Best Sunglasses for Your Face Shape & Skin Tone

When you buy something using the affiliate links on our site, we may earn a small commission.

Sunglasses are one of those accessories that just about every man wears. Whether it be for protection from harsh UV rays, or because you want to shield your eyes from the glare of the midday sun, sunglasses are one thing that we all own at least one or two pairs of.

Sunglass Video

This video about the best sunglasses for your face shape and skin tone illustrates nicely how to measure your face so you find the right glasses for you. Please give us a thumbs up if you like it and feel free to share. Thank you.

We already put together an extensive guide about Sunglasses, Styles, Materials etc. but one of the most common things I hear is “I can never find a pair that looks good on me” or “how can I tell which pair works best?” Therefore, we put together a guide that helps you to narrow down the styles that work well for you so you can find the best sunglasses for your face.

Unfortunately, most sunglass retailers don’t offer the experience to help you find the right pair short of being a second pair of eyes to say “that looks good” or “that doesn’t.” Of course, the sales clerk at the store will tell you all sunglasses look spectacular on you … Really, they are there to sell the most expensive pair to the unwitting consumer and for many purchasers, they return home to realize they just don’t like their sunglasses as much as they did in the store.

Be it the lighting, the mirror or the flirtatious chatter from the attractive saleswoman who said you remind her of George Clooney, the fact is without taking into account your face shape and skin tone, you’ll be buying a pair based on luck and hoping you win the sunglass lottery.

Fortunately for you, I’m here and today we’re going to focus on how you can find the right pair of sunglasses every time without any buyer’s remorse.

Right Sunglasses For Your Face Shape
The right sunglasses for your face shape

The first thing you need to take into account is the shape of your face. While aviators may look great on Tom Cruise, they don’t have that look on everyone.

There are six basic face shapes that everyone fits into. By deciphering yours, you can shortlist the styles of sunglasses you’ll actually look good in.

Types of Faces

The six types of faces are square, round, oblong, heart-shaped, diamond and oval. To figure out what shape you are, you’ll need more than just a mirror. You’re going to need a tape measure, a pencil, paper and someone to help you.

  1. Beginning at your forehead, measure across it at the widest point. Write that number down.
  2. Then, measure the widest length across your cheekbones. Again, write it down.
  3. Moving lower to the jaw, measure your jawline at its widest point. You guessed it: write it down.
  4. Next, measure the length of your face by placing the measuring tape at the top of your forehead at the hairline and measuring it down to the bottom of your chin. Write it down.

Regardless of your numbers, your face is going to fit into one of the following six categories of face shapes. To determine which shape your face is, use the measurements and check the following shapes. It also helps to watch the video.

Oblong

Oblong faces are longer than they are wide. For the most part, the measurements of the jawline, cheeks and forehead will be very similar. If your measurements fit this, chances are you have an oblong shaped face.

Thankfully the trend of oversized sunglasses is prominent in much of the world because smaller frames probably won’t do you justice. Your best bet is going to be larger frames with some thickness to them. Sharp angles and concise lines will help to sharpen your soft facial features giving you a more masculine look. Frames like wayfarers, wraparounds and rectangles work well. As long as the frames aren’t small, you should be just fine.

Click here to get a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarers.

Click here if you prefer Maui Jim Peahi Sunglasses.

Even haute sunglasses when worn correctly can look spectacular
Even haute sunglasses when worn correctly can look spectacular

Heart

Heart shaped faces are inverted triangles which mean you have a fairly pointed chin with a significantly wider forehead and cheek measurements. Your face will also be slightly longer than it is wide at the cheeks by about an inch or so.

Since you’ve probably been told how beautiful your eyes are time and time again, that’s a great indicator that you have a heart shaped face. The best sunglasses for you are going to be ones that direct the attention away from the eyes people can no longer see and even out your face’s proportions. Focusing on rimless or semi-rimless frames that are thin will be your best bet. If you do want a certain amount of thickness to the frame, focus on finding ones that point the attention downwards. Aviators, butterfly, and round sunglasses will also work well on your face. Just make sure they’re not too embellished.

Click here for a classic pair of aviators from Ray-Ban.

Click here to get a nice rounded pair of sunglasses from Persol.

Click here for a pair from Oliver Peoples.

Square

Square shaped faces are pretty equal when it comes to length and width. The cheek and length measurements will be similar with just an inch or two difference. As well, the other measurements will all be similar, and the edges of your face will be almost straight up and down. You’ll notice concise, sharp corners rather than rounded edges at the jaw.

