Humans are the only species in the animal kingdom that have a variety of prominent facial features. Most animals use senses like hearing or smell to recognize each other, whereas we humans majorly use sight. Cultural and environmental factors caused our faces to evolve over time and made us look distinct and easily recognizable.
Our genes play a significant role in determining our face shape, but it’s up to us to play the cards we’re dealt with and use them to our advantage. As we know, most people usually form their first impressions based on the person’s appearance. So, if you want your face to do the talking, then read on.
In this article, we will explore the different face shapes of men and how you can identify yours. By determining your facial structure, you can make the right choices when selecting your hairstyle, hair color, beard style, mustache, or even glasses to enhance your facial features.
The Importance of Face Shapes
No two people look alike, but they can look similar due to the shape of their faces. What suits your favorite celebrity or your friend might not work for you. To recognize what complements yours, it is vital to know your face shape. Knowing which yours is doesn’t only give you better choices, but it’ll also help boost your confidence.
A lot of research has been done with face shapes. Therefore, knowing what style will suit a particular face shape is already backed up by science. So don’t worry. You might just find out that there are more ways to highlight your features than you already know.
The Seven Face Shapes of Men
Diamond Face Shape
The diamond face shape is the one where the cheekbone is the broadest part of the face while the forehead and the jawline are narrow. The overall face length has the longest measurement with a small and pointy chin.
Celebrities with this face shape:
Some celebrities with a diamond face shape are Johnny Depp, Robert Pattinson, Christian Bale, and Ryan Reynolds.
Hairstyles:
People with diamond face shape should try hairstyles that have more volume. Long hair and man bun hairstyles would look good as they add width to the forehead. Hairstyles with fringes are also recommended. Basically, one needs to make sure the cheekbone doesn’t look any broader than it is and a balance is maintained.
Beards and Mustache Styles:
When it comes to beards, men with a diamond face shape should have a low and soft beard outline. The beard should start below the cheeks, along the natural angular shape of the jawline. Some styles like boxed beard, chin beard, and pointed beard would really suit this face shape.
It is also advised to keep a narrow mustache since a thick one would enhance the cheekbones and make it look wider. A bushy mustache would also give a nice touch to the overall look. Handlebar, pyramidal, and Van Dyke mustache are some styles that one can try.
Glasses:
The perfect pair of glasses for a diamond-shaped face would be a round or an oval framed one. Avoid angular and rimless frames as they would make a face look broader. Another thing to note, the frames should have a perfect fit and not go wider than the cheekbones. If you want to emphasize your forehead, you can go for frames with colors and details on top. Try aviators, wayfarers, browlines, or Pince-Nez frames to do justice to your diamond face shape.
Heart Diamond Face Shape
One has a heart diamond face shape if their forehead is wider than the rest of the face. The cheekbone and jawline gradually slope from the sides to form a sharp, angular chin. The upper half of the face is relatively broader than the lower half.
Celebrities with this face shape:
Bradley Cooper, Nick Jonas, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are some of the male celebrities with a heart diamond face shape.
Hairstyles:
When getting your hair styled, the goal is to reduce the width of the forehead. One should go for styles that are heavy on the top and allow the hair to flow naturally along the frames of the face. Fringe and Pompadour hairstyles would also suit this face shape. Try to avoid hair cuts that are very short on the sides as they would give an illusion of a wider forehead and jawline.
Beards and Mustache Styles:
The heart diamond face shape has a similar jawline as the diamond face shape. Growing a fuller beard that adds more volume to the chin would make a face look more proportionate. If big beards are not your style, then you can try growing a stubble as well.
A stubble with a trimmed mustache would look good on someone with a heart diamond face shape. A mustache would improve the width of the face’s midsection in the right areas. But heavy and big mustaches are a no-go. Instead, go for a Van Dykes style or a pencil mustache to complete your look.
Glasses:
While picking the right eyewear for a heart diamond face shape, keep in mind to give the whole face a more balanced look. Square, rectangular or oval frames are great as they are wider on the top, drawing attention towards the eyes instead of the chin. Light-colored and rimless frames are best for this face shape.
Oblong Face Shape
Faces, where the length is longer than the width of the face, are known as an oblong face shape. The forehead, cheekbone, and jawline are generally of the same width, while the chin could be sharp. The face shape looks like either a long oval or rectangular.
Celebrities with this face shape:
Adam Levine, Kiefer Sutherland, Eminem, and Ben Affleck are some of the renowned people with an oblong face shape.
Hairstyles:
To cut the length of the face, you should go for a mid-length hairstyle. If the hair is too short or too long, it will make a face look even longer. Styles with a center part should also be avoided. One can go for long thick sideburns as that would make a face appear broader.
