I still remember the overwhelming feeling of walking into an optical shop for the first time. Hundreds of frames lined the walls, and I had no idea where to start. As someone with an oval face shape, I'd heard that I was "lucky" because supposedly any frame would work for me. But standing there surrounded by endless options, that advice felt more like a curse than a blessing.
Three years and many pairs of glasses later, I've learned what actually matters when choosing eyeglasses for oval face shapes. If I could go back and give my first-time self some advice, here's exactly what I'd say.
My first glasses were a disaster, though I didn't realize it at the time. I walked into the shop with my new prescription, feeling excited but clueless. The optician showed me a few frames, and I picked the first pair that didn't look obviously wrong. They were large, round, wire-rimmed glasses in silver.
I thought they looked fine in the store mirror. The optician said they suited my face, so I trusted that assessment. I paid, waited for my lenses to be fitted, and picked them up a week later feeling confident about my choice.
It took about two weeks of wearing them daily before I realized something was off. In photos, my face looked rounder and softer than usual. The large round frames made my oval face appear almost circular. They also kept sliding down my nose, forcing me to constantly push them back up—a habit that quickly became annoying.
The frames were too wide for my face, extending beyond my temples. The bridge was too wide for my nose, which explained the constant sliding. And the round shape, while not terrible, did nothing to enhance my features. They were just... there. Functional but unflattering.
After my disappointing first experience, I started researching how to choose glasses for oval face shapes properly. What I discovered changed everything.
The advice that "any frame works for oval faces" is technically true but practically useless. Yes, an oval face can wear most frame styles without looking bad, but that doesn't mean every frame will look good. There's a huge difference between "not bad" and "actually flattering."
I learned that the goal isn't just to avoid looking bad—it's to enhance your natural features. For oval faces, this means adding structure and definition to complement the soft, balanced proportions. Round frames, like my first pair, don't do this. They just mirror the roundness of your face without adding any visual interest.
My second attempt at buying glasses was much more successful. Armed with research and a better understanding of what I needed, I chose rectangular frames with a slight angle. The difference was immediately obvious.
The angular lines of the rectangular frames added structure to my face. They made my features appear more defined and gave my face a more sculpted look. The frames were properly sized—they aligned with the widest part of my face at the cheekbones and didn't extend beyond my temples.
Most importantly, they stayed in place. The bridge width was appropriate for my nose, and the temple length was correct for my head size. I could wear them all day without constantly adjusting them or feeling uncomfortable.
These frames taught me that fit matters just as much as style. A beautifully styled frame that doesn't fit properly will never look good, no matter how perfect it seems in theory.
One of my biggest mistakes as a first-time glasses buyer was ignoring the numbers printed inside the frames. I had no idea what they meant, and I didn't think to ask. Now I know these measurements are crucial for finding glasses that actually fit.
Frame measurements typically include three numbers: lens width, bridge width, and temple length. For my oval face, I discovered that I need frames with a lens width of 50-52mm, a bridge width of 16-18mm, and temple length of 140-145mm. Your measurements might differ, but knowing them makes shopping for glasses infinitely easier.