What face shape do I have? How to tell in 5 minutes, and the mistake that gets it wrong

What a face shape actually is

A face shape is the outline of your face from the front: hairline to chin, temple to temple. Stylists, barbers and opticians sort that outline into seven shapes because it makes advice easier to give. "Add width at the sides" means something only once you know the face is long.

It is worth being clear about what the shapes are not. They are not an anatomical classification, they do not say anything about how you look to other people, and no shape is better than another. They are a shorthand for which haircuts and frames balance the outline you have. Many faces sit between two shapes, and that is normal.

Step 1: take the right photo

This step decides whether everything after it is right. Most people judge their face shape from a selfie or the bathroom mirror, and both mislead.

A phone held at arm's length is close enough to change the face: the centre (nose, mid-face) is pushed forward and the edges (ears, jaw, temples) fall back. A 2018 study in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery measured this for the nose, and the same effect widens the cheeks. The result is that almost every face looks rounder in a selfie than in person.

So:

1. Pull your hair back off the forehead and away from the jaw. A headband or tie works.
2. Prop the phone at eye level, a metre or two away, and use the timer or ask someone. Zoom in if you need to rather than moving closer.
3. Face the camera straight on, head level, chin neither up nor down.
4. Use even light from the front, like a window you are facing.

Step 2: compare four things

Look at the photo, or trace the outline with a finger on the screen, and compare:

• Forehead width: across the forehead, about halfway between the brows and the hairline.
• Cheekbone width: across the widest part of the cheekbones, just below the outer corners of the eyes.
• Jaw width: across the jaw at the corners below the ears.
• Face length: from the middle of the hairline to the bottom of the chin.

You do not need a ruler. What matters is which width is largest, how the jaw ends (a curve or a corner), and whether the face is clearly longer than it is wide.

Step 3: match the shape

Oval. A little longer than wide. The cheekbones are the widest point, the forehead slightly narrower, and the jaw rounds gently into the chin. Most styles work; the choice is about the impression you want.

Round. Width and length are close. Full cheeks, and a jaw that curves into the chin rather than turning a corner. Height on top (men) or length below the chin (women) adds structure.

Square. Width and length are close, but the jaw turns a clear corner below the ears, and the forehead, cheekbones and jaw are similar widths. Softer texture balances it.

Long (oblong). Clearly longer than wide, with the forehead, cheekbones and jaw at similar widths, so the sides run fairly straight. Width at the sides and less height on top balance it.

Heart. The forehead is the widest point and the face narrows to a smaller, often pointed chin. Volume lower down balances it.

Diamond. The cheekbones are clearly the widest point, with both the forehead and the jaw narrower. Fullness at the forehead and jaw balances it.

Triangle. The jaw is the widest point and the forehead the narrowest. Volume on top balances it.

The mix-ups that happen most

• Round vs square: look only at the jaw. A curve is round, a corner is square.
• Oval vs long: both are longer than wide. If the face is clearly long and the sides run straight, it is long; if the cheekbones stand out a little and the outline tapers at both ends, it is oval.
• Heart vs diamond: find the widest point. The forehead means heart; the cheekbones means diamond.
• Square vs triangle: compare the forehead with the jaw. Similar widths means square; a jaw clearly wider than the forehead means triangle.

If you are still between two, you probably are between two. Read the advice for both and use what they agree on.

What to do with your shape

For men, the shape mostly decides the haircut, the beard and the glasses:

• What haircut suits a round face
• Haircuts for a long face
• Haircuts for a square jaw

For women, it decides length, layers, bangs and parting:

• Round, oval, square, long, heart, diamond and triangle faces

For glasses, the rule of thumb for every shape is contrast: angular frames on soft faces, rounder frames on angular ones. See glasses for a round face for the worked example.

The faster way

If you would rather not trace your face on a screen, Auraspire's aura scan does the measuring. It maps 478 points on your face from one photo and tells you your shape for free, along with an aura score out of 100 and the one change that would move it most. The full read ($6.99) adds the hairstyles, glasses and grooming for your shape, with a card to show your barber or stylist.