Face Shape Haircut Mistakes
Determine your shapePull all your hair back in a headband. Look at your hairline and chin line. If it helps, draw a few dots with eyeliner to help you see the shape. "Be honest about what you see," says Kérastase stylist Tommy Buckett, from Sally Hershberger salon in New York City, N.Y. "Not everyone has a perfect, oval-shaped face." Although the right attitude can help you pull off any cut, Buckett, who has styled Ashley Olsen and Rachel McAdams, offers these basic guidelines for getting the hair you want with the face you've got. Now find a style that will work for you...
Shape: HeartHow to tell: Wider forehead and narrow chin
What suits your shape: Forget blunt bobs and super-short styles. To flatter a heart-shaped face, Buckett suggests a combination of a side part accented by bangs, and chin-length (or longer) all-over layers. "Adding pieces that hit at the jaw fools the eye into seeing a more oval shape instead of a pointy chin," he says.
Heart-shaped stars:
Long: Reese Witherspoon
Side-swept, fringy bangs with a side part and flowing layers
Medium: Christina Ricci
Eye-skimming, soft bangs with face-framing, long layers
Short: Jenny McCarthy
A deep side part that sweeps hair across the forehead, combined with choppy, chin-length layers
Shape: SquareHow to tell: Angular jawbone and hairline
What suits your shape: Lots of face-framing layers and a side part can soften angular facial bone structure. "It draws attention to the cheekbones and makes an angular face seem less severe," Buckett says.
Square-shaped stars:
Long: Gwyneth Paltrow
A side part camouflages a right-angled hairline, and pulled-forward long layers cover a square jaw to make it seem less prominent
Medium: Jennifer Garner
Tousled waves with long, face-framing layers partially cover the jaw to downplay angles and add fullness
Short:
A shaggy, layered cut with a deep side part balances the strong angles of the jaw
Shape: RoundHow to tell: Same-width forehead and lower face, with prominent cheeks
What suits your shape: Round-faced women can minimize fullness with a cut that features a middle or slightly off-center part and face-framing layers. "Flowing pieces of hair that cover the sides of the face temper full cheeks and make the face appear longer and leaner," Buckett says. Long, side-swept bangs that end at the cheekbones also help create a more chiseled illusion.
Round-shaped stars:
Long: Jennifer Hudson
Tumbling curls with shorter layers that cover the sides of the face and add volume to the back sections slim the cheeks
Short to medium: Cameron Diaz
Worn straight or wavy, face-framing side sections help camouflage roundness by covering the sides of the face
Pixie: Renee Zellweger
Longer pieces on top with close-cut locks in the back help make cheekbones look more angular and less full
Shape: OvalHow to tell: Same-width forehead and lower face, with longer sides
What suits your shape: Most styles will suit you. (Lucky!) "Everything we do to flatter heart, round or square faces is meant to make them look more oval-shaped," Buckett says.
Oval-shaped stars:
Long: Beyonce;
From straight, sleek styles to Diana Ross-inspired masses of curls
Medium: Kate Winslet
A one-length cut with subtle layers in front and on the sides is truly versatile, and switching from a middle to a deep side part complements waves or straight strands
Short: Eva Longoria
A chin-length, side-parted style -- worn wavy or straight -- works on most women, regardless of the shape of the face.
Face Shape Haircut Mistakes
Determine your shapePull all your hair back in a headband. Look at your hairline and chin line. If it helps, draw a few dots with eyeliner to help you see the shape. "Be honest about what you see," says Kérastase stylist Tommy Buckett, from Sally Hershberger salon in New York City, N.Y. "Not everyone has a perfect, oval-shaped face." Although the right attitude can help you pull off any cut, Buckett, who has styled Ashley Olsen and Rachel McAdams, offers these basic guidelines for getting the hair you want with the face you've got. Now find a style that will work for you...
Shape: HeartHow to tell: Wider forehead and narrow chin
What suits your shape: Forget blunt bobs and super-short styles. To flatter a heart-shaped face, Buckett suggests a combination of a side part accented by bangs, and chin-length (or longer) all-over layers. "Adding pieces that hit at the jaw fools the eye into seeing a more oval shape instead of a pointy chin," he says.
Heart-shaped stars:
Long: Reese Witherspoon
Side-swept, fringy bangs with a side part and flowing layers
Medium: Christina Ricci
Eye-skimming, soft bangs with face-framing, long layers
Short: Jenny McCarthy
A deep side part that sweeps hair across the forehead, combined with choppy, chin-length layers
Shape: SquareHow to tell: Angular jawbone and hairline
What suits your shape: Lots of face-framing layers and a side part can soften angular facial bone structure. "It draws attention to the cheekbones and makes an angular face seem less severe," Buckett says.
Square-shaped stars:
Long: Gwyneth Paltrow
A side part camouflages a right-angled hairline, and pulled-forward long layers cover a square jaw to make it seem less prominent
Medium: Jennifer Garner
Tousled waves with long, face-framing layers partially cover the jaw to downplay angles and add fullness
Short:
A shaggy, layered cut with a deep side part balances the strong angles of the jaw
Shape: RoundHow to tell: Same-width forehead and lower face, with prominent cheeks
What suits your shape: Round-faced women can minimize fullness with a cut that features a middle or slightly off-center part and face-framing layers. "Flowing pieces of hair that cover the sides of the face temper full cheeks and make the face appear longer and leaner," Buckett says. Long, side-swept bangs that end at the cheekbones also help create a more chiseled illusion.
Round-shaped stars:
Long: Jennifer Hudson
Tumbling curls with shorter layers that cover the sides of the face and add volume to the back sections slim the cheeks
Short to medium: Cameron Diaz
Worn straight or wavy, face-framing side sections help camouflage roundness by covering the sides of the face
Pixie: Renee Zellweger
Longer pieces on top with close-cut locks in the back help make cheekbones look more angular and less full
Shape: OvalHow to tell: Same-width forehead and lower face, with longer sides
What suits your shape: Most styles will suit you. (Lucky!) "Everything we do to flatter heart, round or square faces is meant to make them look more oval-shaped," Buckett says.
Oval-shaped stars:
Long: Beyonce;
From straight, sleek styles to Diana Ross-inspired masses of curls
Medium: Kate Winslet
A one-length cut with subtle layers in front and on the sides is truly versatile, and switching from a middle to a deep side part complements waves or straight strands
Short: Eva Longoria
A chin-length, side-parted style -- worn wavy or straight -- works on most women, regardless of the shape of the face.
STYLE & BEAUTY