There are three keys to choosing the correct eyeglass frame for your face shape:

The frame shape should contrast with the face shape. The frame size should be in scale with the face size. Eyewear should repeat your personal best feature (such as a blue frame to match blue eyes). Also, while most faces are a combination of shapes and angles, there are seven basic face shapes: round, oval, oblong, base-down triangle, base-up triangle, diamond and square. Here is a further description of these face shapes and which types of frames work for each. A good optician can help you use these guidelines to choose your new eyeglasses.

Round

A round face has curvilinear lines with the width and length in the same proportions and no angles. To make the face appear thinner and longer, try angular narrow eyeglass frames to lengthen the face, a clear bridge that widens the eyes and frames that are wider than they are deep, such as a rectangular shape.

Oval

The oval face is considered to be the ideal shape because of its balanced proportions. To keep the oval's natural balance, look for eyeglass frames that are as wide as (or wider than) the broadest part of the face, or walnut-shaped frames that are not too deep or too narrow.

Oblong

The oblong face is longer than it is wide and has a long straight cheek line and sometimes a longish nose. To make the face appear shorter and more balanced, try frames that have a top-to-bottom depth, decorative or contrasting temples that add width to the face or a low bridge to shorten the nose.

Base-Down Triangle

The triangular face has a narrow forehead that widens at the cheek and chin areas. To add width and emphasize the narrow upper third of the face, try frames that are heavily accented with color and detailing on the top half or cat-eye shapes.

Base-Up Triangle

This face has a very wide top third and small bottom third. To minimize the width of the top of the face, try frames that are wider at the bottom, very light colors and materials, and rimless frame styles (which have a light, airy effect because the lenses are simply held in place to the temples by a few screws).

Diamond

Diamond-shaped faces are narrow at the eye line and jawline, and cheekbones are often high and dramatic. This is the rarest face shape. To highlight the eyes and bring out the cheekbones, try frames that have detailing or distinctive brow lines, or try rimless frames or oval and cat-eye shapes.

Square

A square face has a strong jaw line and a broad forehead, plus the width and length are in the same proportions. To make the square face look longer and soften the angles, try narrow frame styles, frames that have more width than depth and narrow ovals.

Three keys to color analysis are that ...

1. all people have either a warm (yellow-based) or cool (blue-based) coloring.
2. everyone looks best in his or her own color base.
3. eyewear color should complement personal coloring.

The main factors to determine the best color palette are the colors of the skin, eyes and hair.

Skin

Skin tone is the prime element in determining coloring. All complexions fall into one of two color bases — blue (cool) or yellow (warm). A cool complexion has blue or pink undertones, and a warm complexion has a "peaches and cream" or yellow cast. Olive skin is considered cool because it is a mixture of blue and yellow. (In the United States, cool, blue-based complexions are more common than the yellow-based warm complexions. About 60 percent of the population are "cools.")

Eyes

Eye colors are usually a secondary element in determining coloring because of the wide range of eye colors. For example, blue eyes can range from a cool almost-violet to a pale blue-gray, which is warm. Brown eyes can vary from a light cider shade (warm) through a medium-brown to a cool almost-black.

Hair

Hair colors are also considered warm or cool. Strawberry blond, platinum, blue-black, white, salt-and-pepper and "dishwater" brown are cool. Warm hair colors include golden blond, flat black, brown-gold, "carrot" and "dirty" gray.

Eyeglass Frame Colors

The most important issues in choosing eyewear specifically for children are safety, durability, cost, and “will they wear it?”. Regarding safety, children should only wear polycarbonate lenses. Cost and durability are related; you should not pay a lot for children’s eyeglasses as kids are likely to damage, lose or outgrow them. To limit these problems, look for spring hinges that allow for some flexibility and help to avoid breakage at the temples. Stronger frame materials like titanium or flexible frames will last longer, but generally cost more. You may want to buy two pairs of cheaper frames and lenses instead of one pair of expensive frames.

If your child is very active, you should consider cable temples that hold the glasses to the ears better, but can also be annoying and painful behind the ears. Finally (and most importantly) your child is more likely to wear the glasses if he/she “likes” them.

