Face shape
Heart face shape: how to spot it and style it
A broad forehead and cheekbones that taper to a narrower jaw and chin.
Updated · Written by the LookFlex team · Styling suggestions, not rules
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At a glance
Heart face
Your forehead is as wide as or wider than your cheekbones, and your jaw tapers to a much narrower or pointed chin.
What a heart face looks like
A heart-shaped face is widest across the forehead and cheekbones and narrows to a smaller jaw and a more pointed chin. The hairline is often a gentle curve or a widow's peak.
Styling a heart-shaped face is mostly about adding balance lower down and softening the forehead width. Fullness near the jaw and light, directional fringes do most of the work.
How to tell if you have a heart face
Face shape is a spectrum with fuzzy edges. Use one of the three methods below, and treat the answer as a starting point: if you sit between two shapes, the advice for both applies.
How LookFlex works it out
LookFlex measures four ratios from your landmarks and scores your face against a reference profile for each of the seven shapes. It reports a probability for every shape, a confidence, and a blend such as Oval–Round when the top two are within 8 percentage points. Here is where a typical heart face sits.
| Ratio | Typical for heart | Reference average | Compared with average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Face length ÷ face width | 1.20 | 1.20 | About average |
| Forehead ÷ cheekbone width | 0.88 | 0.84 | Much higher |
| Jaw ÷ cheekbone width | 0.88 | 0.90 | Much lower |
| Chin width ÷ jaw width | 0.47 | 0.50 | Much lower |
The mirror test
- Pull your hair back and stand a forearm's length from a mirror, face level and relaxed.
- Use a washable marker or lipstick to trace the outline of your face on the glass, from one temple around the chin to the other temple. Close one eye to keep the trace consistent.
- Step back and look at the outline. Note the widest part (forehead, cheekbones or jaw), how angular the jaw is and how long the shape is compared with its width.
- Wipe the glass with a cloth.
The tape-measure test
- Use a soft tape. Measure the widest part of your forehead, the width across your cheekbones, your jaw width (chin tip to just below the ear, doubled) and your face length from hairline to chin tip.
- Find the longest and the widest measurement, then compare the forehead and the jaw with the cheekbones.
- Match what you found with this rule for the heart shape: Your forehead is as wide as or wider than your cheekbones, and your jaw tapers to a much narrower or pointed chin.
Measure two or three times and use the average. Hairline-based length differs from the length LookFlex uses, so a tape-measure result and an app result can land on neighbouring shapes.
Typical features
- The forehead is as wide as or wider than the cheekbones.
- The cheekbones are broad, with the jaw narrowing below them.
- The chin is narrow and sometimes pointed.
- The outline from forehead to chin tapers steadily.
Hairstyles for a heart face
These suggestions are the same ones the LookFlex app gives for a heart face. Hair is personal, so treat the lists as starting points. Any style can be worn by anyone, and the lists are split into men's and women's cuts only because they reflect common barbering and salon categories.
Men's cuts
Try
- Side-swept fringe. Stylists use it to cover part of a wider forehead and draw the eye to the middle of the face.
- Medium textured with side length. Length by the jaw adds width where a heart-shaped face narrows.
- Curtain fringe. A curtain fringe splits the forehead, a usual way to soften its width.
- Longer top with soft fade. Relaxed volume on top with tidy, close sides is a common pairing.
- Textured crop with stubble. Stubble adds visual weight at a narrower chin, a common grooming pairing.
Think twice about
- Tall quiff. Stylists avoid height on top, which draws attention to a wide forehead.
- Slicked-back look. Pulling hair off the forehead shows the widest part of a heart-shaped face.
Women's cuts
Try
- Chin-length bob. Adds weight at the narrow chin and balances a wider forehead.
- Side-swept bangs. They soften a broad forehead.
- Layers starting at the chin. Adds fullness lower down, where you narrow.
- Long waves with jaw-level volume. Draws the eye to the lower half.
- Soft curtain bangs. Break up forehead width without covering it entirely.
