Before you enhance your natural face features, you should determine your face shape. Knowing your structure helps you balance your proportions with makeup, hide imperfections, and attract attention to your best features. This information is the basis for any permanent makeup procedure, as it ensures the precise placement of a tattoo aligned with unique facial geometry.
At Anna Kara’s PMU studio, our artists will consult you on how to determine your face shape before the performance of permanent eyebrows or any other PMU technique.
Introduction to Face Shapes
When defining a shape, we look at external boundaries, outlining an object. This parameter does not include color, size, or texture. And still, it is sufficient to distinguish the structure from others. This is a comprehensive, generally accepted classification tool.
Despite the fact that human faces are 3-dimensional, they are commonly compared to basic 2-D geometric shapes, such as squares, ovals, circles, and triangles. This preference can be explained by the use of flat photos to explore face features for beauty and styling purposes. We do not say that a face is of a cube shape or a cloud shape. However, there is an exception to the rule, which we’ll discuss later.
Front-facing proportions matter to change the appearance when planning cosmetic procedures, for instance, to define the best shape of permanent eyebrows. When mapping, artists measure symmetry and angles, using primary landmarks, including corners of the eyes and the mouth, the tip of the nose, the highest point of the cheekbones, etc. But the overall impression always relies on the face shape.
Before we tell you how to know your face shape, we’d enumerate six universally recognized shapes: round, square, oval, triangle, diamond (rhombus), and heart. As you see, the list includes an option compared to an object instead of a geometric shape. Heart is an exception. But it is not just about visual similarity to the pattern. The classification is based on calculations that involve forehead width, face length, cheekbone width, and jawline width. You can use AI-powered apps that define your face shape from a selfie, or you can handle the task on your own.
Step 1. Measure Your Face
To start your self-discovery journey, you should measure your face. For accurate measurements, ensure that you stand in front of a mirror, looking straight ahead, with a neutral expression. Keep the measuring tape flat against your skin. If you ask, “How to find my face shape?” you’ll find the simple guidelines below.
Forehead Width
Measure your forehead in a straight horizontal line at the level of about 2 cm above your eyebrows. Pull the tape across the forehead between the hairlines on both temples.
Cheekbone Width
Find the two highest points of your cheekbones, approximately below the outer corners of your eyes, and pull the tape between them across the bridge of your nose. Ensure that the tape remains straight in the air. It should not curve, following the contours of your face.
Jawline Width
Find the area at the bottom of your ear, where the jaw makes an angle. Measure from this point to the center of your chin, covering only one side of your face. To get the jawline width, increase this parameter by two.
Face Length
Remove your hair from your forehead and measure from the center of your hairline to the tip of your chin to find out your face length.
Step 2. Analyze Your Measurements
Understanding how to know your face shape requires some analytical skills. You should compare key measurements with available shapes. If the face length is larger than the cheekbone width, you have an oval face. If the face length and the cheekbone width are roughly equal, the face is round. The same proportions and equal forehead and jawline widths, but a sharp jawline, should be interpreted as a square face. When the cheekbones are the widest line, you have a diamond-shaped face. A heart shape is defined by the widest forehead and a pointed chin.
Step 3. Identify Your Face Shape
We offer systemized data on how to identify face shape. One glance is enough to get a precise answer.
Common Face Shapes and Their Characteristics
| Face Shape | Forehead Width | Cheekbone Width | Jawline Width | Face Length | Jawline Angle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Identical to the jawline width and slightly narrower than the cheekbones | Identical to the face length | Identical to the forehead width and slightly narrower than the cheekbones | Identical to the cheekbone width | Soft |
| Square | Straight along the hairline, almost identical to the jawline width, and the cheekbones | Identical to the forehead and jawline widths | Identical to the forehead width and the cheekbone width | Identical to the cheekbone width | Sharp |
| Oval | Slightly narrower than the cheekbones, but wider than the jawline | The widest measurement | The narrowest horizontal measurement | The longest measurement | Soft |
| Triangle | The narrowest measurement | Narrower than the jawline | The widest measurement | Longer than the widest measurement | Sharp |
| Diamond | Narrower than the cheekbones | The widest measurement | Identical to the forehead width | The longest measurement | Sharp |
| Heart | The widest measurement | Narrower than the forehead | Narrower than the cheekbones and the forehead width | Longer than the forehead width | Soft |
Tips for Each Face Shape
Understanding how to measure face shape and analyze the data is only half the battle. You should know how to benefit from these tools and enhance your appearance. Beauty experts at Anna Kara’s PMU salon know more about the subject and can help you with professional consultations based on your face shape.
On your own, you can choose your hairstyles and makeup to soften strong angles if you have a square or diamond-shaped face or to make your round face visually longer. You can use permanent makeup forlips, eyebrows, or blush to balance your facial features. For instance, for round faces, you should prefer a pointed or heart-shaped upper lip. Pillowy lips will soften a square face. There are so many nuances. To avoid mistakes, leave solutions to professionals.
