The Face Shapes
Get the haircut, makeup, and glasses that fit your features
How to identify your face shape
Five steps to identify your face shape — the first four are DIY, the fifth gives you a definitive verdict.
Stand in front of a mirror. Use a soft tape measure to record: forehead width (at the widest point), cheekbone width (across the cheekbones), jaw width (corner to corner), and face length (chin to top of forehead). Write the numbers down — comparing them is how you find your shape.
If face length is similar to width: round or square. If length is about 1.5x width: oval or heart or diamond. If length is 1.5-2x width: long or rectangle.
Run your finger from temple to chin. If you feel a corner, you're square or rectangle. If it's a curve, you're round, oval, heart, diamond, or long. The jaw shape splits the angular shapes from the soft ones.
Look at where your face is widest. Forehead = heart or inverted triangle. Cheekbones = diamond. Jaw = triangle (pear). Equal widths = oval, round, or square.
These steps narrow it down but the differences are subtle — heart vs diamond, square vs rectangle. The Glowprint app scans your face and measures real proportions, giving you a confidence rating plus YOUR specific best haircut, exact stylist instructions, and personalized contour map.
What's your face shape?
Your face shape comes from the proportions and angles of your forehead, cheekbones, jaw, and chin. There are 6 main shapes: Oval, Round, Square, Heart, Diamond, and Long. Knowing yours tells you the haircuts, makeup techniques, and accessories that flatter your features.
Frequently asked questions
Why does face shape matter for haircuts?
Haircuts work by adding or reducing visual length, width, and softness. Round faces benefit from cuts that add length; long faces benefit from cuts that add width; angular faces benefit from cuts that soften. The wrong cut emphasizes what you'd rather balance.
Can my face shape change over time?
Soft tissue changes (weight loss/gain, age, hydration) affect appearance but bone structure stays constant. The face scan measures bone-level proportions so the result is stable across years.
What's the most common face shape?
Oval is the most common, followed by round and square. Diamond is the rarest (about 4-7% of faces). Don't pick based on commonality — pick based on what your features actually are.
What's the difference between heart and diamond face shapes?
Both have pointed chins, but heart faces are widest at the forehead while diamond faces are widest at the cheekbones (with narrow forehead). Look at where your face is widest in a mirror — that's the test.
Can I have a 'hybrid' face shape?
Most faces are 70-80% one shape and slightly toward another. The face scan gives you a confidence rating so you know how 'pure' your shape is. If you're a strong 80% heart with 20% diamond features, you can borrow some diamond styling without breaking heart rules.
Does face shape affect makeup?
Yes — contour placement, blush placement, brow shape, and even lip shape preferences all shift by face shape. The makeup section on each face shape page covers what to do differently.