How To Determine The Shape Of Your Face And 6 Different Types

The shape of your face determines a lot, but have you ever wondered how to determine your face shape? A few factors can help you find out your face shape. Right from the glasses you put on to the accessories you wear, a lot depends on the shape of your face. Also, have you ever wondered why a certain makeup or haircut that looks gorgeous on a celebrity does not look half as good on you? Well, it is because haircuts and makeup are dependent on your face shape, too! So, if you are curious to find out your face shape, keep reading!

How To Determine The Shape Of Your Face?

Image: Shutterstock

When you’re trying to figure out the shape of your face, you must take into consideration these pointers:

• The widest part of your face.
• The shape of your jaw.
• The length of your face.

Step 1: Find The Widest Part Of Your Face

• Forehead: If your face is the widest at your forehead and slowly gets more angled towards your chin, you probably have a heart-shaped face. This is also called the inverted triangle.
• Cheekbones: Is your face widest near your cheekbones? Then, in this case, you have a diamond face shape.
• Jaw: You have a triangular or pear face shape if your jaw is the widest point of your face.
• Equal: If your forehead, cheekbones, and jaw are all equal, then the chances are that your face shape could be either oval, square or round.

To find out more about your face shape, keep reading!

Step 2: The Shape Of Your Jaw

• Pointy: You have a heart-shaped face if your chin is angled and you can clearly see your jaws meeting at a distinctive point.
• Square: If you have a strong wide jaw, you probably have a square-shaped face. Sometimes, when the jaw doesn’t appear to be that strong, you could also be a diamond face shape or triangle.
• Round: When you have a rounded jaw, you probably have an oval or a round face shape.

Step 3: The Length Of Your Face

• Short: A simple way to determine the length of your face is to draw an imaginary line horizontally below the eyes and vertically from the top of your head through the nose and towards the chin. If the horizontal to vertical ratio is one to one, then you have a round face.
• Average: Average faces are usually longer than they are wide, so if the horizontal to vertical ratio is one to one and a half, that’s the average shape. This is also what the majority of people have.
• Long: If you have a longer than average lower half, then it’s most likely that you have a long face. This means that the horizontal to vertical proportion is one to more than one and a half. You may fall into the oblong category.

Now that you know the various factors that will help you determine your face shape, let’s check out the different types of face shapes, shall we?

Different Types Of Face Shapes

Image: Shutterstock

You should have a fairly rough idea by now about your face shape, but if you still need a little more clarity, you can get some insight to be sure, so keep reading!

1. Round Face

You have a round face when the vertical to horizontal ratio is equal. The majority of your features are soft and rounded. You also probably have a round chin. Your cheeks are the widest part of your face, which gives it that rounded shape.

Celebrities With Round Face:

• Ginnifer Goodwin
• Mila Kunis
• Emma Stone

Editorial credit: s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

Makeup Tips For A Round Face

1. Arched Eyebrows: When you have a round face, it’s always better to add lines and definition to your makeup look. The first thing you should do is have well-defined brows. Do not keep the eyebrows rounded as this will make your face look even longer. Go for an angled arch while shaping and filling in your brows.
2. Contour: Contour those cheeks! When you have a round face, your cheeks are probably the widest part of your face and if you want to give your face some depth, contouring can be your best friend.
3. Blush: You may think that if you have sightly chubby cheeks, you shouldn’t use blush, but that is NOT the case. A shimmery blush will enhance your cheeks and give them a healthy glow.

Hairstyles For A Round-Shaped Face

• Tousled Pixie
• Asymmetrical Lob

2. Oval Face

An oval shape is a longer version of the round face. Your chin still stays rounded, but the length of your face is more than the width. Your forehead is probably the widest part of your face.

Celebrities With Oval Face:

• Blake Lively
• Selma Hayek
• Julianne Moore

Editorial credit: Denis Makarenko / Shutterstock.com

Makeup Tips For An Oval-Shaped Face

1. Balance: Try and keep things balanced when it comes to your eyes and lips. This means that if you’re going for something heavy on your eyes, like the smokey, keep the lips simple and nude.
2. Naturally Arched Brows: Follow the natural shape of your brow. Don’t try to make it anything too dramatic. At the same time, do not overpluck them! You want a clean eyebrow shape.
3. Highlighter: A highlighter can help in bringing certain features forward. If you have an oval-shaped face, then you can use this along the bridge of your nose, your forehead, and at the top of your cheekbones.