Beards and Mustache Styles:
Most of the beard styles suit an oblong face, from a full beard, a circle beard to a stubble. However, just make sure that it balances out the face length to make it less elongated. The same applies to mustaches too. Handlebar and horseshoe mustaches are good styles to experiment with. Since the face structure is on the larger side, a small and thin mustache would do nothing to your face shape.
Glasses:
Angular as well as round frame glasses are highly recommended for oblong face shapes. To balance it out, everything should be done in moderation. Anything too big or too small would make a face look longer. Also, take into consideration the distance between the eyes while selecting the frame. If the eyes are wide apart, browline frames are recommended. On the other hand, if the eyes are closer, then frames that have decorative outer edges like cat-eye frames would be more suitable.
Oval Face Shape
Oval face shapes are the most desired, because of their versatility. Almost every style of haircut, beard, or glasses suits this structure. The length of the face is longer than its width, where the cheekbone is the widest section of the face followed by the forehead. The jawline is usually more rounded. Overall, the oval face frame is the most balanced among the others. No wonder it’s been given the title of the “most ideal” face shape for men.
Celebrities with this face shape:
Jude Law, Will Smith, David Beckham, George Clooney, and Enrique Iglesias, all have an oval face shape.
Hairstyles:
As stated before, the oval face shape can carry any style of hair but round haircuts would complement their face more. Fringes could be a little risky though, if the hair is too heavy on the forehead, it will make your face look rounder instead of oval. One can also take advantage of this face shape and experiment with a bald look.
Beards and Mustache Styles:
People with oval face shapes have the liberty to explore beard styles. One doesn’t need to accentuate any particular feature of their face, as they just have to make sure they don’t go overboard. V-shaped beards would look the best for this. Other styles like Inverted T-beard, chin beard, and sideburns are also worth trying.
A bushy, thick mustache is not something that will suit every oval face-shaped man. Instead, go for a light, sharp and angular mustache to amplify the structure. You can give the Pencil or Pyramidal mustache a shot.
Glasses:
Moving on to the glasses, again, oval faces can flaunt a variety of frames. But using the round and oval frames might make your face look rounder and disproportionate. While Squares and Wayfarers are the tried and tested classic frames, one should not shy away from trying the new trends in the market if they’re feeling adventurous.
Round Face Shape
A person has a round face shape when the length of the face and the width measure almost equally, and the width of the forehead and jawline are similar. The jawline is usually not well defined and has soft curved edges. The circular shape makes a face look big and it has no prominent facial features. Styling round face shapes are easy as one can use the right tools to highlight only the features they want.
Celebrities with this face shape:
Both Leonardo Di Caprio and Jack Black have a round face shape
Hairstyles:
Hairstyles that are heavy on the top and voluminous would look good on a man with a round face. It will add length to the face and provide angularity. Center parting also gives the same illusion. Side fringes and off-center hair parting hairstyles soften the edges and give an even more rounded look. Hence, they should be avoided completely.
Beards and Mustache Styles:
Growing a beard is an excellent choice if one has a round face. Beards contour the jawline and give it a more defined structure. Keep the beard well-trimmed so that it doesn’t make a face look wider. Bushy sidelock would not work on a round shape face. For a chiseled jawline look, one can go for a Goatee, Boxed beard, or a Pointed beard.
Mustaches that increase the length of the face, like Pencil and Van Dyke are recommended for a round shape face. A broad, thick, and big mustache would further cover the facial features and make a face look even more round, so it’s best to avoid them.
Glasses:
Glasses that have angular and square frames should be worn by men with this face shape. Round and oval frames need not be completely evaded. If they are small and thin enough, like the Pince-Nez, Browline, and Semi-rimless frames, then they can still complement the features.
Square Face Shape
The square face shape is considered the most masculine face shape. The length and the width of the face are more or less the same. As for the forehead and cheekbones, they are broad, accompanied by a sharp, block-shaped jawline. The hairline tends to be straight, giving the face an even more box-like shape. Every feature of the face is clearly defined. One can either choose to either exaggerate or downplay their features by adopting different styles.
Celebrities with this face shape:
Celebrities like Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, David Beckham, and Nick Lachey have square faces.
Hairstyles:
Short and neat haircuts look really impressive on a square face shape. Like the oval face shape, the square face shape also has a lot of room to experiment with new hairstyles. They can pull off crew cuts, swept-back, and side-part hairstyles easily.
Beards and Mustache Styles:
Angular beards can be used to enhance the already dominant jawline, while voluminous beards can soften them. Narrow beards generally don’t suit a square face well. On the other hand, beard styles like Imperial, Circle, Pointed and Boxed would all look spectacular.
