How to Contour for Your Face Shape
Have you ever wondered how to contour your face by finding your face shape? For some, it’s easy to see their face shape, while for many it’s not as apparent. Contouring has become a staple technique in makeup routines, allowing individuals to sculpt and define their facial features for a flawless finish. However, one size does not fit all when it comes to contouring. To truly enhance your natural beauty, it's essential to understand how to contour according to your unique face shape.
How to Find Your Face Shape
ARTICLE CITED: How to Find Your Face ShapeBy: Wendy Rose Gould Updated on July 23, 2023Suppose you found yourself randomly googling "how to find my face shape" or "what face shape do I have," then you've landed in the right place. Maybe you're just curious whether you have a heart-shaped face or a square one. Or maybe you're keen on figuring out how your face shape can help inform some of your style decisions moving forward.
“Knowing and understanding your face shape can be important for several reasons—[like] when choosing a hairstyle, picking sunglasses, grooming your eyebrows, or applying makeup," says David Shafer, MD, FACS, a board-certified plastic surgeon and founder of Shafer Plastic Surgery in New York City. "It also allows you to play with dimension and know which parts of your face you want to emphasize or minimize.”
Also interesting: Your face shape can help predict how your face will age. Simply knowing your face shape gives you one more tool for making decisions or understanding yourself better.
Measuring Your Face to Determine Its Shape
Face Length: Measure from the top of your hairline to the lowest part of your chin.
Forehead Width: The distance across the center of your forehead from hairline to hairline. Don't bend the measuring tape against the curve—keep it flat.
Cheekbone Width: Feel for the highest point of your cheekbone, then measure from one cheekbone across your face to the other. Again, keep the measuring tape flat vs. curving it against your skin.
Jawline Width: Hold the measuring tape just below your ear and bring it down to the center of your chin, then multiply by two. In this case, you can bend the tape so it sits against your skin.
Triangle Face Shape
High cheekbones and a narrow jaw are the primary characteristics of a triangular face, says Robert Sigal, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon and partner at Austin-Weston, The Center for Cosmetic Surgery. In terms of measurements, the width of your forehead and cheekbone will be longer while your chin is narrow and comes to a point (either rounded or more rigid).
Round Face Shape
The telltale giveaways of a round face shape are having a rounded hairline and jawline, says Dr. Shafer. Round face shapes also have equal face width and length measurements.
Square Face Shape
You have a square face shape if your forehead, cheekbones, and jawline are the same width. You also have a jawline and forehead that are wider and more pronounced, notes Dr. Shafer. While the measurements are similar to that of a round face, the total structure of your face feels more angular with minimal curves.
Oval Face Shape
An oval face shape is a combination of square and round. Typically, the forehead width is smaller than the cheekbone width, and the face is longer than it is wide. Dr. Shafer adds that the jawline and chin are more rounded vs. the distinguished, angular lines of a square face.
Diamond Face Shape
The diamond face shape is a more angular version of an oval face shape. Typically, cheekbones are high and strong, and the distance between them is slightly wider than the forehead length. The chin is also more narrow and pointed, and the hairline tends to come to a more angular point.
Rectangle Face Shape
Rectangular faces have a face length that is longer than the width of their face. Their forehead, cheekbones, and jaw also look to be the same width apart. Dr. Sigal says that a rectangular shape is most often seen in older people in cases where skin from their cheeks and jowls tends to settle into the lower half of their face. "On occasion, younger people have really prominent buccal fat pads," he adds. (The buccal fat pad is the natural mass of fat found in your cheek.)
Heart Shaped Face
One of the biggest giveaways of a heart-shaped face is a widow's peak hairline, says Dr. Shafer. Additionally, the forehead is wider than the jawline, the cheekbones are wider than the forehead, and the chin is narrow with a strong point.
If you feel like you don’t 100% fit into any of these categories that’s normal. Many people don’t fit into just one face shape category. People can have a mix of different facial shapes.
Face shapes also change as we get older. For instance, mature people tend to have more rectangular face shapes due to the way fat, muscle, and skin change over time, while younger people are more likely to have a triangular shape.
Finally, there are no hard and fast rules in terms of applying cosmetics or wearing accessories, but you may find that certain things flatter your face more than others because of the face shape you have.
I included some helpful videos on makeup placement for your face.
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