What makes a face heart shaped
Three things together. The forehead is the widest part of the face, or level with the cheekbones. The cheekbones are high and prominent. And the chin is narrow and tapers to a point, so the jaw is short rather than squared. Many heart shaped faces also have a widow's peak hairline, which is where the name comes from, but the chin is the detail to check. If the forehead is wide and the chin is also wide, the face is square or oval; if the forehead and chin are both narrow and the cheekbones carry the width, it is a diamond, which takes similar frames. The face shape guide has the mirror method if you are unsure.
The rule: weight at the bottom, not the top
Most frames are heaviest at the top, where the brow bar and the top rim sit, and lightest at the bottom. On a heart shaped face that puts the frame's weight on the widest part of the face and leaves the narrow chin on its own, which makes the forehead look wider and the chin smaller. The fix is a frame that is light or thin at the top and carries its visual weight low: a lens that is wider at the bottom than the top, a thin or absent top rim, or a rim that is darkest along the lower edge.
The second thing a heart shaped face wants is a frame that is no wider than the cheekbones. Width past the face adds to the top half, which is the half that has enough.
The shapes that work best
- Aviator. The first choice. The teardrop lens is wider at the bottom than the top, the thin wire rim adds almost nothing at the brow, and the drop of the lens draws the eye down toward the chin. The aviator guide explains why the shape suits almost everyone; on a heart shaped face it is the shape the proportions were made for.
- Round and oval. A round lens adds curve and fullness at the cheek and jaw line, where a heart shaped face is narrow, and a round frame in a thin rim does it without weight at the top. An oval is the quieter version. Keep the lens on the smaller side; a large round lens can widen the top of the face again.
- Rimless and half rim. No top rim means nothing added to the brow. A rimless frame lets the face show and keeps the weight at the bottom edge of the lens, which is exactly where a heart shaped face wants it. The rimless guide covers what the lens then has to carry structurally.
- Soft cat eye. A surprise on this list, because the cat eye lifts at the corner. The version that works is a soft one, rounded along the bottom of the lens with a gentle lift, which adds width at the cheekbone line without a heavy top rim. A sharp, square cat eye with a thick upper rim is the version to avoid.
The two to approach with care
Oversized frames with a heavy top rim. Thick acetate squares, browline frames and anything with a bold brow bar put the weight exactly where the face is already wide. They make a heart shaped face look top heavy and the chin disappear. If you want a bold frame, choose one where the rim is thickest along the bottom.
Sharp cat eyes and upswept shapes. A dramatic sweep at the outer corner points the frame outward and up, which echoes the wide forehead and emphasises the taper below. A soft cat eye works; a sharp one does not.
Width: the check that decides it
Stand at a mirror, look straight ahead, and find the outer edge of each lens. On a heart shaped face it should sit level with the cheekbones or slightly inside them, not level with the temples. A frame as wide as the forehead reads as too big because the face narrows below it. This is the one face shape where a slightly narrower frame is the safer choice, and it is also why heart shaped faces often do well with frames meant for small faces; the small faces guide has the narrow frame checks.
Then look at height. The top rim should sit just under the brow and the lens should come down toward the cheekbone without resting on it. A lens that is tall and wide at the top makes the face top heavy; a lens that is deeper at the bottom balances it.
The how sunglasses should fit guide has the full set of checks, including the cheek test and the brow test.
Fit: why the frame has to sit where it was drawn to sit
An aviator or round frame only balances a heart shaped face if it sits level and at the height the designer intended. A frame that slides down the nose drops the lens toward the chin, which sounds like it should help and does the opposite: the frame now sits too low, the top rim cuts across the eyes, and the whole pair reads as too big. The low bridge fit sunglasses collection carries frames cut to sit where they should; many of our frames are made that way, and on an aviator the adjustable nose pads let you set the height yourself.
Heart shaped face sunglasses for women and men
The shapes hold for both; the proportions shift. On a man's heart shaped face a thin metal aviator or a rimless rectangle with a deeper lens does the balancing without drawing attention to the shape. On a woman's heart shaped face a soft cat eye or a round frame in a light colour adds the width at the cheekbones while keeping the brow clear, and a lighter rim colour, metal or a translucent acetate, keeps the top of the frame from reading as a line across the widest part of the face.
MUJOSH frames for a heart shaped face
Four frames from the sunglasses collection cover the four shapes above. The Retro Aviator is a classic metal aviator with balanced temples and adjustable nose pads at $119, the first frame to try. The LYF Cat Eye is a soft cat eye in polished acetate, rounded along the bottom of the lens and lifted gently at the corner, at $99, which is the cat eye version that works here. The Pearl-Accented is a rimless diamond cut sunglass with titanium temples, adjustable pads and polarized lenses at $99, the no top rim option. The Retro Round is a lightweight square round acetate with adjustable pads at $99, for the round shape with a little structure.
The bottom line
A heart shaped face wants its frame light at the top and wider at the bottom, no wider than the cheekbones, and sitting at the height it was designed for. Aviators, round and oval frames, rimless frames and soft cat eyes do that; heavy top rims and sharp sweeps do the opposite. Run the width check against the cheekbones rather than the temples, and the shape will take care of the rest. If your face is wide at the jaw instead, the square face guide is the one to read.
For everyday frames rather than sun lenses, the glasses for a heart shaped face guide applies the same rule to eyeglasses, where the rim is thinner and the lens shape does more of the work.
A narrow or wide oval with a thin top rim keeps the brow quiet; the oval sunglasses guide has the four oval shapes.
Frequently asked questions
What sunglasses suit a heart shaped face?
Aviators, round and oval frames, rimless frames and soft cat eyes with a rounded lower edge. All of them are light at the top and carry their width low, which balances a wide forehead against a narrow chin.
Which sunglasses should a heart shaped face avoid?
Oversized frames with a thick top rim, browline frames with a heavy brow bar, and sharp, upswept cat eyes. They add weight to the widest part of the face and make the chin look smaller.
Are aviators good for a heart shaped face?
They are the best shape for it. The teardrop lens is wider at the bottom than the top, the thin rim adds nothing at the brow, and the lens draws the eye down toward the chin. Choose one with adjustable nose pads so it sits at the right height.
Should sunglasses for a heart shaped face be wide or narrow?
Narrower than you might think. The lens edges should sit level with the cheekbones, not the temples, because the face narrows below them and a frame as wide as the forehead reads as too big.
