Step-by-step guide
How to Determine Your Face Shape
You can estimate your face shape with nothing more than a mirror, or get a more precise read with a flexible measuring tape. Both methods compare the same four landmarks: forehead width, cheekbone width, jawline width, and overall face length.
Mirror method vs. measuring-tape method
The mirror method is quick and works well if you just want a general sense of your shape: pull your hair back, look straight on, and visually compare the width of your forehead, cheekbones, and jaw, along with how long your face looks.
The measuring-tape method takes a few more minutes but gives you actual numbers to compare, which can help when two shapes feel like a close call. Use a soft, flexible tape measure (the kind used for sewing) rather than a rigid ruler, and measure in a mirror so you can check that the tape stays level.
Step by step
- 1
Pull your hair back and find good lighting
Tie your hair away from your face and stand facing a mirror in even, front-facing light. Avoid strong overhead or side lighting, which can create shadows that make certain features look more pronounced than they are.
- 2
Measure or assess your forehead width
Measure straight across your forehead at its widest point, roughly from one side of the hairline to the other, just above the eyebrows. With the mirror method, simply note whether your forehead looks wide, narrow, or in between relative to the rest of your face.
- 3
Measure or assess your cheekbone width
Measure from the outer edge of one cheekbone to the other, across the widest point of your face. This is often the single most important measurement for narrowing down your shape.
- 4
Measure or assess your jawline width
Starting below your ear, measure to the point of your chin, then double it for an estimate of jaw width — or simply compare how wide your jaw looks next to your cheekbones and forehead using the mirror method.
- 5
Measure your face length
Measure from the center of your hairline straight down to the bottom of your chin. This is your face length, which you'll compare to your cheekbone width (the widest horizontal measurement).
- 6
Compare all four measurements
Line up your forehead, cheekbone, and jaw widths alongside your face length. The pattern of which is widest, which is narrowest, and how long your face is relative to its width points to one of the eight common face shapes.
What your measurements suggest
| Pattern | Likely shape |
|---|---|
| Face clearly longer than wide, jaw softer than forehead | Oval |
| Length and width close to equal, jaw curved and soft | Round |
| Length and width close to equal, jaw straight and angular | Square |
| Face clearly longer than wide, jaw straight and angular | Rectangle |
| Face noticeably longer than wide, narrow with little cheekbone flare, jaw softer than rectangle’s | Oblong |
| Wide forehead, narrow pointed chin | Heart |
| Narrow forehead and chin, wide cheekbones | Diamond |
| Narrow forehead, wide jaw | Triangle |
Explore each face shape
Want a second opinion?
If you'd rather skip the tape measure, the Face Shape Detector can analyze a photo and give you an instant estimate.
Try the Face Shape Detector →