Face shapes

Heart-shaped face: how to spot it and which cut to choose

A heart-shaped face is wider at the top than at the bottom: a broad forehead, defined cheekbones and a narrow, sometimes pointed chin. There is often a widow's peak at the center of the hairline. The styling rule: take volume away from the top and add it at the bottom. 💇

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

How to tell if your face is heart-shaped

• The forehead is the widest part, or equal to the cheekbones.
• The face tapers clearly to a narrow chin.
• The jaw is slim, with no sharp angle.
• Often, the hairline forms a point at the center of the forehead.

The haircut for a heart-shaped face (women)

• Volume at chin and jaw level: a mid-length bob, curls or waves through the lengths.
• Side-swept bangs or curtain bangs, which visually reduce the width of the forehead.
• A side part rather than a center part.
• Avoid: lots of volume on top and at the temples, and hair slicked straight back that exposes the whole forehead.

The haircut for a heart-shaped face (men)

Keep some length on the sides and avoid very short shaved sides with a lot of volume on top, which widen the upper face. Textured bangs brushed forward shorten the forehead. A beard helps a lot: fuller at the chin and along the jaw, it widens the lower face and balances it. 🧔

Glasses and makeup

👓 Pick frames wider at the bottom, or thin and light at the top: oval, round, aviator. Frames heavy on top (browline, butterfly) emphasize the width of the forehead. For makeup, a little highlighter on the chin and a light contour at the temples restore balance.

Measuring your proportions

The GlowUpTogether scan compares the width of your forehead, cheekbones and jaw on your photo, scores each feature and suggests haircuts to try on your face.

What our measurements show

Measured at the temples, a forehead wider than the jaw is rare: only 6 faces out of 78. On average, the temples are 83% of cheekbone width and the jaw is 88%.

So a heart-shaped face is judged mostly by a narrow, pointed chin, more than by a very wide forehead.

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

Which bangs suit a heart-shaped face?

Side-swept or curtain bangs. Straight, thick bangs can also work if they are light, since they cover the width of the forehead.

Is a heart-shaped face the same as an inverted triangle?

Yes, both terms describe a face wider at the top than at the bottom. A plain "triangle" face usually means the opposite: a jaw wider than the forehead.

Which beard suits a heart-shaped face?

A denser beard at the chin and along the jaw, which adds volume to the lower face.