Glasses for a long face have two jobs: cover more of the face vertically and add width. In practice that means lenses with some depth, a strong top line, a frame at the full width of your cheekbones, details at the temples, and a bridge set low on the frame. Small, shallow frames do the opposite, leaving long stretches of face above and below them.
A long or oblong face measures at least 1.50 times as long as its cheekbone width, with forehead, cheekbones and jaw close in width. Face shape is a styling framework, not anatomy, so treat what follows as conventions about lines. The oblong face shape guide covers the numbers, and the Face Shape Calculator checks them for you.
Why depth and width matter on a long face
A frame interrupts the face. The more of the face it covers, and the stronger its horizontal lines, the more it breaks up the vertical. On a long face, every part of the frame can contribute: the depth of the lens covers length, the top rim draws a horizontal, and the temples add width at the sides.
Lens height: cover more of the face
Choose lenses that are deep for their width, closer to square than to a thin rectangle. In the mirror, a good depth reaches from about the line of your brows to the top of your cheekbones. Shallow lenses that sit in a narrow band at eye level leave the forehead and the lower face fully exposed.
Aviators are a useful example. Their teardrop lenses are deep, and the double bar at the top adds a second horizontal, so they suit a long face well. Deep round and oval frames work for the same reason.
Width and the temples
Aim for a total frame width close to your cheekbone width. A frame narrower than your face leaves strips of cheek visible at the sides and adds nothing across the face. Glasses frame size shows how to read the width from the numbers printed on a frame and how to compare it with your measurement.
To add width beyond that, use the sides of the frame rather than oversizing it. Decorative, thick or contrasting temple arms and end pieces carry the eye outward at the sides of the face. A frame that is simply wider than your face looks borrowed rather than balanced.
A low bridge, explained
“Low bridge” means two different things, and both come up when shopping.
- A bridge set low on the frame front. Here the bridge connects the lenses lower down, closer to their middle than to their top edge. Seen on the face, it crosses the nose lower and visually shortens it, which shortens the middle of a long face. A solid bridge in the frame color does this more than a thin or clear one.
- “Low bridge fit”. This is a fit category for people with a low or flat nasal bridge: frames with taller nose pads that keep the lenses off the cheeks. It is about comfort, not about shortening the face.
The style to avoid for a long face is the opposite of the first: a high or keyhole bridge, which shows more of the nose and adds length to the middle of the face.
Glasses for a long face at a glance
| Frame | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Deep square or rectangle | Very good | Covers length, strong top edge |
| Aviator | Very good | Deep lenses, double top bar |
| Browline | Good | Heavy horizontal at the brows |
| Deep round or oval | Good | Covers length; choose a defined top |
| Moderately oversized | Very good | Depth shortens the face |
| Cat-eye | Possible | Adds width at the top; choose a deep one |
| Narrow, shallow rectangle | Avoid | A thin band across a long face |
| Small frames, any shape | Avoid | Leave the length visible |
| Rimless | Avoid | Little line, little width |
Oversized frames and sunglasses
Moderately oversized frames are one of the easiest choices for a long face, as long as the extra size goes into depth rather than width beyond the face. The same logic makes large sunglasses work well, and the sunglasses chart covers aviators, cat-eyes and oversized shapes for every face shape.
If you are on the border between oval and oblong, follow this guide for lens depth and the oval face shape guide for the rest. For frame color, see glasses frame color.