Heart Face Shape

What is a heart face shape?

A heart face shape is widest at the forehead and cheekbones and narrows to a small, often pointed chin. Many heart-shaped faces have high cheekbones and some have a widow’s peak at the hairline, though neither is required.

Styling a heart face is about balance: adding width and softness around the jaw and chin, and not adding more width or height at the top. Chin-length cuts and bottom-heavy frames are the classic tools.

In numbers: forehead ≥ cheekbones · jaw clearly narrower · narrow chin.

How to tell if you have a heart face shape

Look for these signs in a mirror or a straight-on photo with your hair pulled back:

• Forehead is about as wide as, or wider than, the cheekbones
• Jaw is clearly narrower than the forehead
• Chin is narrow and may be pointed; some heart faces have a widow’s peak

To check with numbers, measure four things with a soft tape measure: forehead width across the widest part near the temples, cheekbone width across the highest points of the cheekbones, jaw width from the corner of the jaw below one ear to the other, and face length from the hairline to the bottom of the chin. Then enter them in the face shape calculator, or let the face shape detector measure them from a photo.

Heart vs. similar face shapes

• Heart vs. Diamond: A diamond face also has a narrow chin, but its forehead is narrow too, so the cheekbones stick out as the single widest point.
• Heart vs. Oval: Oval faces taper gently; heart faces taper more sharply, and the forehead is at least as wide as the cheekbones.
• Heart vs. Triangle: Triangle (pear) is the opposite: widest at the jaw, narrowest at the forehead.

Best haircuts for a heart face shape

Balance a wider upper face by adding width and volume around the jaw and chin.

Volume at jaw level fills out the narrow lower face: chin-length bobs, lobs with waves, and layers that start at the chin. Side-swept or curtain bangs reduce the width of the forehead. Avoid lots of height at the crown and slicked-back styles that expose a wide forehead with nothing to balance it below.

Hairstyles for women

• Chin-length or shoulder-length bobs
• Side-swept or curtain bangs
• Waves and volume at jaw level
• Long layers starting at the chin

Haircuts for men

• Medium-length textured hair
• Side-swept fringe
• Longer hair that covers part of the forehead
• Avoid very short sides with tall volume on top

What to avoid

• Lots of volume at the crown
• Slicked-back styles that expose a wide forehead with nothing below

Glasses for a heart face

Frames that are wider at the bottom, or light, rimless frames, balance a wider forehead. Oval and round frames work well. Strong browline frames add weight on top and are the least balancing.

• Bottom-heavy frames
• Oval and round frames
• Light or rimless frames
• Avoid top-heavy browline frames

Beard styles and makeup for a heart face shape

Beard

• A fuller beard at the chin and jaw adds width where the face is narrow
• Full beard or chin-strap styles

Contour and blush

• Contour the temples and sides of the forehead
• Blush below the cheekbones toward the jaw

Treat all of these as starting points. Hair texture, the features you like most and your personal style matter as much as face shape.

How the detector recognises a heart face

The face shape detector places 478 landmarks on your face, finds your hairline, and compares the whole outline of your face with thousands of labelled faces. Instead of one verdict, it gives you a percentage for each of the seven shapes. If heart comes out on top but a second shape is close, read both guides: most faces are a blend, and the advice the two shapes share is the safest bet.