For those who prefer the comfort of wearing spectacles over contact lenses, the cosmetic considerations in choosing the right frame can be confusing. The shape and size of the frame can enhance the facial proportions and accentuate the features, if chosen correctly. You could also consider the spectacles or sunglasses as jewellery for the face and make them your personal style that will speak out your personality.
One of the first considerations in selecting the frame is to look at the face shape. An angular square shaped face can be softened by large curved or rounded frames. This could work for lesser power and for sunglasses, but in case the eye power is high, a slightly smaller size of the same shape may just be preferable. A round face could be paired with oval or rectangular shaped frames.
Next comes the facial features and the kind of frame that will look good. After the shape of the frame is decided, consider the main feature for the spectacles or sunglasses – the nose. Frames with a low bridge can make a long narrow nose look shorter. A broad bridge on square frames could make a broad nose appear narrow.
Experts believe that the placement of the eyes also matters when it comes to selecting the frame. For close set eyes, a clear bridge will make the eyes seem further apart.
There is a camp of people who prefer the eyebrows in the line of the frame. Otherwise, it seems like the face has two lines across it. The others don’t mind a double-bridged frame which is below the eyebrows. This may work on someone with thick eyebrows.
The colour of the frame is another factor to consider, especially in case of spectacles. A professional look is accentuated with metallic frames but it could make the overall look a little harsh. A hybrid version with plastic frames and probably a metallic bridge may look softer overall. Neutral skin tones can carry off almost any coloured frame while darker tones could harmonize with colours like red, gold, orange, brown and black. In case of sunglasses, gradient tinting of the lenses can be flattering to the eyes and skin tone. Light coloured lenses serve a stylish and elegant look. Just a word of caution, eye specialists consider sunglasses which screen out 75-90 percent of light.
For those who are in their 40s and above, a frame line with upward tilt will help ‘uplift’ the face effectively. For those who choose to have silver hair, brighter the colour of the frames, the better!
Apart from choosing the frame that suits your face, eye make-up is another way to accentuate the whole look. Make-up experts usually prefer colours like browns, greys, blues and black in eye make-up because these colours make the eyes look stronger under the glasses. For near-sighted lenses, which make the eyes look smaller, eyeliner over the top eyelashes emphasizes the eyes.