Know your face shape: a practical styling aid or unnecessary knowledge?

Perhaps you’ve already seen a TikTok or YouTube video showing a new way to contour the face that’s done differently depending on the shape of your face. Or maybe you’ve wondered what kind of hair cut will flatter your face at a hairdresser’s appointment. Perhaps you’ve stood in front of a sunglasses rack and asked yourself which size and shape is best for your face. If you know your face shape you’ll have the answers to those questions and enjoy lots of other benefits:

• No more bad hair days: choose the perfect cut and style for your face shape.
• Precise make-up: know how to contour, blush and highlight to make the most of your natural assets.
• The perfect glasses: knowing your face shape helps you to pick out the perfect sunglasses or reading glasses.
• Bling it up: the earrings and necklaces that look good on you also depends on your face shape.
• Save time: maximise your shopping efficiency by finding the right accessories in a fraction of the time.
• Know what you want: no need to blindly trust professionals’ opinions on your hair or make-up because you can make your own informed decisions.

There’s one more benefit, and it’s the most important one of all: if you know your face shape you can go through the day with more confidence because you know exactly what suits you, how to emphasise your best natural features and which trends to simply ignore.

Oval face: longer than it is wide, sometimes with a shorter forehead. The cheekbone width is typically wider than the forehead and jawline width. The hairline and chin are usually rounded and the facial features and contours are soft. This face shape is often considered to be the most beautiful because it is usually very symmetrical.

Round face: typically short and full. Wide cheekbones, a round forehead and chin are typical of this face shape. You won't find any hard edges or clearly defined contours here.

Square face: The square face shape is characterised by an equally wide hairline and jawline. It typically also has long vertical contours that can be quite sharp and distinctive, and a square chin.

Diamond-shaped face The rarest of face shapes is a combination of oval and square with a symmetrical look that is defined by a narrow forehead, wide cheekbones and a narrow chin. As a result, the hairline can be quite high.

Heart-shaped face: Heart-shaped faces typically have a wide forehead and delicate, narrow chin, like the point of a heart. People with this face shape will often have a pointed hairline.

Do you already know what your face shape is? If not, read on and find out how you discover this useful styling aid.

Does your face shape not fit into the five typical categories? Don’t worry: they're the rule rather than the exception. After all, we’re people not robots, and there are all kinds of hybrid face shapes. That’s why this is such an interesting topic.

Take a fun approach to finding out your face shape. And don’t forget: Our bodies and faces are naturally different - and each is beautiful in its own way. There’s no need to force a look that simply doesn’t suit you. Don’t stress out about identifying your face shape. It’s just a way to help you show off your best features with make-up, accessories and jewellery.

You’ll need:

• A hair band or scrunchie to keep your hair out of the way.
• A pen and paper to write down your measurements.
• A soft and flexible tailor’s tape measure – please don’t use a stiff folding rule or a sharp-edged tape measure!
• A mirror without magnification that shows your entire face.
• A wash-off pen or eyeliner to mark out your contours (optional).

Sit comfortably in front of the mirror and relax. Put your hair up or back to keep it out of the way for the next few minutes. Now take your tape measure and start measuring your contours. If it helps, use an eyeliner to trace the lines you want to measure.

Face length: The hairline and chin line are the natural boundaries of your face. Simply measure from top to bottom and write down the value.

Forehead length: Place the tape measure horizontally on your forehead and measure the distance from one side of the hairline to the other.

Cheek bones: Feel for the highest point on both sides and measure the distance between them. But don’t put the tape measure directly on the skin because the nose can give you an incorrect measurement.

Jaw length: Starting from the centre of the chin, measure on each side up to the corner of the lower jaw below the ear. Then add the two values together

Now look at the numbers and try to identify any special features. Are any of the measurements similar, such as cheekbones and forehead width? Which measurements are very different? What are your proportions? Compare the result with a check in the mirror and you’ll know what your face shape is.