Many of us spend plenty of time in front of the mirror trying on different pairs of glasses. It can be fun to select frames that suit you best. Glasses transform how you look, and it’s exciting to see this happen right before your eyes. New pairs are a part of your style and an invitation to compliments as soon as you put them on. And who doesn’t love a little confidence boost! But how do you know you chose the right ones? Here are our top tips to keep in mind as you search for the perfect eyewear in Ottawa. 

Face Shape

The shape of your face plays the most important role in determining what kind of eyewear will best suit you. Once you find a shape that is flattering to your face, you can focus on the other features. The basic rules are as follows:

  • Round: Use angular frames, like squares or rectangles, to balance out your spherical features. Try to avoid circular, rimless, and small frames, as these can make your face look rounder. 
  • Oval: While any style can work well with oval faces, rectangular, square, and aviator glasses are popular choices because they tend to be wider than they are long, which balances out your face shape. 
  • Diamond: A diamond face shape is defined by a narrow chin and forehead, angular jawline, and defined cheekbones. Try frames that draw attention to your eyes, like oval, cat-eye, brow line, or round glasses. 
  • Square: To balance out the angular nature of your face, opt for round, thin frames that are wider than your cheekbones. 
  • Triangle: A triangular visage is wider at the jaw and narrower towards the forehead. To complement your features, find frames with opposite effects, like those that go wide to narrow from the top down. These frames can include browline, aviator, and cat-eye glasses.
  • Heart: A heart-shaped face is wider at the forehead and slender through to the jaw. Aviator, rectangular, round, or oval frames can work as they all balance, soften, and contrast the features of this face shape.

Choosing the Colour of Your Frames

Your skin tone plays a role in which frames look best, even more than your hair and iris colour. Warm skin tones have yellow, peach, or golden undertones, while cool skin tones have more pink or blue. The goal is to find frames that match your skin. For example, if you have a warm complexion, go for shades of brown, gold, honey, or beige. On the other hand, silver, black, pink, blue, and gray are great looks for cool undertones.

Consider Your Lifestyle and Personality

Take into account your day-to-day activities. If you’re an athlete, you might want to find glasses that are flexible and durable. If you’re a business person, you might want to opt for a professional look. Aside from your lifestyle, your personality should also weigh into your decision. Do you love a clean appearance? Some minimalist frames can complete your look. Are you the life of the party and all about fun styles? Unique frames with bold colours may be the ones for you.

At Laurier Optical, our professionals in Ottawa can give you advice on the best eyewear for your needs. While there are general guidelines around frames, face shapes, and skin tones, we want you to know that what matters is that you’re excited to put your glasses on every morning! Contact us today so we can help you find your fresh new look.