While sunglasses usually adorn the faces in the summertime, they are year-round accessories. Even in wintertime you need to shield your eyes from the sun (on the few days that it is actually out). The rays are reflected in the snow and have double the effect, so it is always important to protect our eyes. And in the bright days of summer, it is important to wear sunglasses to avoid squinting, which will cause wrinkles and headaches.

Needless to say, sunglasses are a staple you should have with you at all times, which is why it is important to pick ones that compliment your facial features. Often, people will just wear “trendy” styles that do more harm than good. For instance, when the oversized shades style hit, a lot of people were walking around looking like they had bug eyes.

Also, your shades can date your look. Passé shades will age you, even if you are trying for the vintage/retro look. Here is a short guide on how to pick the right eyewear to flatter your face shape.

Heart-Shaped
Characteristics of the heart-shaped face are a wide or large forehead, high cheekbones, and narrow chins. While you want to highlight the cheekbones, you want to avoid accentuating the forehead and the narrow chin; therefore you should avoid the large, harsh shaped and oversized shades.

Go for delicate styles like the round and cat-eyed. Aviators look good on almost everyone, and are great because they are unisex, but also come in different frame sizes to flatter all facial shapes and sizes. But if you don’t want to blend in with the crowd, try unique detailing but choosing tortoise frames or leather sunglass arms to make you stand out.

Oval
This is considered to be the ideal face shape. It is balanced with an appropriately proportioned forehead, cheekbones and jaw line. As it is so symmetrical and proportioned, the possibilities for frames are endless. Almost anything would flatter this face shapes; however, to avoid covering up those ideal features, instead of wearing oversized and overly embellished shades, try almond-shaped frames in neutral colours. Not only do they suit the face, but they will be easily integrated into all outfits, all days, and all seasons.