Since you have a distinctive and chiseled face with bold features, you need a curved pair of sunglasses to compliment your broad jawline. The frames that tend to work best are ones with curves or frames that are rimless. Aviators, oval sunglasses, round sunglasses and wrap-around sunglasses are all good options. It’s best to stick with any pair that has nice gentle curves to compliment your masculine appearance.

Some recommended brands that are well known for making these shapes are Ray-BanDolce and Gabbana as well as Maui Jim.

Gagliardi Jacket, Vintage Ray Ban Wayfarers, Boutonniere & Bow Tie from Fort Belvedere
Gagliardi Jacket, Vintage Ray Ban Wayfarers, Boutonniere & Bow Tie from Fort Belvedere

Oval

Oval faces are similar to an egg. They are longer than they are wide with a slightly wider forehead and shorter jawline. Usually, the chin is slightly rounded.

Be happy! Having an oval face means you can wear almost any style of sunglasses with ease. Whether it be round sunglasses, aviators or wayfarers, you can even get away with contemporary rectangle shades. As for recommended brands, I’d have to list them all. The fact is with your face shape you’ll have an easy time finding a pair that looks good. If you don’t, either you’re too picky or you have a different face shape and need to measure yourself again.

Click here to buy a pair of Maui Jim Kahuna sunglasses for daily wear.

Click here for a less expensive pair of wayfarers made from bamboo.

Don Draper's Hair Style with Sunglasses by Randolph Engineering
Don Draper’s Hair Style with Sunglasses by Randolph Engineering

Round

As wide as they are long, the difference between the rounded face and square is that a round face has a smaller forehead with a small rounded jawline. The forehead will be smaller than the cheek measurement, and there won’t be any sharp lines of the jaw but rather a gentle curvature.

Since your face is shaped like a ball, you need geometrically shaped sunglasses to counteract it and give you a more masculine appearance. Selecting frames that are rectangular, horizontal or even wayfarers are going to be your best bet since they’ll give your face a longer, more oval appearance.

Click here for this great pair of wayfarers from Bvlgari.

Click here for a pair of sunglasses from Tom Ford.

Diamond

If your face is widest at the cheekbones with a skinny pointed chin and thinner forehead, chances are you have a diamond shaped face.

With your face shape, you want to focus on sunglasses that compliment your wide cheekbones. Sunglasses with curves are going to be your top pick, but you need to make sure they’re not oversized to the point that they’re wider than your cheeks.

Click here for a great pair of Clubmaster sunglasses from Ray-Ban.

For more information or greater clarity in measuring your face, check out this video:

Choosing the Right Color

Just like the frames need to be selected based on the shape of your face, the color of the frames should be picked based on your skin tone.

Skin tones fit into two primary categories: warm skin tone and cool skin tone.

For light skin with warm undertones, your forearm is going to be a light peach with greenish-yellow undertones. If you fit into this category, try warmer neutral colors or saturated colors.

If you have light skin with cool undertones, your skin will be light pink with blue undertones. Lighter pastel colors will work well for you. Avoid anything bright but feel free to try blues and pinks for a more whimsical look.

If you have medium colored skin with warm undertones, you’ll notice you have yellow and green undertones. Tortoiseshell, ambers, and browns all work well with your skin tone. Even green will flatter you.

JFK wearing gold cufflinks and tortoiseshell sunglasses
JFK wearing gold cufflinks and tortoiseshell sunglasses

If you have medium skin with cool undertones, you’ll have pink and blue undertones on your forearm. Tropical colors like blues and greens work well, but you can also get away with dark reds and browns.

If you have darker skin with warm yellow undertones, consider metal frames, darker browns, cognacs, and ambers. They’ll all work well with your skin tone.

If you have dark skin with cool blue undertone, you can also stick with cooler colors like blues but your best bet is going to be the darkest shades of black, deep browns and gunmetal.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this quick primer will help you pick out your next set of great sunglasses. For more information, be sure to check out our sunglasses guide where we list recommended brands and talk about sunglasses in far greater detail. What face shape are you and what style of frames do you find work best?

Reader Comments

  1. Which round sunglasses does the modell in the black heading wear => heading : “The right pair of sunglasses for the …..”,please?
    Thank you

    1. If you’re looking for sunglasses in that style, have a look at Finlay & Co of London – they have a style called “Draycott” which is very similar.

  2. Besides just your skin tone, should the color of the sunglasses coordinate with your clothing and accessories (belt, watch, shoes)?

Comments are closed.