Face shapes

Face shape: how to find yours and what suits it

📏 There are six face shapes: oval, round, square, oblong, heart and diamond. To find yours, compare your face's length to its width on a front-facing photo, then the width of your forehead, cheekbones and jaw. Your shape helps you choose a haircut, beard, eyebrows and glasses.

Updated November 7, 2026 · By Julien Rayes · Version française

The three measurements to take

In front of a mirror, or better on a front-facing photo taken from 1.5 m (5 ft), compare:

• Face length, from the top of the forehead to the bottom of the chin.
• Width at three levels: forehead, cheekbones, jaw.
• Jaw angle: rounded or sharp.

The six face shapes

• Oval: longer than wide, cheekbones the widest point, rounded jaw. The easiest shape to style.
• Round: length and width are close, full cheeks, soft jaw.
• Square: forehead, cheekbones and jaw are about the same width, with sharp jaw angles.
• Oblong (or long): like square, but clearly longer than wide.
• Heart: wide forehead, narrow pointed chin.
• Diamond: wide cheekbones, narrower forehead and chin.

The best haircut for your face shape

💇 The principle is the same for every shape: add volume where your face is narrow, and take it away where your face is wide.

• Round face: volume on top and short sides to lengthen; avoid cuts that round out the cheeks.
• Square face: slightly softer lines, a textured fringe or a soft fade.
• Oblong face: avoid too much height, keep some volume at the sides; a fringe makes the face look shorter.
• Heart face: volume at chin level (a mid-length bob, a beard for men), a light fringe over the forehead.
• Diamond face: soften the cheekbones with strands or a fringe, keep some fullness at the forehead and chin.
• Oval face: almost anything works; choose based on your hair texture.

Beard and eyebrows matter too

🧔 For men, a beard redraws the lower face: shorter on the sides to slim a round face, fuller at the chin to balance a heart-shaped one. For everyone, well-shaped eyebrows frame the upper face.

Finding your shape without getting it wrong

To the eye, many faces look like they sit between two shapes. The GlowUpTogether scan measures widths and length on your photo, then suggests haircuts and beards that suit you. You can even try them on your own photo. 📸

What our measurements show

Across 78 adult faces measured by our engine, cheekbone width is between 81% and 90% of face height (top of the forehead to the chin) for 8 faces out of 10. None is as wide as it is long.

In all 78, the cheekbones are the widest part. The temples average 83% of that width and the jaw 88%. So face shapes come down to a few points of difference, which is why so many faces sit between two shapes.

Measured on November 3, 2026 by the GlowUpTogether engine on 78 compliant front-facing photos (out of 102) from the Face Research Lab London Set (DeBruine and Jones, CC BY 4.0 license): 34 women and 44 men, median age 25. Method and limits (in French).

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common face shape?

Oval is often called the most common, but many faces mix two shapes, for example oval and square.

Can your face shape change?

Your bone structure doesn't change in adulthood, but body fat, a beard and your haircut change the perceived shape a lot. Losing fat in the cheeks often brings out a squarer shape.

How do I know which haircut suits me?

Start from your face shape, then factor in your hair texture and your forehead. The app suggests haircuts that suit you and shows the result on your photo before you go to the barber or stylist.