Shopping for eyeglass frames online for children is difficult because of the special considerations for smaller children. Take them to the store with you and let them help you choose the style and color that appeals to them.

Eyeglass frames are made out of many different composite materials and formulas, but the basic groupings are metal and plastic. In plastics, zyl is the most common although lower quality plastics are used in the cheaper frames. Nylon is often used in sport sunglasses due to its impact resistance and flexibility. Among the metals, monel is most common, followed by titanium, stainless steel, nickel silver, and aluminum. Follow these links to learn more about prescription glasses and prescription sunglasses.

Zyl eyeglass frames

Zyl is a short name for the material cellulose acetate, which is made of wood flakes, cottonseed fibers, stabilizers and plasticizers. Zyl is the most common plastic frame material because it can assume a large array of colors, textures and patterns. Temples and frame fronts can be cut from blocks of zyl extruded as a sheet of block acetate. Or, granular zyl can be liquefied and then injection molded. Block-cut zyl is stronger and more stable, while injection molded zyl is less stable and less expensive. With daily use in warm temperatures, zyl can shift and lose its form. Sometimes metal cores are added in the temples in order to strengthen and stabilize the frame. If zyl eyeglass frames reach a temperature over 160 degrees Fahrenheit, the plasticizers could rise to the surface of the frame, turning areas of the frame a milky white color. In addition, body oils, perspiration, ultraviolet radiation and cosmetics can also damage the material.

The best quality designer eyeglass frames are made with Italian Mazzuccheli zyl. Mazzuccheli now has factories in Italy and China, with the best quality and newest design materials coming from the Italian plants. All Mazzuccheli zyl is made in sheets, which are then cut in the eyewear factories.

Monel eyeglass frames

Monel is composed of about two-thirds nickel and one-third copper. This highly ductile alloy can be hammered into a variety of different shapes without losing strength. It resists stress well is often use to stabilize frame bridges and endpieces. Monel colors well, is corrosion resistant, and durable. If you have an allergy to some metals, it is usually the nickel in the metal that causes allergic reactions.

Titanium eyeglass frames

Titanium is extremely lightweight and will not rust, making it a very popular and relatively new material for eyeglass frames. Titanium’s strength allows it to be made thin, but it is hard to solder or weld and is expensive. Titanium is a more expensive metal composite used in eyewear known for its beneficial qualities of strength, lightness, and flexibility. However, titanium is very difficult to color so titanium frames usually come in a very restricted range of eyeglass frame colors.

Eyeglass frames that are 100% titanium are also a “hypo-allergenic”—they do not contain any nickel which causes allergic reactions in some people. There are many other allergies (to plastics, stainless, and various other materials commonly used to make eyewear), and 100% titanium frames are a good choice for people with allergies to any of these materials. Many designer eyeglass frame brands use titanium in some part of their collection.

Stainless steel eyeglass frames

Stainless steel is comprised mostly of iron, with a mixture of nickel, manganese, and chromium. Stainless steel is highly lustrous, and makes a good thin and sturdy eyeglass frame with strong corrosion resistance. Although it is hard to make eyeglass frames with stainless steel due to soldering and welding difficulties, stainless steel temples are especially springy.

Nickel silver eyeglass frames

Sometimes called "Alpaca" or "German Silver", nickel silver is rigid compared to other more malleable metals. Nickel silvers contain more than 50% copper, 25% nickel, and the rest zinc (no silver at all). Copper adds pliability, zinc adds strength, and nickel gives it its namesake color, a whitish appearance, because when the nickel content exceeds 12% the copper color no longer shows through. Although the metal is lustrous, its brittleness makes it a poor choice for slender frame fronts and nose pads. Thus, it is better designed for use in hinges, endpieces, bridges and ornamental trims, as well as an innercore for temples.

Memory Metal eyeglass frames

Memory Metal is a trade name for flexible frame material. Flexible eyeglass frames are available in many compositions, but the goal is always the same. This kind of material is used in eyeglasses frames in order to reduce breakage. It is normally found in the shaft of the temple and in the bridge, and it allows these areas to endure tremendous twisting without breakage or permanent distortion of the frame’s shape.

Hypo-Allergenic eyeglass frames