Bespeckled celebrities Taylor Momson, Johnny Depp and Tina Fey look sleek in glasses.Photo: Startraks | Getty Images
Glasses can go from geek to chic with just a simple choice of lens shape. The secret? You should choose a pair that balances your natural face shape by contrasting it, says the experts.
"The easiest way to find out your face shape is to take a bar of soap and outline your face in the bathroom mirror," instructs Felix Mercado, celebrity style expert with Say It With Style.
Face shapes fall into these five major categories:
Jennifer Love Hewitt wears glasses with a heart shaped face. Photo: Splash
Square face shapes have a strong jawline and broad forehead, with predominantly straight lines from top to bottom. Celebrities with square face shapes include Sandra Bullock, Demi Moore and Jessica Simpson.
Go with frames that are slightly rounded at the edges to soften and balance your features. Frames that sit high on the face can also downplay the sharpness of a square jawline, says Dr. Eliot Grossman, vice president of eyecare at LensCrafters.
Mercado suggests slim or barely-there frames, to add a delicate touch to a face shape that could otherwise look too bulky with thick frames.
Glasses for Heart-Shaped Face Shapes
Heart shapes are broad at the forehead and cheekbones and narrow at the chin. Your delicate jaw gives you the most feminine and softest face shape of all. Celebrities with heart-shaped face shapes include Reese Witherspoon, Lisa Kudrow and Jennifer Love Hewitt.
When picking glasses, look for a pair that widens the appearance of the chin and balances out proportions throughout the face. Thin, light metal or clear plastic frames that have broader bottom halves can do that perfectly, says Dr. Grossman. You'll also want to draw the attention to your eyes so that your chin doesn't take center stage. Oval-shaped glasses are a sure bet, says Mercado.
Megan Fox wears glasses for an oval face shape. Photo: Michael Bezjian, WireImage
Round shapes have soft curves with an almost equal width and length. Celebrities with round face shapes include Kate Winslet, Drew Barrymore and Rachel Ray.
To downplay the roundness, choose frames with straight or angular lines like in rectangle or square glasses. A classic deep color like black or tortoiseshell will also minimize fullness by further accentuating the lines of the glasses. Thin metal frames are another great option since they draw attention away from the sides of the face and to the center, says Dr. Grossman.
Glasses for Oval Face Shapes
Oval faces are longer than they are wide, and tend to have balanced features. Lucky oval-shaped chicks can get away with just about any frame style, just as long as the glasses are no wider than the broadest part of the face. Celebrities with oval face shapes include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Alba and Julia Roberts.
Look for frames that cover as much of the center of the face as possible so that your longer length is minimized, and your face doesn't look drawn as a result. You can also pull off those 1950's cat eyes, sexy wraparounds and over-sized square or rectangle plastic lenses better than anyone else, says Dr. Grossman.
Glasses for Long Face Shapes
Also known as an oblong shape, the length of your face is much greater than it is wide, in a more exaggerated way than the oval shape. Celebrities with long face shapes include Gwyneth Paltrow, Kirstie Alley and Iman.
The most attractive frames for this shape shortens the appearance of the face so that the length doesn't dominate as much. Go with a round or square-shaped frame that has more depth than width. Decorative and geometric-shaped frames will further break-up the long line of the face, says Mercado.
Once you've got your shape down, you'll want to pay attention to your eyebrow arch.
Eyewear looks best when it forms a parallel line along the eyebrow, which should always be visible above the edge of the lens, says a spokesperson for Silhouette Eyewear, a brand that has designed shades in partnership with makeup artist Mary Greenwell.
"For most faces, bigger glasses are more flattering than small lens shapes, as they open the face and optically lift the eye zone," says Silhouette.
Now that you know how to pick out the perfect frames, it's on to step two of looking hot in glasses: how to pull off the sexy eye makeup to complement. Katy Perry leads the way.
