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How to Determine Your Face Shape for Better Makeup Decisions

ByHollie

Did you know that different shapes of faces, suit different makeup looks and techniques? You’re not alone if you didn’t. Most of us simply opt for whatever’s trending and that’s only natural! But, even by following the trends, you can make small tweaks to your regular routine for an even prettier and better-suited look!

Knowing your face shape can also help you determine the most flattering haircuts and hairstyles, it’s an easy way to upgrade your look! Learn how to determine your shape face, you may be surprised that it’s not the shape you always thought it was!

How to Determine the Shape of Your Face

Before we learn about the face shapes and start determining yours, you need to get prepped for the task. Wear a headband to show your hairline so that your whole forehead is showing. There are two ways to do this:

Prep Your Face

  1. Stand or sit up straight while looking directly in front of a mirror. With a large mirror, this will be easy. However, if you have a small or compact mirror, ask someone to stack the mirror in front of you and level out its base so it is vertically connecting to your chin. If someone helps you, it will be easier to get it all in proportion.

The mirror should sit at a 90-degree and you should be sitting with your back straight, shoulders relaxed, and face or eyes horizontally projecting at 180 degrees. All angles must be straight vertical and straight horizontal.

  1. The second way, and easiest way, is to replace the mirror with a camera and shoot a picture of yourself! Print out the picture and ready your marker for the guides below.

How to measure your face

There are 8 points on your face that help determine your shape. Visually mark your face through the mirror, or with a marker on your picture.

Point 1: The top centre of your forehead (middle of your hairline).

Point 2: The centre tip of your chin

Points 3-4: The corners of your forehead. This is the farthest where your hairline recedes at the upper left and upper right sides.

Points 5-6: The corners of your cheekbones on each side of your face

Points 7-8: The corner or curve of your jaws. When touched, it’s the bony area that sharply turns before connecting to your ears. In a picture, it’s the highest point of the curve on your jaw part.

Points on your Face

Now that you have all 8 points marked, it’s time to connect the adjacent lines to form a 3-tiered letter ‘t’ (kind of like the image below).

You should have 4 lines if you don’t try again! In this article, we’ll call them the Forehead line, Cheekbone line (middle horizontal line), Jawline, and Centre Vertical line (forehead-chin line). Let’s proceed in determining what your true face shape is!

The 6 Different Face Shapes

There are 6 face shapes according to beauty and fashion industry experts.

Diamond Face Shape

Those with diamond face shapes have short and really sharp jawlines often with stark pointed chins. The cheekbones are pronounced, slanted angular, and follow the V-shape outlined by their chins and jaws.

Their forehead is a semi-circular shape with a hairline that has a slight point in the middle creating an upside-down “U”.

Determining the shape via the diagram:

  • Diamond face shapes have their Forehead line and Jawline almost the same length.
  • Usually, the Forehead line is ever so slightly longer and wider with the Jawline often connecting to a pointy chin.
  • The Cheekbone line is undoubtedly and obviously longer than the other two vertical lines.

Celebrity examples with diamond-shaped faces: Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Anna Kendrick.

Best makeup tip for a diamond-shaped face: Give the cheekbones extra attention, be it with a contour or bronzer. This will take some of the attention away from the wide forehead creating a balanced beautiful look.

Round Face Shape

Round faces don’t have angular jawlines and usually have no protruding cheekbones either. Instead, round faces have their cheeks and jaws curved into lines that perfectly connect to their forehead and chin, respectively, forming a circular shape.

This one is the most confusing face shape. People think they have round faces when in reality, it is as rare as the Oval face shape is far more common and does look rather similar.

Determining the shape via the diagram:

  • The Forehead line and Jawline are of similar or even equal lengths.
  • The Centre Vertical line is the same length as the Cheekbone line.
  • Starting from one point of the Jawline connecting to its opposite should form a perfect semi-circular chin.

Celebrity examples with round-shaped faces: Miranda Kerr, Selena Gomez, Emma Stone.

Best makeup tip for a round-shaped face: According to Huda Beauty: “High, arched brows work perfectly with round face shapes as this will provide a vertical point, creating the illusion of an elongated face.”

