How to choose a new pair of sunglasses

Yes, they’re a fashion accessory but for me, they’re also a functional wardrobe staple—protecting my sight from harmful UV rays, impending crow’s feet (ugh, I have enough wrinkles, thank you!) and allowing me to get out and about in the sunshine without squinting.

When it comes to shopping for sunnies, there are plenty of shapes and styles to choose from: aviators, round lenses, cat-eyes, oversized, oval and rectangular. And now they are popping up in all kinds of colours and patterns—from your classic black frames, to coloured tortoise-shell, shiny metallics and even candy-coloured pastels.

When it comes to finding a new pair of shades, the main aim is to find a pair that complements your face shape, and the general rule is the that shape of your sunglasses should be opposite of your face shape.

But what if you don’t know what shape your face is? After all, surely a face is just a face? Um. Apparently there are MANY face shapes, although most fall into one of these five categories (thanks Google):

To get an idea of your face shape, measure the distance from your hairline to your chin, and across your cheeks, forehead and jawline. Compare these measurements to one another to figure out if you’re a square, round, oval or triangle. (If you need more help, check out this Rachael Ray article and video.)

Once you’ve found your face shape (I’m pretty sure I’m a Heart or Universal), you can look for the best shapes frames to complement your features.

I can’t deny that the Ray-Ban New Wayfarers are my all-time favourite sunglasses (I think I’m on to my 5th pair); they’re timeless, classic and compatible with almost all face shapes.

They’ve also firmly cemented their place in fashion history after being worn by icons including Audrey Hepburn, JFK, Tom Cruise (who could forget that Risky Business scene?) and even Taylor Swift.

However, I recently branched out and ordered a pair of unisex Tom Ford tortoiseshell sunglasses from VisionDirect.com.au. The style I chose had some Wayfarer-vibes, although slightly more rounded lenses and a gold bar across the top.

I loved their retro style and tortoiseshell is so hot right now when it comes to accessories—plus it’s flattering on most skin tones and goes with pretty much any colour/print!

When I ordered them, I did intend to give them to my boyfriend as a little “we’re going on holidays” gift (while sneakily knowing I could also wear them), but our relationship ended before they arrived, so I thought I’d keep them for myself. Kind of like a consolation prize, I guess.

And while they are a little loose on my face, they’ve worked a treat over the past few weeks, even popping up in a few of my outfit posts, although I’m not sure they’ll knock my Wayfarers off top spot just yet!