Teen Eyeglass Frames:
Five Tips to Help You Look Fabulous

Picking out eyeglass frames can be overwhelming, but these five tips can help you pick a pair that will look fantastic on you. After all, if they're gathering dust on your night stand because you don't like how they look on you, you're missing out on seeing a lot of neat people and things.

If your face is angular or square, round and oval frames look best. The opposite is also true: if your face is round or oval, you'll look good in square and angular frames. Also, if the top of your face is wider than the bottom (often called heart-shaped), select a frame with a dramatic (wider, heavier, etc.) bottom edge to even out your face. Of course, if your face is wider on the bottom, choose a frame with a dramatic top edge.

The frame's bridge can affect how your eyes and nose look. A thin or clear bridge gives the illusion of width to close-set eyes, while a colored one will make wide-set eyes appear closer together. A low bridge will make your nose appear shorter.

For a clean and simple style, try rimless frames, like this one with lightweight nylon temples from Zyloware's Invincilites collection.

The frame color should complement your coloring, including skin tone (warm or cool), skin color (ranging from fair to dark) and hair color. It can be kind of hard to tell which skin tone you have; warm skin has a golden yellow tint, while cool skin has either blue or pink.

Still not sure? Take a look at your veins (they're easy to see in your wrists and feet, usually): if they seem mostly greenish, you have warm skin, while mostly blue veins mean you have cool skin.

Frame colors that look nice with warm skin include browns, most metals and splashy colors like turquoise. Colors that complement cool tones include grays, silver and muted colors.

The colors of your skin and hair play roles as well. Those who are light in coloring (ivory skin and blond hair, for example) look nice with faint-colored frames. Those with medium coloring (olive skin and brown hair, for example) look nice with light-colored metals and browns. Those with dark coloring (chocolate skin and black hair, for example) look nice with most metallic frames.

What if your coloring is kind of mixed, like fair skin and medium-brown hair? Try frames that match each coloring to see which suits you better.

Can't trust your own judgment? Absolutely bring a friend along to help you decide.
 

If you choose a frame that is too large, visual distortion and glare can occur. If your frame is too small, you limit your peripheral vision.

Generally, the frames shouldn't be wider than the widest part of your face, with the exception of frames for oval faces, which can be a little wider.

When you put on a pair of glasses, your eyes should look out of the center of each lens. The frames should not be so tight that they pinch your nose or leave red marks. Conversely, they should not be so loose that they slide down your nose. If they have nose pads, an eyecare professional can easily adjust them.

The top of the frames should not be above the eyebrow line and the bottom shouldn't touch your cheeks, so they don't irritate your skin. Finally, they should be comfortable around your ears. If your frames become uncomfortable over time, bring them back to your eyecare professional. Usually, readjustments are free. Never try to adjust frames yourself!

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