions then generates a response about your face’s shape.

Although this quiz is basic, you will gain a better understanding of whether your face is heart-shaped, square, oval or some other shape.

For even better results, you can try an app that uses more modern technology and produces more accurate results. Whether you want to know more about your face shape, your pupillary distance (PD) or what glasses will look like on your face, this may be your best option.

“What is my face shape?” apps

The apps below can be used to find your face shape, try on virtual glasses and generally satisfy your curiosity. The apps are free to download and are available on Google Play or the Apple App Store. Check them out to find answers before ordering your glasses online.

Find Your Face Shape app — Apple

Find Your Face Shape is a “What shape is my face?” app to determine the shape of your face. It’s designed to help you choose the best hairstyle for your face and allows you to experiment with different hairstyles to see what looks best on you. This app is primarily designed for women, but it doesn’t mean men can’t use the app to discover their face shape.

Face Shape Meter — Android & Apple

Face Shape Meter is another “What is my face shape?” app that tells you your face shape. Once you know your face shape, you can start trying on virtual glasses and sunglasses styles, hairstyles and makeup looks.

To download on an Apple device, visit the Apple App Store.

Apps and websites to try on glasses virtually

Many other apps specialize in trying on glasses virtually once you’ve found your face shape. A few of them are listed below.

Eyeconic Virtual Try-On

Eyeconic’s Virtual Try-On walks you through taking a 3-D scan of your face to create a five-second video. The site then allows you to use this quick video to try on different glasses and sunglasses styles digitally superimposed onto your face. You can compare styles and even send to your friends for a little advice.

EyeBuyDirect Virtual Try-On

EyeBuyDirect Virtual Try-On uses your device’s camera to allow you to virtually try on hundreds of glasses and sunglasses styles. You can try on styles virtually without your glasses, or you can upload an image or short video to experiment with different styles if you cannot see well enough without your glasses.

Coastal.com Virtual Try-On

Use your device’s camera to try on glasses online from Coastal.com. Simply enable the camera, and position yourself to capture your face on camera. Click the “Try On” button for the frame style of your choice and watch the magic happen.

You can learn much from visual guides, online quizzes and apps, but there are still other considerations when discovering your face shape.

How to make sure your new glasses will actually fit your face

Even after finding out details about your face shape and what frames will suit you, there are other issues to consider. You will still need your facial measurements to place an online order for the glasses size to match your features the best.

Consider these issues before placing your order:

Frame size

Frames sizes are indicated by three numbers: the lens width, the bridge width across your nose and the temple length. The lens width is shown first. It’s the width of one lens in millimeters. The next number is the bridge width, or the distance between the lenses, in millimeters.

The lens width and bridge width are usually separated by a small square. The last number is the temple length, or the length of the arm that goes back to your ears, also in millimeters.

So for a lens width of 54 mm, a bridge width of 15 mm and a temple length of 143 mm the frame size would look something like this: 54 - 15 - 143.

Lens height

Measuring the lens height is straightforward. This measurement is indicated when you shop for glasses online to help give you an idea of the style that will complement your appearance. It’s not normally part of the measurements that indicate how a frame will fit, though.

Pupillary distance

When looking for confirmation about your face’s shape, you also need to think about the distance between your pupils. The PD is equally essential to the function and the aesthetics of the glasses style chosen for your vision. Your PD measurement needs to be accurate so that the lenses will promote clear vision.

The accuracy of this measurement is especially vital if you need bifocal, trifocal or progressive lenses. If your PD is too large or too small you will experience distortion of your vision, and your glasses won’t work like they are supposed to.

The online store will generally show you how to measure your pupillary distance and will offer tips for what glasses styles will work for you in a specific PD range.

Another option is GlassesOn. It is an app for measuring your pupillary distance and confirming your existing vision prescription. GlassesOn says it can measure your PD in under a minute. Visit Google Play to download for Android.

Weight and frame material

The glasses’ weight is a critical factor because the frame must match the weight of the lenses. A sturdier frame is suited to thicker lenses, while a more delicate frame is appropriate for thinner lenses. Your correction values will often determine how thick the lenses need to be, whether you are nearsighted or farsighted. Check the online store that you want to shop to see if they provide advice to help you make the right decision.

Additional guidance

Look for additional guidance to indicate if the glasses style is appropriate for use with bifocal, trifocal or progressive lenses. You should also check whether the frame is available with or without comfortable nose pads.

Lifestyle choices

Think of the purpose of your glasses once you are satisfied that you know your face shape. Do you want to order special glasses when you play sports, work in front of a screen for long hours, or do you just need them for regular daily wear?

The purpose of the glasses will make a difference to the style that you select. For example, sunglass styles are often larger than clear glasses. Sports glasses should typically be more hard-wearing to withstand high-level physical activity. If you wear reading glasses, you might also want to find a style that complements your face shape — though the aesthetic element may be less critical.

What is my face shape? This guide should provide enough information to give you the solutions that you need. After arming yourself with knowledge, all that’s left is for you to go on a shopping spree for your next eyewear fashion look.