Choosing reading glasses isn’t just about finding the right magnification strength. The style of frame you choose makes a real difference to how you look and feel when wearing them. A well-chosen frame complements your features, while the wrong shape can feel slightly off – even if you can’t quite put your finger on why.
The good news is that there are no hard rules here. Personal style and confidence matter far more than any guideline. But if you’d like a starting point, understanding your face shape is a helpful way to narrow down which frame styles are likely to suit you best.
How to Determine Your Face Shape
Before exploring frame recommendations, it helps to identify your face shape. Here’s a simple way to do it.
Stand in front of a mirror in good lighting, pull your hair back from your face, and look straight ahead. Pay attention to three things: the width of your forehead relative to your jaw, whether your face is longer than it is wide (or roughly equal), and whether your jawline is angular, rounded, or pointed.
Most people’s faces fall into one of four broad categories: oval, round, square, or heart-shaped. Many people are a blend of two shapes, which is perfectly normal – the categories are guidelines, not boxes.
Oval Face
An oval face is gently rounded with balanced proportions – slightly wider at the cheekbones, with a forehead and jaw of similar width. It’s often considered the most versatile face shape for glasses.
What works well: Almost any frame shape suits an oval face, so you have the luxury of choosing based purely on personal style. Bold rectangular frames, soft rounded shapes, oversized styles, and rimless designs all tend to look great.
Worth trying: This is a good face shape for experimenting with bolder, more statement-making frames if you’re inclined. Geometric shapes and thicker frames can add character without overwhelming your features.
Round Face
A round face has soft, curved lines with roughly equal width and length. The cheekbones are the widest point, and the jawline and forehead are rounded.
What works well: Angular and rectangular frames add definition and contrast to soft features. Wider frames that extend slightly beyond the widest part of your face can create a lengthening effect.
Worth trying: Bold rectangular readers, slightly oversized square frames, or angular cat-eye styles for a more distinctive look.
Best to avoid: Perfectly round frames tend to echo the face shape rather than complement it, which can make the face appear rounder.
Square Face
A square face has a strong, angular jawline with a broad forehead. The width and length of the face are roughly equal, and the lines are more defined than curved.
What works well: Rounded or oval frames soften angular features and create a pleasing contrast. Rimless and semi-rimless styles work particularly well, as they don’t add additional hard lines to the face.
Worth trying: Oval readers, soft rounded rectangles, rimless styles, or frames with subtle curves.
Best to avoid: Very angular, boxy frames can emphasise the squareness of the jaw rather than balance it.
Heart-Shaped Face
A heart-shaped face is widest at the forehead and narrows towards the chin. The cheekbones are often prominent, and the jawline comes to a softer or more pointed finish.
What works well: Frames that are wider at the bottom or have low-set detailing help balance a broader forehead. Light, delicate frames – including rimless and semi-rimless styles – keep the overall look proportional without adding visual weight to the upper face.
Worth trying: Light-coloured frames, rimless readers, oval shapes, or frames with rounded bottom edges.
Best to avoid: Heavy, top-heavy frames or very wide styles that emphasise the forehead.
Beyond the Guidelines
While face shape is a useful starting point, it’s far from the only thing that matters. Here are some other factors worth considering when choosing your reading glasses.
Skin tone and frame colour. Warm skin tones tend to suit gold, tortoiseshell, warm brown, and olive frames. Cooler skin tones often pair well with silver, black, blue, and grey. Neutral tones have the widest range to choose from.
Your wardrobe and lifestyle. Think about when and where you’ll wear your glasses most. A classic, understated frame works well for professional settings, while bolder colours and shapes can make more of a style statement for everyday or social wear.
Comfort and fit. No matter how good a frame looks, it won’t work for you if it pinches behind the ears, slides down your nose, or feels heavy after an hour. At Reading Glasses Direct, all our Magnif Eyes reading glasses are designed with careful attention to bridge width and temple fit for lasting comfort.
Multiple pairs for different occasions. At our prices, there’s no reason to settle for just one pair. Many of our customers keep different styles for different settings – a bold pair for going out, a lightweight pair for the desk, and a compact pair for travel.
Find Your Style
The best reading glasses are the ones you feel confident wearing. Whether you prefer understated elegance, bold colour, or barely-there rimless frames, our collection of over 50 styles has options to suit every face shape and personal preference – all from just £10.99.