Fashion Friday

Mommy Mastering: Sun glass Shape

The one accessory that I can’t live without is my sunglasses.  I can’t have enough of them!  I have some that I got for 5 bucks at a flea market and some that cost me a little more then I probably should have spent.  But for your mommy style, whether you’re driving your kids to school, soccer practice, or having a lunch date with the girls, sunglasses are a necessity to staying stylish.  Below I will address the different face shapes and the appropriate style of glasses that will be the perfect fit.

General tips:

-Keep proportion in mind, not just facial but your body as well, if you’re 5’ 2” don’t buy the largest pair of shades you see at your favorite store.

-Never cover up strong cheek bones if you have them!

-If your frames angle downwards this WILL age you, upward frames lift the face.

-Generally, the shape of the frame should be in opposition to your face shape.

-If these are reading glasses, you should update them every two years

-Most importantly, sunglasses should ALWAYS be UV A/B protected!  This protects your eyes from harmful UV rays.

If you have…

An oval face:

-Almost any shape looks good on an oval face; they are just the lucky ones.

-Frames should be as wide as or just slightly wider than the broadest part of the face.

-Don’t go overboard; stay proportionate to your features.

An oblong face:

-An oval shape or other shapes with a strong horizontal line will help shorten the face and soften the angles.

-Decorative details can add width to the face.

-A low bridge and low temple will again shorten the face and can be extremely flattering.

A round face:

-Wide ovals, cat eyes and angular shapes diminish fullness to a round face.

-Higher temples will compliment this shape well.

-Frames should be wider then they are tall, the taller they are, the more full your face will look.

An inverted triangle:

-Frames with emphasis up top will compliment this face well; this includes aviators and half-frames

-Glasses should have an angle that goes inward at the bottom.

A heart shape:

-Oval shapes, slightly rounded or a butterfly shape looks great.

-The wideness of these shapes will soften the features and compliment the face shape.

A square shape:

-Curved shapes that are more horizontal and less vertical will soften angles on this face shape.

-With this face shape avoid flat bottomed frames, this will square out your face shape and make your angles look more prominent.

Some terms you should know about sunglasses!

Polarized:  These lenses reduce glare by absorbing reflections from horizontal surfaces, such as highways or pools of water.  This is highly recommended for mommies who do a lot of driving, or are outside for prolonged periods of time.

Photochromic:  These lenses are light sensitive:  They get darker as they are exposed to UV light, this allows you to wear them both indoors and outside! They usually will not darken in the car so you will still need sunglasses for driving.

Polycarbonate:  Made from a light weight plastic, these lenses offer amazing impact-resistance, so they are great for mommies who wear their glasses while playing sports, or in the sand box!  If they baby gets a hold of them, no worries, they WILL last!

Gradient tinted lenses:  They are treated so that the lens is dark at the top and gradually lightens as they get to the bottom.  These are useful when you want to cut out that overhead glare.

Colored Lenses:

You may think that coloration on a lens doesn’t make a difference but it does!

Green-gray:  This is the most popular color for lenses, because it filters light evenly and distorts color the least.  These lenses are great for bright, sunny days.

Brown to yellow:  These lenses distort color somewhat, but allow for a higher contrast by filtering out blue light.  They are helpful for driving on overcast days, hazy days and at dusk.

Purple, pink or blue:  Lenses this color should be saved primarily to make a statement, only because they distort color perception.