Your face shape is determined by the relative width of your forehead, cheekbones, and jaw, compared to your face's overall length. It's the basis for hairstyle, glasses, and makeup contouring recommendations — but it's easy to misjudge just by looking in a mirror.

Method 1: The outline trace

  1. Take a straight-on photo. Pull your hair back, look directly at the camera, and keep a neutral expression, at arm's length in even light.
  2. Trace the outline. On your phone or printed photo, trace just the outer edge of your face — forehead, cheekbones, jaw, chin — with a marker or a photo-editing tool.
  3. Step back and compare. Look at the traced shape on its own. Is it roughly equal in width top to bottom (round or square), wider at the forehead (heart), wider at the jaw (triangle), or longer than it is wide (oblong)?

Method 2: The measurement method

More objective than eyeballing it. Using a flexible tape measure:

  • Forehead width: the widest point, roughly eyebrow to eyebrow across.
  • Cheekbone width: the widest point across your cheekbones.
  • Jaw width: the widest point along your jawline, below the ears.
  • Face length: hairline straight down to the bottom of your chin.

Compare the four numbers. If they're all close, you're likely oval or round depending on how sharp your jaw is. A forehead noticeably wider than your jaw points to heart; a jaw wider than your forehead points to triangle; a face length clearly longer than its width points to oblong.

Method 3: AI photo analysis

Self-measuring is reliable but takes care to do accurately — a slightly off camera angle or measuring point can shift the result. An AI analysis reads the same proportions from a single selfie in seconds, which is often faster and more consistent than measuring by hand.

Chromyne reads your face shape from a selfie, along with styling tips built around it.

Find My Face Shape

The 6 common face shapes

  • Oval: balanced proportions, slightly longer than wide, with a gently rounded jaw.
  • Round: similar width and length, with soft, curved edges and no sharp angles.
  • Square: forehead, cheekbones, and jaw are similar in width, with a strong, angular jawline.
  • Heart: a wider forehead that narrows down to a smaller, sometimes pointed chin.
  • Long (oblong): noticeably longer than it is wide, with a fairly straight cheek line.
  • Diamond: narrow forehead and jaw with the cheekbones as the widest point.

Once you know your shape, see which hairstyles actually work with it.

Read: Best Hairstyles by Face Shape

Frequently asked questions

What are the 6 main face shapes?

Oval, round, square, heart, long (oblong), and diamond. Most people are a blend of two, with one shape dominant.

What's the most accurate way to find your face shape at home?

Measuring your forehead, cheekbone, and jaw width along with total face length gives the most objective result, since it removes guesswork about proportions that photos and mirrors can distort.

Why does my face shape look different in every photo?

Camera angle and lens distance change how proportions appear — a close-up from below can widen the jaw, while a photo from further away flattens features. Use a straight-on photo taken at eye level, at arm's length, for the most reliable read.