Those massive bug grams look amazing on your best friend but comical on your own face. Rude! What gives?
You might have picked the wrong frame style for your face shape. Don’t worry; there are a few easy rules to follow when selecting flawless eyewear, and the team at Stoggles is here to help.
We’ll explain what factors to consider when shopping for specs, as well as what types of glasses frames are best for your activity level. We’ll also cover different types of lenses and frame materials to help you decide which is safest (because, you know, safety is our thing).
How To Choose a Pair of Glasses
There are essentially four things to consider when shopping for the perfect pair of glasses. Face shape, skin tone, activity level, and personality. But first — unlike OSHA, in the world of fashion, rules do not matter. In fact, fashion refuses to follow rules AS A RULE.
So basically, what we’re trying to say is to treat everything below like a loose recommendation from a bestie — they mean well, but what matters most is how you feel in the frames. While the musical Annie seemingly violates plenty of OSHA guidelines, she is right in that one is truly never fully dressed without a smile (*and safety eyewear).
Face Shape
Possibly the most important consideration you can make when shopping for eyeglass frames is your face shape.
Here’s a quick (totally ignorable) guide to help you decipher which face shape you have:
- Oval face. A face that is longer than it is wide can wear practically any frame shape, but avoiding overly large frames is key. You’ll also want to focus on frames that have a defined nose bridge.
- Round race. A face that is equally as wide as it is long is considered round. To balance out the curvature of your face, opt for frames that are more angular, like rectangle or square glasses.
- Square face. If you have a square or rectangular face (with more angles than a round or oval face), grab frames with softer edges. Look for oval and round frames or even cat-eye and aviator styles.
- Heart-shaped face. If your face is wider at your temples and forehead than at your cheekbones, you could have a heart-shaped face. The best glasses for your face shape will help bring balance to your high forehead and narrow chin and cheeks. We’re talking about chic round frames.
- Diamond face shape. High cheekbones define this face shape and usually scream for cat-eye glasses. You can also go for oval frames.
Skin Tone
Once you’ve decided on the perfect frames, you can hone in on color. Using your skin tone as a guide is sometimes a handy option for finding glasses styles that you can pair with virtually anything. But if you absolutely adore orange plastic frames, we say, why not?
- Warm skin tones. People who have a warm skin tone tend to have skin that looks less translucent in color. You can still have pale skin and have a warm skin tone. Look at the inside of your wrist. If you can see gold and olive beneath the surface, you have a warm skin tone.
Warm skin tones look best in earth tones like gold, olive, tortoiseshell, and taupe.
- Cool skin tones. If you notice pink, blue, or violet underneath your skin, you probably have a cool skin tone. Cool skin tones look fantastic with purples, blues, pinks, and shades of brown.
Regardless of your skin tone, however, the color that you love the most is the best for you, even if it isn’t the most popular choice.
Activity Level
It probably goes without saying, but we’ll state the obvious. Your lifestyle matters when it comes to prescription glasses and non-prescription glasses and reading glasses. Safety first and all that jazz.
Here are a few materials to consider when shopping by activity level and lifestyle.
- Glass lenses. While glass has been a traditional standard for eyewear, it’s losing its popularity in lieu of more durable materials. Why? 1. Glass shatters. 2. Glass is super, duper heavy — not comfortable.
Bottom line: Ditch the glass unless you lead a completely sedentary lifestyle.
- Stainless steel. Non-corrosive and durable, stainless steel is a popular material for metal frames. It’s also a more affordable option than titanium.
Bottom line: The Superman look, but with less protection than polycarbonate. Again, this material can be annoyingly heavy and even more annoyingly expensive.
- Polycarbonate. The material that is most durable and lightweight is polycarbonate. All Stoggles frames and lenses are made from polycarbonate material, which is naturally UV-blocking and shatter-proof.
Polycarbonate is now popular for non-safety eyewear, too. But, if you want the level of protection offered by Stoggles, you’ll need to look for the ANSI Z87.1-2020 certification. Only then can you be sure that your eyewear will protect you against strikes and scrapes without shattering into your eyeballs.
Bottom line: Polycarbonate is clearly our favorite material. Biased? You betcha.
Personality
You can have the perfect round glasses with a low bridge and your customized prescription lenses and still feel like you’re wearing someone else’s glasses. If your eyewear isn’t comfortable or doesn’t fit your personality, you probably won’t wear them.
Considering this, if you have a round face and love rimless, round glasses, we say wear them with pride. The most important consideration is that you are comfortable in your glasses and love wearing them. Because if you don’t love wearing them, you might take them off during a critical moment in your badminton team’s championship match and take a birdie right to the eyeball. Of course, we recommend otherwise.
What About Other Options?
If you don’t want to buy glasses, you can always opt for contact lenses, as long as your prescription allows for them. You can also shop for different types of glasses. For example, try progressive lenses instead of bifocals or transition lenses. These are options that can help correct different types of refractive errors with one prescription lens.
Safety Eyewear Options
Whether or not you need safety eyewear for work, you definitely need it at home. Basic lawn care, cleaning activities, and recreational games can pose a threat to your eye safety (we’re talking “you’ll-shoot-your-eye-out” level of eye dangers).
At Stoggles, we cover your eyes from top to bottom with safety features you won’t find on most standard safety glasses.
Side and Top Shields
Instead of wraparound lenses that can warp your prescription, we offer side and top shields molded directly to the frame of each pair of Stoggles to protect your eyes where they are most vulnerable; near your eyebrows and on your temples.
Blue Light Blocking Technology
If you’ve considered a pair of blue light glasses, say hello to Stoggles. Every pair comes standard with blue light filtering lenses to protect your eyes from blue light emitted from devices, as well as the sun.
UV Protection
Keeping your eyes safe from the sun is important, and the polycarbonate that we use to make our Stoggles keeps your eyes safe because it’s naturally UV-blocking. No tint — just clear lenses for days.
ANSI Z87.1-2020 Certification
You need shatter resistance, and we deliver. All Stoggles are ANSI Z87.1-2020 certified. That means you can sustain a blow to the face and still keep your vision, although we’d strongly discourage testing the validity of this claim if you value your facial structure.
The Best Fit for Your Face
Eye care is essential in keeping your vision crystal clear and ensuring your eyes are safe, but with so many stylistic options, it can be hard to know which frames are best for you. After your eye exam, shop around.
Want to save time and still look great? Shop Stoggles. We make it easy to check every requirement for eyewear on your list while still keeping style in mind. Got a prescription? We handle those in-house, saving you time and money.
This year, do something great for yourself. Stoggles are the hybrid eyewear that blurs the line between safety goggles and glasses and keeps your eyes (and your style) safe.
Sources:
Eye Safety at Home: Preventing Eye Injuries | American Academy of Ophthalmology
ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2020: Current Standard for Safety Glasses | ANSI
What is my face shape? How to determine your face shape once and for all | Today
