What Shape Is My Face?

Our faces are often responsible for first and lasting impressions, so it’s nice to know how to use it to your advantage! Understanding the shape of your face is the first step in creating makeup that highlights your best features.

While it won’t play a major factor with hairstyles, knowing your face shape can help you better understand how makeup placement can create different effects. Follow along as we break down the 6 face shapes, and what your unique shape means for your beauty routine.

Face shape is a big factor when deciding on a hairstyle, but it can also come into play when applying makeup. Although anyone with any face shape can wear any style they please, knowing your shape can help identify what makeup placement looks best on you.

Depending on your specific beauty goals, determining your face shape can help you understand how to apply blush, contour, and highlight more easily to enhance your best features. It also allows you to emphasize certain angles and curves of your face, or de-emphasize areas you’d prefer to minimize.

A heart-shaped face – think Reese Witherspoon – is just as cute as it sounds, and is one of the most easily identified. The most common characteristics are a face that's widest in the middle (near the cheeks), along with a pointed chin.

If you have a heart face shape, you'll recognize the following characteristics:

• Face:
  Slightly longer than it is wide, and gets more angled towards the chin.

• Forehead:
  A larger, wider forehead than your jawline. May have a widow’s peak or not – think an upside-down triangle.

• Cheekbones:
  Width about the same as your forehead, if not wider.

• Jawline:
  You have a slender jawline and the chin area will drop to a point without any squared off corners along the jaw.

There’s lots to love about a square face. The sharp angles of the jaw, a face width that makes the eyes look more unique, and natural angles in perfect balance with soft features of the nose and eyes.

If you have a square face shape, you'll recognize the following characteristics:

• Face:
  About as long as it is wide.

• Forehead:
  Hairline follows a straight line. Forehead is about the same width as your jaw.

• Cheekbones:
  Minimal curves to your cheekbones.

• Jawline:
  You have a strong, squared jawline. Sides of your face follow a straight line from your jaw to your forehead.

An oval face shape is narrow, elongated, and elegant. They’re sometimes 2x longer than they are wide, have no pointed features, and a narrow chin. You won’t see the squared jaw or forehead as you would with rectangular faces.

If you have an oval face shape, you'll recognize the following characteristics:

• Face:
  Length is longer than it is wide.

• Forehead:
  Width of your forehead is smaller than the width of your cheekbones. May also have a tall forehead.

• Cheekbones:
  Your cheekbones are the widest part of your face.

• Jawline:
  No sharp angles on your jaw or chin.

We love round things: donuts, boba pearls, the moon – and of course, lovely round faces! If you have a round face shape, the width and the length of your face are approximately the same. Soft facial features like a rounded jawline can lend to a more youthful look.

If you have a round face shape, you'll recognize the following characteristics:

• Face:
  Length is essentially the same size as the width.

• Forehead:
  Rounded at the hairline.

• Cheekbones:
  May be round and give a youthful, fuller appearance.

• Jawline:
  Rounded with very subtle or soft angles.

You know what they say about diamonds being a girl’s best friend. In this case we mean that almost literally, as a diamond face shape has some of the best natural angles to work with. Whether it’s hairstyles, hats or sunglasses, almost any style works with this dazzling face shape.

If you have a diamond face shape, you'll recognize the following characteristics:

• Face:
  Have a narrow forehead and a small chin.

• Forehead:
  Width is smaller than the width of your cheekbones.

• Cheekbones:
  Significantly wider than your forehead and jawline and sit nice and high.

• Jawline:
  Have a narrow chin area that tapers to a strong point.

You’ll know you have a rectangular face shape if the widths of your forehead, cheeks, and jawline are all relatively parallel. Your jaw will likely be more square, and your face will be longer than it is wide.

If you have a rectangle face shape, you'll recognize the following characteristics:

• Face:
  Is twice as long as it is wide. Have a square resemblance but appear slightly longer.

• Forehead:
  Hairline follows a straight line and is about the same width as your jaw.

• Cheekbones:
  Minimal curves to your cheekbones and the sides of your face follow a straight line from your jaw to your forehead.

• Jawline:
  Strong, squared angles.

Not everyone will fall under a singular face shape, and is actually quite common. Though the most common fusion is rectangular and oval, other mixtures are totally possible because we’re all unique!

If you have a blend of rectangular and oval face shapes, you'll recognize the following characteristics:

• Face:
  Longer than it is wide.

• Forehead:
  Hairline follows a straight line.

• Cheekbones:
  Subtle curves to your cheekbones, and the sides of your face follow a straight line from your jaw to your forehead.

• Jawline:
  Rounded angles on your jaw or chin.

Now that you’ve gathered your measurements and a list of characteristics, you’re able to create a look that makes you feel best. It's not a monumental piece of information to learn about yourself, but it can help with some of your makeup decisions... so that you can put your best face forward!