Do You Have a Heart-Shaped Face? Everything You Need to Know

What do Reese Witherspoon, Taylor Swift, and Halle Berry have in common? They all have heart-shaped faces, and you just might too! In this article, we’ll go over the defining characteristics of heart-shaped faces and how to tell if you have one. We’ll also cover the best hairstyles, eyewear, eyebrow shapes, and makeup looks for heart-shaped faces, including expert advice from professional hair stylists and cosmetologists. Keep reading for everything you need to know!

Heart-Shaped Face 101

A heart-shaped face is widest around the brow and cheekbones with a narrow, pointed chin. People with heart-shaped faces may have high cheekbones, prominent cheeks, and a widow’s peak hairline. Heart-shaped faces look great with hairstyles that are fuller around the jawline, to help balance the heart shape out.

Section 1 of 8:

Features of a Heart-Shaped Face

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Heart-shaped faces are wider at the forehead and narrower at the chin. The widest points on a heart-shaped face are the brow and cheekbone areas, then the face tapers down to a narrow, pointed chin, mimicking the shape of an actual heart.^{[1]
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Research source} People with heart-shaped faces also tend to have high, prominent cheekbones and a widow’s peak, but some do have a more rounded hairline.
- Celebrities with heart-shaped faces: Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Halle Berry, Taylor Swift, Lucy Hale, Sydney Sweeney, Stephanie Hsu, Chloë Grace Moretz, Vanessa Hudgens, Kourtney Kardashian, Ashley Greene

Section 2 of 8:

How to Tell if You Have a Heart-Shaped Face

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Measure the width of your forehead, cheeks, and jawline. A heart-shaped face will be widest at the brow bone and cheekbone areas, tapering down to a narrower measurement for the jawline. Taking all three of these measurements is a good place to start if you’re trying to figure out whether you have a heart-shaped face. Here’s how:^{[2]
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- Using a tape measure or a ruler, measure across your entire forehead. If you’re using a flexible tape measure, don’t bend it around the curve—keep it flat as you measure.
- Next, measure across the highest part of your cheekbones from one side of your face to the other, keeping the tape measure flat again.
- Finally, measure from just below your ear on one side down to the center of your chin, then multiply that number by 2 to get your jawline measurement.
- If your measurements get gradually smaller from the top to the bottom of your face, this suggests a heart shape.^{[3]
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These tend to be the most noticeable features on a heart-shaped face. Put your hair up so that it’s out of the way, then look in the mirror and assess your features. If your chin looks pointy and narrow compared to your forehead and you see high, prominent cheekbones, these are a few more signs you have this face shape.^{[4]
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Look for a widow’s peak. A widow’s peak hairline comes downwards to a point in the center of your forehead. This shape is really similar to the top of a heart, so it makes sense that many people with heart-shaped faces have this trait. If you have a widow’s peak, this is another major sign you’ve got a heart-shaped face.^{[5]
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- Keep in mind that you can still have a heart-shaped face if you don’t have a widow’s peak, and you can also have a widow’s peak without having a heart-shaped face. It’s just one feature out of many that can be used to determine your face shape.

Section 3 of 8:

Haircuts for Heart-Shaped Faces

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Opt for haircuts with more volume around the jawline and chin area. “If you imagine a heart, it’s very wide at the top and very narrow at the bottom,” says master hairstylist Ambia Elms.^{[6]
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Expert Source

Ambia Elms
Master Hairstylist

Expert Interview} “So, we want to fill in that gap from the fullness at the top. You want your layers to fall right where it starts to come to that bottom point to fill out around your face, and that gives more balance to it,” she explains.^{[7]
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Ambia Elms
Master Hairstylist

Expert Interview}
- For example, a mid-length to long haircut with layers around the chin area would look perfect on a heart-shaped face.
- The layers create volume and width around the jawline, which balances out some of the wideness of the forehead and cheek area.
- You could opt for sleeker face-framing layers, or more of a shaggy, textured look—whatever you prefer!^{[8]
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A sleek longer bob that cuts off right at your shoulders works very well on a heart-shaped face.^{[9]
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Research source} It doesn’t add a lot of width or volume at the top, and it draws attention to the narrower jaw area, which can be very balancing and flattering.
With their prominent cheekbones and pointy chins, heart-shaped faces already tend to have an ethereal, almost fairy-like look. A pixie cut is the perfect way to bring out these otherworldly features! Professional hairstylist Jenny Tran agrees that heart-shaped faces can pull off this unique look. “I think it would be really pretty,” she says.^{[10]
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Jenny Tran
Professional Hair Stylist

