🧭 Face shapes
How to Find Your Face Shape
The 2-minute ratio method that actually works.
Measure 4 things on your face: forehead width, cheekbone width, jaw width, and face length. Compare the numbers. Whichever one is biggest tells you your shape: Oval, Round, Square, Heart, Diamond, Rectangle, Triangle, Inverted Triangle, or Long. Or skip the measuring and use a face scanner.
What you need
A measuring tape (or a piece of string and a ruler), a mirror, and 2 minutes.
You'll measure 4 things on your face: forehead width, cheekbone width, jaw width, and face length.
The 4 measurements
Forehead width
Run the tape across your forehead from the start of one side of your hairline to the other. Straight across, like a headband line.
Cheekbone width
Find the widest point of your cheekbones — right under your eyes, the bony part. Measure ear to ear.
Jaw width
Start under one ear at the tip of your jaw. Measure to the same spot on the other side, going under your chin.
Face length
From the top of your forehead (hairline) straight down to the tip of your chin.
Match your numbers to a shape
Compare the 4 numbers you wrote down. The widest one tells you which shape you have:
- Length is the biggest, and forehead/cheek/jaw are similar → Oval (if length ≈ 1.5× width) or Long (if length is much bigger)
- Cheekbones are widest, length ≈ width → Round
- Forehead, cheek, and jaw are all similar, length ≈ width, with strong angles → Square
- Forehead, cheek, and jaw are all similar, but length is bigger than width → Rectangle
- Forehead is the widest, jaw narrows to a point → Heart
- Cheekbones are widest, both forehead and jaw are narrow → Diamond
- Jaw is widest, forehead is narrower → Triangle
- Forehead is widest, jaw is the narrowest part (similar to heart but no curve at hairline) → Inverted triangle
The 9 shapes side by side:
The photo shortcut (no measuring)
If you don't want to measure, this works almost as well:
Pull your hair back
Tight bun or tied back. Forehead fully visible.
Take a straight-on selfie
Phone at eye level, neutral expression, no smile, no chin lift.
Trace your face outline
On the photo, with your finger or in any drawing app, trace just the silhouette of your face.
Compare to the shapes above
Most people see their match within 10 seconds.
If you can't tell, scan your face on the Glowprint app — it does this comparison in milliseconds.
Common mix-ups
Tell apart
- oval and oblong (long) — both balanced, but oblong is much longer
- round and square — both width = length, but round has soft jaw / square has angular
- heart and diamond — both narrow chins, but heart has wider forehead / diamond has narrow forehead
- rectangle and oblong — rectangle has stronger angles at the jaw
Watch out for
- don't confuse hair length with face length
- forehead size depends on hairline — a high hairline isn't the same as a wide forehead
- glasses and earrings can change perceived shape
- one bad photo isn't reliable — try 2-3 from slightly different angles
What to do once you know
Your face shape decides what flatters most:
- Haircuts that lengthen, widen, or balance — see the full haircut guide for every face shape
- Glasses with the right frame width and depth
- Makeup placement — contour and blush change perceived shape
- Earrings with the right vertical or horizontal weight
Each face shape page has all of these in one cheat sheet:
Common mistakes when finding your face shape
The method is quick, but two things trip people up most often.
Letting your hair vote
Bangs and volume change the apparent shape of your face. Pull everything back and look at your hairline and jaw bare, or you'll measure your haircut instead of your face.
Ignoring the jaw
Length and width get the attention, but the jaw is the tiebreaker. A soft, rounded jaw versus a sharp, angular one is often what separates round from square or heart from diamond.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to what people ask most. Want a definitive read on your own coloring? The free face scan gives you your season, palette, and the colors to skip in 30 seconds.
How do I find my face shape quickly?
Pull your hair back and compare your face length to its width, then look at your jaw: rounded, angular, or pointed. That ratio plus the jawline names your shape in about two minutes.
What are the main face shapes?
Oval, round, square, heart, diamond, and oblong (long). Most people are one of these or a blend of two neighbors.
Why does my face shape matter?
It guides the haircuts, glasses, and necklines that balance your proportions. The right frame or cut for your shape makes a noticeable difference with zero extra effort.
What if I can't tell my face shape?
Blends are common and hard to eyeball. Glowprint detects your face shape from one selfie and gives you the styling that suits it, so you don't have to measure.
Get the precise answer in 30 seconds
This guide gets you close. Glowprint scans your actual face and gives you the verified result: color season, face shape, undertone, celebrity match, makeup picks, and a full glow up plan.
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