Eyeglasses for an oblong face

If you’ve ever shopped for glasses (or sunglasses), you know that different styles can significantly alter the way your face appears. That’s because not all frames suit all face shapes. 

In fact, your face shape plays a major part in whether certain frames will look good on you or not. 

Knowing things like your hair and skin types, as well as your face shape — whether it’s round, square, heart-shaped or something in between — will go a long way toward helping you find what works best for you. 

Luckily, if you have a long (oblong-shaped) face, you’ve hit the eyewear jackpot because many frame styles will work well for you — including perennially popular aviators. 

Oblong face shape 

Oblong faces are defined by their length — they are about twice as long as they are wide, which is why they’re also known as “long” faces.

With oblong-shaped faces, the forehead, cheekbones and jawline are roughly the same width. When this straight cheek line combines with length, it creates a sort of vertical rectangle. Oblong shapes share similarities with ovals, but they are not the same.

Oblong vs. oval face shape 

Often confused with oblong faces, oval-shaped faces are also longer than they are wide, with a softly curved jawline. But, in the case of oval faces, the forehead is always noticeably wider than the chin. One way of recognizing an oval face is to think of the shape of an egg placed upside down (with the wider end at the top). 

Meanwhile, oblong-shaped faces may appear oval, but they are longer from top to bottom (vertical measurement) and have less width at the forehead (horizontal measurement). Unlike ovals, this means there is less contrast between the width of the forehead and chin.