Glasses don't have to look bad!

Hi, you hot hipsters!

It occurs to me that some of my fabulous followers may be, as the French say," of a certain age "where such things as reading glasses become not just another accessory but a necessity. Is one of them you? Do you look at reading glasses as a momentary glitch in your perfection or as a necessary evil? Are you convinced that reading glasses are the exclusive province of librarians and second grade teachers in the 1950's? Think again! If you don't wear reading glasses, chances are you wear sunglasses at least and maybe even regular prescription lenses at times, instead of contacts. Well, either way, if one must wear them one should wear them with flair, panache and style. So which ones look best on you?

What style of glasses, reading, full prescription or sunglasses, depends on the shape of your face, along with your coloring. Thought you could just buy 'em at Smith's? Not until you know that face of yours and what makes it look stunning! So listen up! The wrong glasses can make you look like Mr. Magoo, whereas the right ones can give you more mystery than Jackie O and Greta Garbo combined. There are basically seven shapes of faces and which one you were born with determines which glasses will look like they were made for you. Hair-color and eyecolor will determine whether you want to boast a colorful plastic frame or stick with a neutral. So...got a round face? Rectangular glasses make your face look longer and thinner by breaking up the round. The second shape of face is the oval. Here you want an oval shape with the widest part of the oval being as wide or wider than the broadest part of your face. This gives your face a bit more width and dimension. See what we're driving towards? Not blending into the face but accentuating it. With the third face shape, the square, your chin, cheekbones and forehead are all in proportion with a fairly flat hairline. This shape of face benefits from wide horizontal or oval shapes to soften the jawline and create a bit more width. Shape four is the oblong, often mistaken for the oval but more squared off and with stronger features. This face requires strong shapes. Horizontal, round or cat's eye all work, as long as they are strong, not delicate. The right frames will make your face look shorter and wider. Another face shape and probably the most rare, is the true heart-shaped face. Broad, high cheekbones and a pointed chin need frames that are bottom-heavy, like some aviators,  to draw the eye below the middle of the face and add a bit of fullness. This shape of face can wear many of the wider, colorful plastic frames that are so on-trend. (Just don't spend too much on them unless you've got Kim Kardashian's shopping budget - this trend could reverse as quickly as it emerged!)

The last two face shapes are the diamond shape and the triangle shape, which resembles the heart but is much more angular. Because the triangle is half of the diamond, it seems reasonable that the diamond face will look good in rounded-bottom glasses, like a cat's eye, whereas the triangle face needs the strong square shape of a classic aviator. Both of these glasses shapes are all the rage right now and since these facial structures are so strong, they can wear color and pattern. In other words, if you have a strongly shaped face, forget those delicate little cheaters and bust out! If you need these glasses, they're as much a part of your wardrobe as your jeans and chances are you'll wear them even more often, so investing in them is not a waste.  Find frames you really like and have prescription lenses put in! You don't have to settle for what's on the rack at Costco! The traditional cheater probably looks great on those of you with round or oval faces and the slightly heavier ones with brighter colors can really rock an oblong or square face. But don't stop there. Grab a pair of Ray-Bans, you heart-shapes and triangles, and have colored cheater lenses put in at your optician's office. What a fashion statement - how stylish - how YOU!

So - not just for Chemistry teachers with steel gray hair and plaid skirts, right? The right glasses are just as necessary to your look as they are to your vision. Embrace your inner myopic! Glasses are as important as earrings! Sunglasses are the new Botox! (Ok, I may be going a bit overboard but I'm trying to stir you away from lens-complacency!)  Try 'em! And remember, "trend" is today, "style" is forever!