Square/Rectangular Face Shape

Square and rectangle faces have sharp jawlines that push back to the neck instead of up towards their ears as heart-shaped ones do. Depending on the length of the face would determine if they are square or rectangular.

Obviously, a shorter facial length means a square. And a longer facial length would mean a rectangle. A short, stark jawline is also evident and forms a V-shaped chin.

Determining the shape via the diagram:

Square Shape

  • The forehead line and Jawline are of similar or equal lengths.
  • The Centre Vertical line is the same length as the Cheekbone line.

Rectangular Shape

  • The forehead line and Jawline are of similar or equal lengths.
  • The Centre Vertical line is longer than the Cheekbone line.

Celebrity examples with square/rectangular-shaped faces: Angelina Jolie, Lucy Lui, Paris Hilton.

Best makeup tip for Square/Rectangular Face Shape: Keep attention away from the cheekbones to soften the look. Make sure your blush and bronzer are blended in. Stick to the apples of your cheeks instead of cheekbones. Use a cream blush for easier blending.

Oblong or Long Face Shape

Oblong face shapes usually have wider semi-circular shaped chins with little to no cheekbone protrusion. The forehead also follows a semi-circle shape, only a little more pointed than that of a circular face shape’s hairline.

The shape is also pretty obvious with a slightly more elongated facial length evident on oblong faces.

Determining the shape via the diagram:

  • The Centre Vertical line will have twice the length of the Cheekbone line.

Celebrity examples with oblong-shaped faces: Sarah Jessica Parker, Celine Dion, Liv Tyler

Best makeup tip for Oblong or Long Face Shape: According to Byrdie apply your bronzer around the hairline to balance and de-emphasize the height and enhance the width of the bone structure. Do the same at the top of your forehead, under the chin and along the jawline.

Heart Face Shape

For people with heart faces, their cheekbones are evidently wider but not more protruding than their forehead. And the jawline is usually angular going down to a V-shaped chin.

One myth to bust is that heart face shapes don’t necessarily have the widow’s peak hairline on the forehead. But they are pretty common and pretty IMO!

Determining the shape via the diagram:

  • The Forehead line is longer than the Jawline, and the jaws would usually have or connect to a pointy, V- chin.
  • The Cheekbone line is ever so slightly longer than the Forehead line and obviously longer than the Jawline.

Celebrity examples with heart-shaped faces: Reese Witherspoon, Scarlet Johansen, Chloe Grace Moretz.

Best makeup tip for heart-shaped face: Heart-shaped faces tend to have sharp cheekbones. Soften them by applying your blush in a C shape from the cheekbones to the edge of your brows.

Oval Face Shape

An oval-shaped face is considered to be the most optimal face shape in the beauty industry, an oval face shape is quite hard to tell against oblong and rectangular face shapes.

The key indicators are the shape of the chin. While oblongs and rounds are semi-circular and have really softened chin lines, and other shapes have V-shaped chins; ovals are somewhere in the middle.

Oval face shapes have chins that follow a U-shape. The jawlines follow an angle but are softer and curved compared to the sharp slanting lines of the hearts and squares.

The cheekbones create a natural contour without the look of overly protruding outwards the face.

Determining the shape via the diagram:

  • The Centre Vertical line is longer than the Cheekbone line.

Celebrity examples with oval-shaped faces: Beyonce, Salma Hayek, Bella Hadid.

Best makeup tip for oval-shaped face: Oval-shaped faces can get away with most makeup looks. However, don’t overdo the bronzer, your natural cheekbones need little emphasis.

Final Thoughts

If you were able to determine your face shape then you now have one of the greatest beauty weapons! Use it to defend yourself against beauty and hair mistakes!

Use it to defend yourself against unflattering makeup and downright clown vibes. Use it for the greater good of looking good! Check out some other beauty tips and trends here.

UP NEXT: Contouring for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Contour Like a Pro

Hollie xx

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About Hollie

Hi, I’m Hollie, and I’m passionate about everything beauty. Over the last decade and a half, I’ve tested thousands of products to bring you the best of the best! I also love bringing you fun and creative beauty looks. Learn more.

Beauty profile – 35, dry, aging skin, focused on aging well with a healthy glow and natural makeup look ✨

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