Overview of Face Shapes and Eyeglass Frames

As stated above, there are seven basic face shapes and you should always be aware of which face shape you have in order to determine which eyeglasses will suit you best. Making sure that you determine which face shape you have and that you choose an eyeglass frame to fit your shape, you will want to follow the subsequent guidelines. A round face has curved lines and the width and length are in the same proportions with no angles. For choosing the correct eyeglasses for a round face, you should try angular narrow eyeglass frames to lengthen the shape of your face and look for a set of eyeglasses that has a wider structure than long, such as a rectangular shape. An oval face is believed to be the perfect face shape due to its equal proportions. To keep your faces physical balance, look for a set of eyeglasses that are as wide as the broadest part of the face. Base-down Triangle face shapes are narrow at the forehead and widen around the cheek and chin. To best proportion the top half of the face, choose an eyeglass that is wider in shape. A Base-up Triangle face has a wider top third and a narrow bottom third. To best adjust the scope of your face, chose a lighter color frame or possibly a rimless frame as these will draw less attention to the top third of your face.

A square face shape has a strong jaw line and a broad forehead while the width and length are generally in the same proportions. To make your face look longer, try narrow frames that have more width than depth. Diamond shape face structures are narrow at the jaw line and eye line while the cheekbones are generally wider. Even though this is the rarest face shape, you can still find eyeglasses to compliment it by choosing a frame that have detailed brow-lines or are rimless and possibly cat-eye shaped. The oblong face shape is commonly longer than it is wide and has a long straight cheek line. To make the face seem shorter and more balanced, try a frame that has top-to-bottom depth so it will add depth to the face structure.

Colors of your skin, hair and eyes will effect your decision

Skin tone is a primary factor in determining the right eyeglass color. All tones fall into two different color bases – blue (cool) or yellow (warm). A cool complexion has blue or pink traces while a warm complexion has a “peaches and cream” or yellow shine. Eye color is usually a second rate reason in choosing your eyeglasses due to the wide range of eye colors. For example, blue eyes can range from a cool almost violet color all the way to a pale-blue, which is a warm color. Brown eyes can range from a light shade which is cool, all the way to a dark almost black warm color. Hair colors are also considered either cool or warm. Strawberry Blond, white, salt-and-pepper gray, and light brown are all cool colors. Golden blond, flat black, brown-gold, red and “dirty” gray are all considered warm colors. Once you have determined if you are a cool or warm color, you will then be able to find the eyeglasses that will best suit your needs. Some examples of frame colors for cool coloring are black, dark brown, blue-gray, plum, magenta, blue and a dark turquoise. Warm coloring will be best fit to wear frames with the following colors: gold, copper, peach, light tan, orange, coral, bright red, off-white, warm blue and light turquoise.

Final decision when choosing your eyeglasses

At the end of the day, you must be completely happy with your choice in eyeglasses because you will be the only one wearing them every day and you will need to be content with your choice so that you will want to wear your eyeglasses daily and in turn will keep your eyesight the same or better in the long run. This is a guideline to help you choose the best frame to suit your shape and coloring, but you ultimately will be the one making the deciding vote. We do recommend that you follow this format when choosing your eyeglasses as well as do the Vision Council of America (VCA). Remembering to choose the right eyeglass frames based upon your face shape and your warm or cool coloring will ensure that you are selecting the correct eyeglasses.

Proper care of the tie will ensure that there is no wearing of the fabric and prevents damage to the tie. The most common mistake in the caring is at the end of the tie-wearing time period. Most of us have a tendency to just yank off the tie and pull hard to untie the knot.

To avoid damage to the tie while taking it off and untying it, exercise a little patience. Carefully loosen the tie and take it off and then untie the knot. The best way to untie is to reverse the steps used to tie the knot. After untying, loosely roll up the tie and store it.

It is highly recommended that even as a novice tie wearer, you never store your tie without untying its knot. It can lead to permanent wrinkles on the tie. Keep a few days space between wearing the same tie. This allows the tie to return to its wrinkle-free state.

Always store your ties by loosely rolling them. To roll a tie, begin by holding the narrow end against your palm, and then winding up the rest of the tie, with the wide end on the outside. Lay the roll on a flat surface on the coiled side. This will ease out the wrinkles in a few hours, leaving your tie fresh for use again. Same method is used to store ties while traveling. Another way to store ties can be to invest in a tie organizer or a tie case.

If you get a stain on your tie, take it to the dry cleaner and explain the origin of the stain. Silk ties do not fare well in dry cleaning, so the stained tie is either treated by hand or replaced with another one. Do not machine wash ties as it stretches and spoils the tie.

Do not pull any loose thread on the tie; carefully trim it down with the help of scissors.

You can lightly iron the tie (without steam) at low temperatures to smooth out some wrinkles.  Hot ironing is not good for ties as it weakens the fabric. Use the appropriate fabric setting while ironing the tie.

You can also steam out the wrinkles by hanging the tie in the bathroom during a hot shower, or by holding it over a kettle with steam. You must not allow water to touch the tie though. To dry the tie, roll it up in a clean towel and leave for one day. You will have a wrinkle free tie the next day.

Washing your tie can lead to shrinkage so you must avoid hand or machine washing, instead trust a dry cleaner with your tie. If you dry clean silk ties or they will lose their luster and color. Also keep water away from your silk ties as it will stain them. Keep cologne away from your tie. It is the fastest way to ensure your tie loses color. Blot any stain on your tie, but do not rub it. Rubbing will spread the strain. Some patience and a little careful handling can give your tie longevity and durability.