How to Determine Your Face Shape

"Guide to Determining & Styling Your Face Shape"

Determining your face shape is very important as it helps you select the best accessory, hair and clothing styles. Your facial shape determines a set of guidelines that will help you feel confident and look your best!

Knowing Your Face Shape Guides You to Your Best:

Hairstyles and haircuts
Sunglasses and eyewear
Jewelry such as earrings and necklaces
Necklines and print tops
Hats
Yes and even makeup techniques

Your facial shape is a super-essential aspect of looking your best because it helps you know what to look for when going shopping. So on this page I'll present to you an overview of the most common face shapes, how to determine your face shape along with your best styling tricks with accessories!

Already know your face shape?

Shortcut to styling tips for the various face shapes

How the Wrong Styling Affects Your Face

Because your face is the first thing we notice about a person, the wrong styling can easily make people think: "What's up with her face?" Ever noticed when people say you looked different - simply by changing your hair or putting on some makeup? EXACTLY. You gotta apply the styling correctly :-)

If you want to create a good first impression, it really pays to make sure that you're wearing the right hairstyle and accessories that look good on your face shape.

"It is only at the first encounter that a face makes its full impression on us."
- Arthur Schopenhauer (German philosopher)

Think about it...

In this case, an oval face shape is considered ideal because it has the right proportions that make it easier to style.

Have you ever tried to wear a pair of earring or a top, or maybe a new hairstyle and discovered that it just didn’t look right? Either your face turned wider, longer, or manly? Or maybe a facial feature such as a pointy chin or a square jawline got more noticeable?

Well, you may have put on something that didn't complement your face shape and its features – and it more than likely accentuated parts you didn't like which put your face out of proportion. Because just like the shape of your body, what you wear with your face shape can visually alter the shape of it or the shape and size of your facial features.

So by understanding the shape and proportions of your face you’ll be able to alter and de-emphasize parts that you feel self-conscious about. You'll also be able to strategically bring out the features you love!

Ok, enough chit chat, let's get to the bones on how to determine your face shape and discover what accessories and hairstyles you should look for, and how to style them the right way!

Already know your face shape?

How to Determine Your Face Shape

When determining your facial shape we will need to take an objective look of the front view of your face.

You'll need:

A big mirror. Big enough to see your whole face and the area from your chest up at least 2-3 feet away from the mirror
Hair clips to pull hair from your face and expose your ears
A top that shows the full length of your neck and chest. I think it’s best to do this with a low cut top or even topless. In this way, you’ll avoid fake lines that can alter your face shape (eg. Scoop necks tend to soften and make a face rounder)
Day light. Fake light can emphasize areas of your face and can create shadows that make your facial features smaller

How to do it:

Face your face in front of the mirror. Avoid tilting your head as side profiles can alter your perception of your own face shape (eg. Analyzing your face from the side won’t always the show the true shape of your jawline and cheekbones). Keep a relaxed face – avoid smiling as this can make your lower face pointier and longer.

Now look at your face in the mirror and measure yourself:

1. How wide is the widest point of my forehead compared to my jawline?
2. How prominent are my cheekbones compared to my jawline and forehead?
3. Is the widest point of my jawline wider than my forehead?
4. How long is my face?

(Face shape quiz chart is in progress!!)

With the answers to these questions you’ll be able to determine the shape of your face. A friend or relative can also be the judge. You may also want to do a tape measurement and write down the numbers- this can help you decide on your face shape by using the length and width in numbers. Have someone to help you with this.

Don't Get Too Hung Up
It's not possible to categorize our earth's population in 7 little boxes.

But as explained in the How to Flatter Your Face Shape-page, don't get hung up on trying to squeeze yourself in one single category. These are just the general shapes and there are variations of each face shape, but we're focusing more on looking at your face as a whole and improve its proportions.

Common Face Shapes

Don't quite know which category you you belong to? Fret not, just look at the bigger picture and focus on creating balance – like an oval face. Click here to learn more about how to let go of pin holing yourself !