Hairstyles For An Oval-Shaped Face

• Side Swept Pixie
• Tousled Bob

3. Square Face

Self-explanatory, people have a square-shaped face if they have comparatively straight sides with minimal curve at the chin. They also have angled jaws. The face is also proportional. This means that the vertical to horizontal proportion is nearly one to one.

Celebrities With Square Face Shape:

• Cameron Diaz
• Lucy Liu
• Rihanna

Editorial credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

Makeup Tips For A Square-Shaped Face

1. Contour The Sharp Angles: When you have a square-shaped face, you probably have a wide jaw. Contouring really helps to soften the sharp angles that accompany a square-shaped face.
2. Highlight: You can try the highlighting technique to enhance certain facial features. In the case of someone with a square face, use a concealer that is one shade lighter on your forehead and under the hollows of your cheeks. This creates a perfect balance when you contour the jawline.
3. Dramatic Lips: You want to take the attention away from your jaws, and the best way to do that is by drawing the attention to the lips. Go bold! Go for a bright red, coral or purple, based on what you prefer.

Hairstyles For A Square-Shaped Face

• Side Swept Bangs
• Angled Bob

4. Rectangle (OR Oblong) Face Shape

This can also be known as an oblong face shape. The only difference between a rectangular face and an oblong face is that an oblong face is slightly less angled. It follows the same basic rectangular shape though. You have a rectangular face shape if your forehead, cheeks, and jawline are nearly the same width. The chin is only slightly curved.

Celebrities With This Face Shape:

• Alexa Chung
• Meryl Streep
• Liv Tyler

Editorial credit: BAKOUNINE / Shutterstock.com

Makeup Tips For A Rectangle-Shaped Face

1. Soften The Angles: The tips for a rectangular face shape would be a combination of both an oval face and a square face. The trick is to soften the jaws and temples, so applying some bronzer and contouring, it would really help.
2. Cat Eye: Since you have a long face, winging out your eyeliner helps the eyes look bigger and wider, and the attention is drawn to this area.
3. Blush: While applying a blush, apply it to the tops of the cheeks instead of right in the middle.

Hairstyles For A Rectangle-Shaped Face

• Long Pixie
• Shoulder length hair with bangs

5. Diamond Shaped Face

Women with diamond-shaped faces will probably have high cheekbones and pointed chins. You might think that this could be a heart-shaped face as well, but not really. The main difference is that the forehead is narrower for someone with a diamond face.

Celebrities With Diamond Shaped Face:

• Ashley Greene
• Jennifer Love Hewett
• Scarlet Johannson

Editorial credit: Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com

Makeup Tips For A Diamond-Shaped Face

1. Pouty Lips: Don’t be afraid to go all out on the lips. Use a bold color!
2. Contour Sides: Since the width is the most at the sides near the cheeks for someone with a diamond-shaped face, contour this area for dimension.
3. Highlight: Additionally, make sure to highlight the forehead, cupids bow, the chin and along the bridge of the nose.

Hairstyles For A Diamond-Shaped Face

• Long Layered Waves
• Chin Length Bob

6. Heart Shaped Face

The main characteristics of a heart-shaped face are a pointed chin and a wide forehead. It doesn’t really matter whether you have a widow’s peak or not. This face shape is also called an inverted triangle, because when you think about it, your forehead is the widest part of your face and the chin is pointed.

Celebrities With Heart Shaped Face

• Reese Witherspoon
• Ashley Olsen
• Halle Berry

Editorial credit: Denis Makarenko / Shutterstock.com

Makeup Tips For A Heart-Shaped Face

1. Smokey Eyes: When you have a heart face, you probably have an angular jaw, so anything too sharp might be a little overpowering. Therefore, a soft smokey eye would be a perfect look for a heart-shaped face.
2. Bronzer contouring: If there’s a theme to be followed with a heart-shaped face, it’s to go for a soft look. The same applies to contouring. Use a bronzer to contour, since women with heart-shaped faces already have some definition to their face.
3. Max Volume Mascara: Another great look for heart-shaped faces is to add intensity to the eyelashes.

Read more about makeup tips for different face shapes in detailed.

Hairstyles For A Heart-Shaped Face

• Lob With Bangs
• Long Way Layers

Was this article helpful?

The following two tabs change content below.

• Author

Shalini Roy

Shalini Roy has a Master's degree in English literature. She is an ambivert whose expressions have found their way in... more