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Know Your Face Shape
To Find Your Most Flattering Looks

We are hard-wired, for survival, to recognize faces from the moment we can see. When we're older, even if we don't remember a name we may recognize the face of someone we've met before.

Since others spend so much time looking at our face it makes sense to present it in the best light possible!

When you know your face shape you can choose your most flattering hairstyles, hats, eyeglasses, sunglasses and earrings.

Determine Your Face Shape

There are a few approaches to this. You will need...

A mirror large enough to see your whole face
It may help to have a photo of your face. Pull your hair back away from your face and make sure the photo is taken square-on to your face, so you can see both sides. If you're taking the photo yourself, for example with a cell phone camera, make sure the camera is far enough away that you don't get a distorted, fish-eye effect!
Or, it may help to draw the outline of your face, with your hair held away from your face, on the mirror (make sure whatever you use – for example, whiteboard marker, eye-liner pencil, lipstick -- will wipe off later!)

Ok, now you're ready to find the shape of your face by answering the questions below...

determine your face shape

I hope I've structured this questionnaire to make it as easy as possible for you to find the shape of your face. If you have any difficulty using this format please contact me and let me know what is confusing.

You may discover it's not as easy as you'd think to categorize your face shape. Each of us has a unique face length-width ratio, jaw, jaw-line and front-on outline. So it's not always a cut-and-dry decision as to which face shape category to choose.

For example, if your face length is definitely longer than wide and you have a broad, square jaw-line then, using the questionnaire above, you will come out as a rectangle. However, if, when looking at your front-on outline (the sides of your face), your jaw is the widest part of your face the triangle category may be a better choice for you. It will depend how definitely your face is longer than wide, do you see your face length first? Or is your jaw more obvious than your face length? Another approach is to combine the recommendations for both shapes.

Use the descriptions below to verify your selected face shape or adjust your choice if needed.

Select the link on your face shape to see recommendations for your most flattering hairstyles, eyeglasses, hats, makeup and earrings.

Rectangle

Main characteristics...

Your face is definitely longer than wide
Your jaw is broad and your jaw-line is square
The sides of your face are straight -- your forehead, cheekbones and jaw-line are the same width
Your hairline is most likely straight

Oblong

Main characteristics...

Your face is definitely longer than wide
Your jaw-line is softly rounded
The sides of your face are straight -- your forehead, cheekbones and jaw-line are the same width
Your hairline may be rounded

Oval

Main characteristics...

Your face is slightly longer than wide
Your jaw-line is slightly rounded
The outline of your face is an inverted egg-shape -- your face is widest at the cheekbones. Your forehead is fairly broad
Your face can be divided into 3 equal sections between your hairline, end of nose and chin
Your eyes are evenly space, with one eye width distance between them
Your face has no extreme characteristics. For example you do not have very small or very large eyes, mouth or nose.

Diamond

Main characteristics...

Your face is slightly longer than wide
Your jaw-line is long and pointed
Your cheekbones are the widest part of your face. They are often high and pointed
Your forehead and jaw-line are tapered
Your eyes, nose and mouth are well balanced vertically

Triangle

Main characteristics...

Your face is slightly longer than wide
Your jaw is broad
The side of your face tapers from your jaw to your forehead
Your jaw is the widest part of your face and your forehead is narrow

Inverted Triangle and Heart

The only difference between the inverted triangle and the heart shaped faces are that the heart has a widows peak.

Main characteristics...

Your face is slightly longer than wide
Your jaw-line is long and pointed
The sides of your face taper from your forehead to your jaw
Your forehead is the widest part of your face, or the same width as your forehead
Your jaw is the narrowest part of your face

Square

Main characteristics...

Your face is almost as wide as it is long
Your jaw is broad and your jaw-line is square
The sides of your face are straight -- your forehead, cheekbones and jaw are the same width
Your hairline is most probably straight