Which Glasses Suit You?

The main rule is simple: avoid the same shape of frame as your face, e.g. if you have a round face, don’t choose round frames, while square or angular faces should steer clear of square or angular frames.

Do you have an oval face? (i.e. vaguely egg-shaped) You’ll look good in just about any frames because there’s no pronounced forehead or jaw to work around. Try angular or rounded aviator shapes, or John Lennon-style wire frames. The only ones to sidestep are those that don’t feel comfortable or simply look odd.

Do you have a square face? (i.e. strong, angular - or short and wide) This face looks best with thin frames in oval or round shapes, which give a slightly softer, more rounded appearance to the jawline. Frames to avoid are those that emphasise squareness.

Do you have a round face? (i.e. short and fairly wide with full cheeks and a rounded chin) The right shape will slim down the appearance of your features: choose angular frames - cat’s eye, rectangular, square shapes. Frames to avoid are small and circular, or else very large, both of which will make the face look rounder.

Do you have a long face? (i.e. high-cheekboned, often with a deep forehead and a strong, sharp or chiselled jawline) Look for wide, large frames that counteract the face’s narrowness. Frames with a strong top bar or rounded ‘owl’ shapes can work well. But steer clear of small, square styles. • If your eyes are close-set, avoid big frames as they’ll emphasise the fact. • If you have a long nose, be careful of glasses with high ‘bridges’, as these will emphasise the length of your nose. A high bridge can give length to a short nose.

Fit Tips

• Eyes should appear in the middle of the lens, to avoid looking cross-eyed.

• Eyebrows should line up perfectly with the top bar of the glasses; if they’re higher or lower you’ll look double-browed.

• Glasses shouldn’t touch your cheeks.

• Choose frames which fit comfortably and are the right width for your face; opticians can do a lot to make glasses fit better.

• If your glasses leave pinch-marks on the nose, they’re too tight. You can probably get them ‘eased’ at the optician’s.

Glamour and Glasses

Glasses call for an eye make-up rethink.

• If your prescription is for nearsightedness, your eyes will seem to recede a bit behind spectacle lenses. So accentuate them by using a pale, neutral shadow on eyelid and browbone; contour with a slightly darker shade in the crease and follow with liner (on top lid only) and mascara.

• Specs for farsighted women exaggerate everything - even make-up mistakes! - and eyes can seem to protrude. So play eyes down with a genuinely shadow-coloured eyeshadow - soft brown or perhaps a greenish-grey - with a darker shade in the crease. Avoid light, bright or shiny shadows.

• Since frames cast shadows on the face, use concealer - a shade lighter than foundation or skin tone - to camouflage any circles.

• Wear quite a strong-coloured lipstick, so your glasses don’t overpower your other features.

• Eye make-up is hard enough to apply at the best of times, but when you can’t see a thing without your specs it becomes a nightmare. Try using a shaving mirror that will magnify your face. Cut the end off your make-up brushes and slice eye pencils in half, so you can get closer to the mirror.

• Avoid liquid liner unless you feel naked without it; a pencil is easier to control. But if you like liquid, use the brush to feel your way along your upper lashes and then switch to a pointed sponge-tipped applicator to trace over the liner with a shadow in the same colour, smudging the line to make it look more natural.

Tip large and/or wraparound frames help protect the sensitive skin around your eyes from sun-induced wrinkling and lines.