Think twice about
- Volume at the crown. Adds width at the top, where you're already widest.
- Tight pulled-back ponytail. Exposes the full forehead with nothing to balance the chin.
Glasses frames
The general rule is to pick frames that contrast with your shape: angles against curves, and curves against angles.
Frames that suit it
- Bottom-heavy frames add weight near the narrower jaw.
- Light, rimless or thin frames do not overpower the forehead.
- Oval and aviator shapes balance the taper.
Frames to be careful with
- Heavy, top-heavy frames or bold brow lines that add width to the forehead.
- Decorative detail along the top of the frame.
Beards and facial hair
Facial hair is optional. If you wear a beard, shape changes how the lower face reads.
- A fuller beard along the jaw and chin adds weight where the face narrows.
- Keep the cheeks tidy so the beard does not add width to the middle of the face.
- A thin goatee can emphasise a pointed chin, so choose a fuller shape.
Brows
- Soft, rounded brows with a gentle arch balance a broad forehead.
- Avoid very high or sharp arches that draw attention upward.
Often confused with
- Diamond. A diamond is widest at the cheekbones, not the forehead.
- Triangle. A triangle is the opposite: widest at the jaw.
What the research says
Limited evidence The evidence behind face-shape advice is limited.
- Face-shape categories are styling conventions. We found no studies that test which haircuts, frames or beard shapes suit which face shape, so treat every suggestion here as a starting point.
- Measured faces vary continuously, and classical rules of proportion fitted only a few people (Farkas et al., 1985). That is why most people sit between two shapes.
- Attractiveness research has concentrated on cues such as averageness, symmetry and skin rather than named outline categories (Rhodes, 2006; Little et al., 2011), and personal taste counted about as much as shared taste (Hönekopp, 2006). Nothing in it ranks one shape above another.
- Photo distance changes proportions: a camera at about 30 cm made the nose look roughly 30% wider than one at 1.5 m (Ward et al., 2018). Retake under similar conditions before trusting a shape.
Frequently asked questions
How is a heart shape different from a diamond?
A heart is widest at the forehead. A diamond is widest at the cheekbones, with a narrower forehead and jaw.
Does a widow's peak mean a heart-shaped face?
No. A widow's peak is a hairline feature. LookFlex measures from the mesh and not the hairline, so face shape is based on the width of the forehead, cheekbones, jaw and chin.
Which haircuts balance a wide forehead?
Side-swept and curtain fringes, medium length with fullness at the jaw and soft layers starting near the chin. The lists below show the options for men and women.
Can a heart-shaped face wear short hair?
Yes. A short crop with some texture works, especially with stubble or a beard that adds weight to the lower face.
Other face shapes
Compare all seven face shapes.
References
Every DOI was checked against Crossref. The evidence label says how much weight a source can carry alone. See how we choose sources on the research page.
- Farkas LG, Hreczko TA, Kolar JC, Munro IR (1985). Vertical and horizontal proportions of the face in young adult North American Caucasians: revision of neoclassical canons. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. doi:10.1097/00006534-198503000-00005Moderate evidenceCross-sectional study
- Hönekopp J (2006). Once more: is beauty in the eye of the beholder? Relative contributions of private and shared taste to judgments of facial attractiveness. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. doi:10.1037/0096-1523.32.2.199Moderate evidenceExperiment
- Little AC, Jones BC, DeBruine LM (2011). Facial attractiveness: evolutionary based research. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. doi:10.1098/rstb.2010.0404Strong evidenceReview
- Rhodes G (2006). The evolutionary psychology of facial beauty. Annual Review of Psychology. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.57.102904.190208Strong evidenceReview
- Ward B, Ward M, Fried O, Paskhover B (2018). Nasal distortion in short-distance photographs: the selfie effect. JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery. doi:10.1001/jamafacial.2018.0009Moderate evidenceMethod or technical report
Find out your face shape
LookFlex measures your face on your device and shows your shape, with the probability for each of the seven, in about a minute. Your first scan is free.
How we measure