What Is My Face Shape? 3 Steps to Finding Your Face Shape

There are some things about your body that are crucial to know: your blood type, whether you're allergic to dairy, and your face shape — to name a few. The latter may seem like NBD, but knowing if your face is oval, square, or round can help you get a more flattering haircut, natural-looking fillers, and better sculpt your face with your favorite contouring kit. We made it easy for you to figure it all out on your own, by breaking down the evaluation process into three easy steps with the help of a plastic surgeon and hairstylist.

Before you start, Philippe Barr, the creative director at Frederic Fekkai Salon in Palm Beach, suggests pulling or slicking your hair back so that "the outline of your face is fully exposed." To make the process even easier, you can also trace the outline of your face onto your mirror with lipstick or lip liner, he adds.

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Step 1: What's the widest part of your face?

• Forehead: A wider forehead can be filed under the oval category, especially if its width "tapers toward the chin," New York–based board-certified plastic surgeon Norman Rowe tells Allure. He determines the shape of his patients' faces before using injectables or performing a face-lift. To do so, he notes "differences in symmetry or distances from one feature to the next."
• Cheekbones: "Face shapes that are widest at the cheekbones are a typically a round face shape," Rowe says. With this face shape, the measurement of width and length are basically equal.
• Jaw: If the jaw is the widest part of your face, you have a square face shape. In this case, the forehead, cheeks, and jawline are almost equal in width," Rowe adds. You might have a heart- or triangle-shaped face, though, so move on to step two to confirm.

Step 2: What's the shape of your jaw?

• Round: Got a rounder jaw? They are often associated with a round face shape, Rowe notes.
• Square: "A strong jawline usually means a square face shape," Barr says.
• Pointy: Consider your face heart shaped. "This face shape strongly tapers toward the chin," Rowe adds.

Step 3: What's the length of your face?

• Short: All signs point toward the round face shape.
• Long: If you haven't figured it out already in step one and two, you probably have an oval shaped face, Barr says.

Now that you've determined your face shape, here's a little haircut inspiration based on your results.

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Now, check out 10 haircuts perfect for oval-shaped faces: