Different Face Shapes: From Square To Oval and Everything Else In Between.
While a new hairstyle or cut can completely change your look it is also important to know which style best suits your face’s shape. We all have a slightly different shape to our faces but 99% of them fall into one of five categories: long, square, oval, heart-shaped and round.
There is a fairly simplistic way to decipher your face shape. What you need: a mirror, an old eyeliner or lipstick, a hair tie and Alice band to pin all of your hair back. Take a seat in front of the mirror and pin your hair back so that you can see all four corners of your face. Then draw the outline of your face on the mirror (completely) with the never-to-be-used-again makeup item. Sit close enough to the mirror so that you don’t have to lean back and forth, which will obviously make creating an accurate picture very difficult.
LONG:
If you have fine hair it is best to cut it on the shorter side, this will make your hair look thicker and give your face a wider shape. You can go for either a ‘messy bedhead look’ or a ‘sleek sophisticated look’, either one of these styles can work for you depending on your preference. Just be sure not to let your hair grow to the point that it is naturally thinning at the ends and loosing its volume.
For those with thick or curly hair the same is applicable in length; a short style will add roundness around your face (through the highly voluminous hair). Cut an inch or so below the shoulders to keep your hair weighted with length but also so that the main focus is around the face. Tell your hairdresser what style best suites your personal style and let them help you figure out how to implement it with this length in mind.
Keep in mind that with this facial shape if you have a small forehead a fringe is not recommended, it will cut off a quarter of our face and make the rest look incredibly long.
SQUARE:
In almost direct opposition to a long shaped face a square face is preferable to longer hair. When the hair is short it sits around the jaw line and this will only emphasize the square features. For fine and curly hair opt from a cut that has length. Look to create layers with soft features around the ears, this immediately softens the square look. You are able to do a layered bob, just ensure that the front of the hair ends below the jaw line. Anything with layers will reduce the affect of the sharp square jaw.
A fringe that layers down the face is a perfect style for this square shape, rather than opting for a straight-lined fringe cut one that layers sideways across the face or sits at the eyebrows in the middle and becomes longer towards each side.
Check in next week to see what styles are best suited for the oval, heart-shaped and round face shapes.