Mustaches also serve the same purpose as beards. Go for long and fuller mustaches like Handlebar, Horseshoe, or Van Dyke as that would pop the desired features of the face. Narrow mustaches would get lost and would look out of place, so it’s best to avoid them.
Glasses:
People with square face shapes are blessed when it comes to glasses. Almost every type of frame looks good on them. Just be mindful of not wearing overly broad and bulky ones. Also, as the face is already squarish, square frames would overstress this feature and make a face look huge. The best bet would be to use oval and round frames like Aviators, Browline, and Wayfarers.
Triangle Face Shape
The jawline is the widest in a triangle face shape, followed by the cheekbone and then the forehead. The chin is pointy with a strong, prominent jawline. When styling, one should try and add more width to the rest of the face to even it out.
Celebrities with this face shape:
Celebrities with a triangle face include Ryan Gosling and Justin Timberlake.
Hairstyles:
As the bottom of the face is very heavy, go for hairstyles that would make the upper part of the face wide. Long and medium hair length would help achieve exactly that. Adding volume on top is a must to enhance the forehead. Additionally, hairstyles with side parts and fringes would suit a triangular face cut.
Beards and Mustache Styles:
As the jawline is the highlight in this shape, you can grow a full beard to tone it down a bit. One can explore styles like Boxed and Imperial beards as well. Regular trimming and styling of the beard are advisable, otherwise, it would have an opposite effect for its proportions. But if you are looking to boost your jawline, then a clean-shaven look would be the best option.
With a mustache, you can choose to hone either a large bushy one like Handlebar or Horseshoe that draws attention to the cheekbones or a thin one that makes the jawline look less wide.
Glasses:
Glasses can come in handy to balance out the features. One can opt for angular frames to define your cheekbones and forehead, or rounder frames to soften your features. Wayfarer, Rimless and Semi-rimless, Browline, Pince-Nez, and even Aviators would suit a triangle face shape.
Determining the Face Shape
Now that you know all the face shapes, it’s time to figure out which one best describes yours. To get started, you need a measuring tape, a mirror, and a notepad or your phone to take note of the measurements. You need to measure different parts of your face to figure out which parts are the widest or longest to determine your face shape.
- Forehead – Measure across the widest part of your forehead, which would be in between your eyebrows and the hairline.
- Cheekbone – Run the tape across the most protruding parts of the cheekbone, which is right below the outer corner of the eyes.
- Jawline – Measure from the start of the jawbone, that is, below the ears, and run it to the tip of the chin. Then multiple is by two to get the total jawline length.
- Face Length – Place the measuring tape at the center of your face and note the distance between your hairline and the chin.
The next step is to rank the facial parts based on their measurements from the largest to the smallest. Once you have this, go through our above-listed descriptions to identify your face shape.
Frequently Asked Questions about Face Shapes
What is the most attractive face shape for a guy?
A man with an oval face shape is generally considered more attractive than others. It’s the most balanced and symmetric face shape since it doesn’t emphasize specific features, keeping it slender. Also, almost all the styles look good on this face shape.
What are the male face shapes?
There are seven male face shapes: diamond, heart diamond, oblong, oval, round, square, and triangle. Face shapes can be determined by measuring parts of the face. Combining these face shapes with their apt styles can accentuate its unique features.
At what age does your face change most?
As we grow older, the face changes more rapidly. More visible changes can be seen when people hit their 40’s and 50’s. As the muscles start to weaken with age, the skin becomes loose and thin, making some drastic changes to our face.
What makes a man’s face attractive?
A symmetrical face structure and boyish looks make a man’s face attractive. A symmetric face is when both sides of the face look proportionate. An average face is also said to be more likable than a unique face.
Does working out affect your face shape?
Most of us are born with a fundamental face shape. With the help of different face exercises, you can enhance the features that you want to draw attention to. For example, if you have a round face, you should do exercises that would help narrow down your jawline and give it a more chiseled look. Similarly, if you have an oblong face, exercises that add width to your cheekbone would do the trick.
A Final Word From The Trending Man
By now, you should have a fair idea of what your face shape is and which different styles that you can pull off. If you are still a little confused and can’t zero down on one face shape that describes you, don’t fret. Many people have traits from two or more face shapes. In such cases, you can determine your face shape based on your more prominent features. Either way, learn to experiment, know which ones work and which ones don’t.
So the next time you are at the hairdresser or buying glasses, you would know exactly what suits you. This will give you the advantage of looking even better than you already do and one step closer to looking like the next Tom Hardy.
