How To Determine Your Face Shape Once And For All

Many beauty guides discuss the importance of figuring out one's face shape in order to determine where to apply makeup or which haircut to get. While finding a look that's flattering to one's features isn't unimportant, a lot of discussions about face shape can fall by the wayside. Not everyone has a face that is perfectly round or exactly square, for instance — what about everything in between?

According to MasterClass, there are six different face shapes: oval, round, square, rectangle, heart, and diamond. "Knowing and understanding your face shape can be important for a number of reasons — [like] when choosing a hairstyle, picking sunglasses, grooming your eyebrows, or applying makeup," board-certified plastic surgeon David Shafer explained to Real Simple. "It also allows you to play with dimension and know which parts of your face you want to emphasize or minimize." Your face shape may even help you determine how your face will eventually age.

Although some guides use references to various celebrities, the constant comparisons to the rich and famous aren't necessary to find your face shape. Furthermore, despite all the talk about shapes, a strong background in geometry isn't a prerequisite, either.

As both Real Simple and Birchbox note, all it takes is knowing a few key facial measurements. Both sources recommend using a tape measure to take measurements for the widths of the cheekbones, forehead, and jawline, as well as the length of the face. Taking these measurements might require enlisting another person for assistance, however.

Using these measurements, it becomes easier to compare one face shape to another. In turn, this helps narrow things down when it comes to everything from makeup to hairstyling. For instance, Real Simple notes that oval-shaped faces have features of both round faces and square faces, while diamond-shaped faces are actually a variation of the oval shape.

Determining one's face shape is something that can benefit anyone and everyone, whatever their desired looks. Celebrity makeup artist Vincent Oquendo explained to TODAY that it can come in handy in many ways. "Knowing your face shape can be very helpful. It can help you decide life's toughest questions like which haircut is most flattering on me? Which makeup will make me look most natural? And it just might be the answer to finding your favorite pair of glasses," Oquendo told the source.

The BBC reported that one's facial features can provide some additional information related to one's personality and overall health. "The idea is that our biology, like genes and hormone levels, influences our growth, and the same mechanisms will also shape our character," Dr. Carmen Lefevre, honorary senior research associate at the University College London, told the BBC.

Let's face it, these are plenty of great reasons to get out a tape measure and take a few minutes to make note of some numbers.