What a small face needs from a frame
Three things, and the first is the one most people miss.
- A narrow front. The total width of the frame, from the outer edge of one lens to the other, has to match the width of the face at the temples. Too wide and the frame overhangs the face; the lenses show beyond the cheeks and the temples splay out before they reach the ears.
- A short bridge. A small face usually has eyes set closer together, so the gap between the lenses has to be short, or the eyes sit toward the inside of each lens and the frame looks as if it belongs to someone else.
- A shallow lens. A lens that is tall from top to bottom covers too much of a small face, hides the eyebrows and rests on the cheeks. A shallower lens leaves the face room to breathe.
How to tell a frame is too big
With the frame on, in the mirror, five signs. The lenses extend past the sides of the face. The eyebrows disappear above the top rim. The lower rim rests on the cheeks or lifts when you smile. The frame slides down the nose within a minute of putting it on, even though the nose is not the problem. And the temples angle outward from the hinge rather than running straight back to the ears. Any two of those together mean the frame is a size too big, and no adjustment at an optician will shrink a front that is too wide. The how should glasses fit guide covers the full fit check; the glasses touching cheeks and glasses keep sliding down guides cover the two symptoms that a too-big frame causes most often.
The three numbers on the temple
Inside one temple of almost every frame there are three numbers, and they are the size of the frame. The first is the width of one lens, the second is the width of the bridge between the lenses, the third is the length of the temple. The glasses measurements guide explains how to read them and what counts as small, medium and large. For a small face the useful trick is this: take a pair you already own that fits, read its three numbers, and shop for frames whose first two numbers are the same or smaller. The temple length matters less, because a temple can be bent at the ear; a front that is too wide cannot be narrowed.
Shapes that suit a small face
A small face does not need a particular shape; it needs the right size of whatever shape you like. That said, some shapes carry small better than others.
- Cat eyes, compact. The lift at the outer corner adds width where a small face wants it, at the brow, without adding depth. A compact cat eye is the shape that most flatters a small face, and an oversized one is the shape that least does.
- Panto and crown panto. The rounded lens with a flat or keyhole top is naturally shallow and the frame front is narrow, which is why it has been the small face frame for a century.
- Rounded retro frames. A round or rounded lens in a thin rim stays small in all three numbers and adds softness.
- Small geometric frames. A hexagon or a multi-cut geometric shape in a thin rim adds interest without adding size; the angles do the work the size would otherwise do.
Shapes to be careful with: the oversized square and the oversized cat eye, both of which are cut big on purpose, and the aviator, whose teardrop lens is deep by design. None is impossible on a small face, but each needs a frame cut small, and few are.
Rims, materials and weight
The rim adds visual size on top of the lens size. A thick acetate rim makes a frame look bigger than its numbers; a thin rim, a metal rim or a half rim makes it look smaller. So a small face can wear a slightly larger lens if the rim is thin, and should wear a smaller lens if the rim is thick. The thin frame glasses guide covers the look.
Weight matters too, for a reason that is easy to miss: a small face has a small nose, and a small nose has less surface to carry a frame. A heavy frame on a small nose slides, however well it fits at the bridge. Ultem, the ultra-light polymers and titanium are the materials that solve this, ranked in the lightweight glasses guide.
Keeping a small frame on
A frame that is the right size can still slide if the bridge is wrong for the nose, and small faces often come with lower nose bridges. Two details fix it. Nose pads on arms can be set in or out to hold the frame at the right height; the nose pads for glasses guide explains how, and the adjustable nose pad glasses collection lists the frames with them. And a bridge cut lower and wider keeps a frame level on a nose that does not rise much between the eyes; many of our frames are cut that way, listed in the low bridge fit eyeglasses collection. Spring hinges help as well, because they let the temples hold a narrow head with a light, even grip rather than pinching or gaping.
MUJOSH glasses for small faces
Five frames from the eyeglasses collection, ranked by how compact they read in the product photographs, most compact first. Every frame's three numbers are on its product page; compare them with a pair that fits you before ordering.
- Trendy Diamond, $99: a diamond-cut cat eye in acetate with a low bridge fit, two colourways. The compact cat eye described above: the lift at the corners adds width at the brow, the lens stays shallow, and the lower bridge cut keeps it off the cheeks.
- Alio XZ, $99: a crown panto in ultra-light material with spring hinges and a low bridge fit, three colourways. The classic small face shape in the lightest material in the range, with spring hinges for a narrow head.
- Halo, $119: a lightweight retro frame in a rounded shape, in acetate with adjustable nose pads, two colourways. The rounded lens stays small; the pads on arms set the height on a small nose.
- Ultem, $99: a geometric multi-cut frame in lightweight Ultem with a mortise and tenon hinge, five colourways. The thin rim keeps the visual size down and the angles add interest without size; read its numbers against yours, because a geometric front can run a touch wide.
- Beta Pitot, $135: a square-round with beta-titanium temples and a low bridge fit, two colourways. The softened square for a small face that wants a little more presence; the thin titanium temples keep the sides light.
For the sun version of this question the sunglasses for small faces guide ranks the sun range, and for the opposite problem the glasses for wide faces guide covers frames cut big.
The bottom line
Glasses for small faces are a size question before a shape question: a narrow front, a short bridge and a shallow lens. Lenses past the sides of the face, hidden eyebrows, a rim on the cheeks, sliding and splayed temples are the signs a frame is too big, and a wide front cannot be adjusted smaller. Read the three numbers on a pair that fits and shop for the same or smaller. Compact cat eyes, pantos, rounded retro frames and small geometrics carry small best; thin rims and light materials make any size look and feel smaller; nose pads, a lower bridge cut and spring hinges keep a small frame on. In the MUJOSH range, Trendy Diamond and Alio XZ are the most compact, Halo and Ultem follow, and Beta Pitot is the square for a small face that wants presence.
The style half of the subject, the narrow frame look worn by choice, is in the small glasses guide.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my glasses are too big for my face?
The lenses extend past the sides of the face, the eyebrows vanish above the rim, the lower rim rests on the cheeks, the frame slides within a minute, or the temples angle outward from the hinge. Two of those together mean the frame is a size too big.
What glasses shapes suit a small face?
Compact cat eyes, pantos and crown pantos, rounded retro frames and small geometric shapes, all in a thin rim. Oversized squares, oversized cat eyes and aviators are cut big by design and rarely come small enough.
Can a frame be adjusted to fit a small face?
Temples can be bent at the ear and nose pads can be set in or out, so a frame that is a little long or sits a little low can be fixed. A front that is too wide cannot be narrowed; that is a size problem and the answer is a smaller frame.
Which MUJOSH glasses are best for a small face?
By how compact they read: Trendy Diamond (compact cat eye) and Alio XZ (crown panto) first, then Halo (rounded retro) and Ultem (thin geometric), then Beta Pitot (square-round). Compare each frame's three numbers on its page with a pair that fits you.
What glasses suit a narrow face?
A narrow face needs a frame that does not overhang at the temples, a lens that is not too deep for the space between brow and cheek, and a thin or medium rim rather than a thick one. Small ovals, pantos and geometric cuts in thin metal or thin acetate suit it best, and a round frame should be a soft panto rather than a full circle, which can read wide. In the MUJOSH range Ultem and Alio XZ are the thin, high-sitting frames; the small glasses guide covers the narrow frame look.
