Face Shapes for a fabulous hairstyle!
When changing to a fabulous new look, believe it or not, it's the shape of your face, along with your hair type and texture that is the most important factor to consider. Do you have kinky, curly or straight hair? Is it thick, medium or fine? Although looking through magazines for hair styles is fun, what catches your eye and what looks good on you can be two completely different things! Below, is an easy to follow guide that will help you determine your face shape, and advise you on the best cuts for a fantastic new look!

Face Shape

To determine your face shape, take a tape measure or ruler and record the following:

• Take the measurement of your face across the top of your cheekbones.
• Take the measurement across your jaw line from the widest point to the widest point.
• The measurement across your forehead at the widest point (generally somewhere halfway between your eyebrows and your hairline).
• The measurement from the tip of your hairline to the bottom of your chin.
• Mark these measurement s on paper and connect the dots!

            OR

Pull your hair back into a ponytail or headband, and grab a dark eye pencil or lipstick. Go to your bathroom mirror, and trace the shape of your face on the mirror, then stand back to see what shape you come up with!

You are now ready to see which one of the seven classic face shapes belongs to you!

Oval shaped
The ideal face shape, because it is proportionally balanced.

Styles to try: an oval face will suit any hairstyle be it straight, wavy, curly, short, medium or long.

Styles to avoid: try to avoid wearing your hairstyle on your face as you'll lose the shape behind the hair and may also add the appearance of weight to your face.

Oval faced celebrities: Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz, and Tyra Banks.

Circular Shaped
The best way to flatter a round face is to create an oval appearance which will lift your facial features.
* The object is to lengthen the appearance of the face.

Styles to try: a below the chin haircut that keeps the sides close to your face and promotes height at the crown is a great style. Hairstyles that are longer than chin length will also suit, and by layering the top to achieve fullness, and keeping the cut relatively close to the face, your face shape will appear longer and narrower. Styles with straight lines or ones that include short fringes will also add length to your face.

Styles to avoid: curly styles emphasize roundness and should be avoided as well as very long styles and ones that pull back tight off your face.

Round faced celebrities: Drew Barrymore, Christina Ricci, and Kate Winslet.

Oblong shaped
Oblong faces - are longer than they are wide, and have high foreheads and long chins.
* They key is to find haircuts that add width and volume.

Styles to try: haircuts that will mostly suit are anything that is short to medium length, such as the "Wedge" style.

Styles to avoid: too much hair length will make an oblong face look even longer. We suggest that you keep your hair above shoulder length and if possible, avoid styles with no fringe.

Oblong faced celebrities: Gwyneth Paltrow, Kirstie Alley, and Janet Jackson.

Heart shaped
Heart shaped faces are wide at the forehead, narrowing to a point at the jaw line.
* The objective is to create width around your narrow chin.

Styles to try: Chin-length or longer styles, side-parted hair styles, swept-forward layers around the upper face, gently wispy bangs. A chin length bob is great on your face shape! This creates a balanced look by giving fullness where you need it. You can wear shorter hairstyles; however, if you are a dramatic heart shape you need to leave weight in the back nape area. This will achieve more balance between your dramatic cheekbones and more narrowing chin.

Styles to avoid: try to avoid short, full hairstyles like slicked back looks that emphasize your upper face.

Heart faced celebrities: Naomi Campbell, Ashley Judd, and Lisa Kudrow.

Square shaped
Square faces have a strong forehead and jaw line. The square face is angular with a broad, square forehead.
* The objective is to create an oval appearance and lift your facial features.

Styles to try: short to medium length hairstyles, especially with wave or roundness around the face, will suit you best. Soften the edges of your face with layers and wear long hair at, or past your shoulders. Your hair would look best parted down one side with a swept away fringe to create a different angle. If your hair is straight, you may want to consider a body wave to achieve a nice balance to the straight features of this face shape.

Styles to avoid: a square geometric cut, long bobs with heavy fringes, and all styles that part down the middle.

Square shaped celebrities: Sandra Bullock, Demi Moore, and Isabella Rossellini.

Diamond shaped
Diamond shaped faces have a narrow forehead and jaw line, with wide cheekbones.
* The key is to find a hairstyle that will balance the narrow chin.

Styles to try: most hairstyles suit a diamond shape with the best being a full, rounded style such as a graduated bob which falls to the chin.

Styles to avoid: avoid all hairstyles that leave your forehead completely exposed and styles where there is no hair on your neck.

Diamond shaped celebrities: Kate Bosworth, Sophia Loren, and Katherine Hepburn.

Triangular shaped
Triangular shaped faces have narrow foreheads and cheekbones, with wide jaw lines.
* The objective is to narrow your chin and widen your forehead.

Styles to try: shorter hairstyles that balance the prominent jaw line would suit, with lots of layers added to achieve fullness and to balance the upper part of your face. A hairstyle that is full at the temples, like the "Wedge" hairstyle will look great!

Styles to avoid: long, full hairstyles that draw attention to the jaw line and styles that add width, such as haircuts that kick out at the bottom.

Triangular faced celebrity: Kathy Ireland.

Happy Hairstyling!