Selecting Your Most Flattering Pair of Prescription Eyeglasses
In my post Aging and failing eyesight, I talk about my shock at discovering that my faithful 20/20 vision eyes were no longer operating as they used to be. A trip to my ophthalmologist confirmed that I needed reading glasses.
This part was easy. The next part filled me with dread.
Picking out frames! UGH!
Fortunately, I took one of my daughter’s with me, who has an eye (smile) for that sort of thing. But what if you are alone on the hunt for the perfect frames?
Silver & Grace contributer, Jocelyn Gibbons, provides us with a guide for picking out flattering frames to enhance your own unique style.
Pretty universally, after 40 even women with former 20/20 vision start experiencing presbyopia—or age-related near vision loss. Basically, this means that no matter your former vision status, after 40 you enter the world of glasses (or choose to squint a whole lot!).
Before you choose to squint—know that glasses no longer have to mean dull, old, or frumpy. By considering your own facial attributes, you can find a pair of glasses that fix your vision and flatter your look, helping you enhance (not cramp) your style.
Face Shape
By knowing your own face shape, you can choose glasses frames that flatter you. Figure out your face shape simply by looking at yourself in the mirror—does your face look like an oval? A round circle? A boxy square? The seven basic face shapes—and their recommended frames—are:
- Round—square and angled frames (never round)
- Oval—any frame is universally flattering
- Square—round, curved, and some stretched-rectangular frames
- Oblong—frames that are deeper than they are wide
- Heart—rimless frames or frames that are more narrow at the top than at the bottom
- Diamond—round or cat-eyed frames
- Base-Down Triangle—round, angled, or cat-eyed frames
Features
The next step to finding a great pair of glasses is to figure out your facial likes and dislikes and using your glasses as a tool to emphasize (or deemphasize) them. Now think: what facial features do you love (or dislike) about yourself? Pick a pair of frames that draw attention to your assets . . . and minimize your “weaknesses.”
For example, if you have great eyes, choose a frame that draws the eye “up” by either selecting a bold color, considering a more top-heavy frame, or trying a semi-rimless frame (which has a rim only on the top of your glasses).
Style
Even if a pair of frames makes you look amazing, if you don’t feel comfortable wearing them, you won’t. Find a glasses that speak to you and are your style. You don’t have to wear traditional frames if you consider yourself more hip and modern; on the other hand, don’t feel pressured to buy a fad that you’ll never want to wear. Be confident in your own skin—and show that confidence with your choice in glasses.
Shop Smart
Now’s the really fun part—shopping! Save major money by shopping for eyeglasses online or at discount stores instead of at the eye doctor’s office. Just remember to start your glasses search by consider your face and features—narrowing the thousands of options down to frames that will look good on you. Then figure out which of those frames you really like. Easy as that.
Get To It
Needing vision correction doesn’t mean having to sacrifice your personality or style to your frames. We all need a little bit of seeing help as we get older—don’t get upset, see glasses as another opportunity to express yourself and look marvelous. Just shop smart using these few tips, shop online or at discount stores for huge savings, and you’ll soon be seeing well again with your perfect pair of glasses.
I would love to hear your thoughts
Do you wear glasses? If so, do you feel they add to your appearance and sexiness?
More information!
Jocelyn Gibbons has a background in both creative and technical writing. She is currently the creative marketing director for Just Eyewear, an online prescription glasses retailer.
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Hi Eliza, I followed a link here from Barbara Swafford’s blog. I do wear glasses, but mostly only when driving. I have been wearing them for about 14 years and when I was first prescribed glasses I chose some I thought were the bees knees and made me look fabulous. 14 years on and I was still wearing the same glasses, although the lenses had been changed a few times as the prescription altered. They were dated and quite frankly looked pretty awful. This year when my prescription changed I decided it was time to invest in some new frames! The transformation was amazing, I went and got a new haircut, bought some new clothes, walked taller…I even wrote about the effect it had on me on my blog! They made me feel like a million dollars!
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
@Mandy – hi, and I am so glad you came for a visit from Barbara’s fantastic blog. Funny how we will change our clothes on a seasonal basis and as mood strikes, but we hold onto our glasses. Mr Very Right FINALLY updated his very outdated glasses in the Fall. Mine are new enough to still be current
I actually feel different when I put them on. Sort of that sexy intelligent librarian thing going on *grin*