What is a diamond face shape?
A diamond face has one clear widest point: the cheekbones. The forehead above and the jaw below are both narrower, and roughly the same width as each other, and the chin comes to a defined, often pointed tip. Draw a line around it and you get something close to a diamond on its point.
The cheekbones are usually high and prominent, and the face has visible angles at the temples and under the cheekbones. Diamond is reported less often than oval or round, partly because many quizzes do not offer it, so diamond faces often get labeled oval or heart.
Styling a diamond face is about bringing the forehead and the jaw closer to the width of the cheekbones. That usually means some width at the fringe and some fullness at chin level, while keeping volume away from the widest point at the sides of the cheeks.
How to tell if you have a diamond face
Cheekbones clearly the widest point, with a narrower forehead and jaw and a defined, often pointed chin.
- 1Forehead
- 2Cheekbones
- 3Jawline
- 4Face length
- Length
- About 1.5 times the width
- Widest point
- Cheekbones, by a clear margin
- Forehead
- Narrow, close to the jaw width
- Jaw and chin
- Narrow, angled toward a defined or pointed chin
- Your cheekbones are clearly wider than both your forehead and your jaw.
- Your forehead and jaw are about the same width, and both are on the narrow side.
- Your chin is defined and narrow, often coming to a point.
- Your face has visible angles at the temples and below the cheekbones, rather than a smooth curve.
How to measure a diamond face
Pull your hair back and look straight into a mirror, or take a photo at arm's length with the phone at eye level. Then compare four distances:
- Forehead: across the widest part, roughly halfway between your brows and hairline.
- Cheekbones: across the highest points, just below the outer corners of your eyes.
- Jawline: from the corner of your jaw below one ear to the same point on the other side.
- Length: from the center of your hairline to the tip of your chin.
For a diamond face, the cheekbones are clearly the widest measurement, the forehead and jaw are both narrower and close to each other, and the length is around 1.5 times the width. If the forehead is close to the cheekbones, you are probably heart instead. If you would rather not measure, our face shape detector does it from a photo, on your device.
Best hairstyles for a diamond face (women)
Add a little width at the forehead and the jaw so they meet the cheekbones halfway. Show off the cheekbones and avoid volume right at the widest point.
A center-parted fringe adds width at the forehead and frames the cheekbones instead of covering them.
A side-swept fringe widens a narrow forehead and softens the angles at the temples.
Curls that end at the chin put fullness where the jaw narrows, balancing the cheekbones.
Tucking one side behind the ear shows off the cheekbones, while the length adds presence at the jaw.
Best haircuts for men with a diamond face
A fuller fringe adds width across the forehead, which is the narrow part of a diamond face.
A forward fringe with some fullness balances the forehead and keeps the cheekbones on show.
Hair with some length at the sides adds width at the forehead and the jaw at the same time.
Curls on top add width at the temples; keep the taper soft rather than shaved very close.
Haircuts to think twice about
None of these are rules. They are the cuts most likely to work against a diamond face, and why.
Pulling all the hair back exposes the narrow forehead and puts the full focus on the widest point.
Flat, center-parted hair hugs the narrow forehead and jaw and makes the cheekbones look even wider by contrast.
Very short sides narrow the temples further, while the top adds height rather than width.
Glasses for a diamond face
Soft curves balance the angles of the cheekbones and chin.
A lifted outer corner adds width at the upper face and suits high cheekbones.
A light frame keeps the cheekbones as the focus without adding width there.
Sharp, angular frames repeat the angles of the face. Soft geometric shapes are fine.
Narrow rectangles that end inside the cheekbones make the cheekbones look even wider.
Choose frames with a strong or detailed top line, about as wide as your cheekbones but not wider.
Brows, beard and contour for a diamond face
Brows
Softly curved brows suit diamond faces, because they round off the angles at the temples. A gentle arch with a slightly longer tail adds visual width to a narrow forehead. Very straight brows or a sharp, high peak make the face look more angular.
Beard styles
A beard is a simple way to widen a narrow jaw and soften a pointed chin. Keep the sides full and the chin moderate. A long, pointed beard extends the chin downward and sharpens the diamond outline, so trim the chin a little shorter than the sides.
Full sides add width at the jaw so it meets the cheekbones, without lengthening the chin.
A full beard softens the pointed chin and gives the narrow jaw more presence.
If you prefer it short, keep it even and slightly fuller along the jawline.
Makeup and contour placement
If you contour, use a light touch just under the cheekbones, blended back toward the ear rather than down, and a little on the tip of the chin if it is pointed. Highlight the center of the forehead and the temples to add width up top. Place blush on the apples of the cheeks and blend it inward and slightly up, rather than out to the widest point.
Diamond faces often need the least contour of all, because the cheekbones are already defined. If you use bronzer, keep it soft and warm rather than a sharp line, so the face does not read more angular.
Celebrities with a diamond face shape
Names commonly cited for the diamond face shape in style guides and magazines, not measurements. Lists differ between sources, and hair, angles and makeup change how a face reads in photos, so use them for the overall impression only.
Diamond or another shape?
The shapes most often confused with this one, and how to tell them apart.
If your forehead is about as wide as your cheekbones, rather than clearly narrower, you are more likely heart.
If your forehead is only a little narrower than your cheekbones and your chin is rounded, you may be oval.
If your face is long and the forehead, cheekbones and jaw are close in width, look at oblong.