Expert Interview}
Wispy bangs cut across the forehead have a softening effect, which is perfect for heart-shaped faces, since this area tends to be so prominent for them.^{[11]
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Research source} Side swept bangs also have a narrowing effect on the forehead area, which makes this style another great choice for heart shapes.
Heart-shaped faces are wide in these areas, so you’ll want to avoid styles that add more volume at these points. “I would want to slim the width at the top,” explains master cosmetologist Shun Pittman.^{[12]
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Shun Pittman
Master Cosmetologist, Global Salon Educator & Author

Expert Interview} For example, you'll want to steer clear of styles like curtain bangs, as well as layers that cut off around your cheeks, since these add width in the forehead and/or cheek areas.

Section 4 of 8:

Hairstyles for Heart-Shaped Faces

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If you have mid-length or long hair, a half-up half-down hairstyle would be perfect for you. Pulling the top half of your hair back has a narrowing effect around your forehead and cheeks, and leaving the hair loose at the bottom creates volume around your chin and jawline. This is very balancing for heart-shaped faces, so it’s a super flattering style for them.^{[13]
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Many people with heart-shaped faces also have widow’s peaks, and an even middle part can sometimes be hard to achieve with this feature. Luckily, a deep side part looks amazing on people with heart-shaped faces, since it also softens the appearance of a wide forehead and draws attention to the chin.^{[14]
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Curls and waves at the chin level or lower can be super balancing for heart-shaped faces, since they draw attention away from the wider top half of your face toward the narrower bottom half. If you have naturally curly or wavy hair, you can simply go about your regular curl routine, but if you have straight hair, a curling iron or heatless curl set can do wonders.

Section 5 of 8:

Eyewear for Heart-Shaped Faces

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Oval, round, aviator, and cat-eye glasses all work well. The rounded curves of all these frame shapes are perfect for softening angular features, like the prominent cheekbones and pointy chins that are common for heart-shaped faces.^{[15]
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- On the other hand, you may want to avoid square or rectangle frames, since these might play up the angles on your face, rather than softening them.
- It’s also important that your glasses are wider than your forehead, so you may need to pick wide or extra wide frames.^{[16]
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Two tone glasses have a deeper color on the top half of the frame and a lighter color on the bottom half, and semi-rimless glasses have a frame across the top of the lenses, but not across the bottom. Both of these styles create a softer look at the bottom of the frames, which also has a softening effect for the prominent cheekbones on heart-shaped faces.^{[17]
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Section 6 of 8:

Eyebrow Shape for Heart-Shaped Faces

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A thicker brow with a soft arch is perfect for heart shapes. A softer, lower, and more rounded arch is ideal for heart-shaped faces because it helps balance your more angular features.^{[18]
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Research source} And, since the forehead is wider and more prominent on a heart-shaped face, it looks best with a thicker brow shape.^{[19]
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- Try to avoid super high, angular brow arches, as well as very thinly plucked brows. These looks may play up your angular features a bit too much.

Section 7 of 8:

Makeup for Heart-Shaped Faces

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Heart shaped faces are known for having adorable, prominent cheeks, and this is definitely one of their most beloved features. To play up this trait, try placing your favorite blush right on the apples of your cheeks, blending upwards toward your temples. This blush placement accentuates your amazing cheekbones, and it’s a super cute look.^{[20]
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Since the forehead is the widest part of a heart-shaped face, it can be helpful to contour around the perimeter, paying special attention to the temple area. This has a slimming, narrowing effect, which can help your face appear more balanced.^{[21]
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This helps to draw attention toward the center of your face and offset the wider areas like your forehead and cheeks. Using either a liquid or powder highlighter, apply some product to the bridge and tip of your nose, put a small amount on the center of your chin, and that’s it!^{[22]
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Section 8 of 8:

Other Face Shapes

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There are five other possible face shapes. If you’re not sure that you have a heart shaped face, check out these descriptions to see if one of the other face shapes is a better fit:
- Round: The length and width of the face have equal measurements, and the hairline and jawline are both rounded.
- Square: The forehead, cheekbones, and jawline all have equal width measurements. The proportions are similar to round faces, but the features are more angular.
- Oval: The face is longer than it is wide, and the forehead width is smaller than the cheekbone width. The jawline and chin are also more rounded, rather than angular.
- Diamond: The proportions are similar to oval faces, but the features are more angular. These include strong, high cheekbones and a more pointed chin.
- Oblong/Rectangular: The face is longer than it is wide, and the forehead, cheekbones, and jaw are about the same width.^{[23]
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