What is an oval face shape?
An oval face is about one and a half times as long as it is wide. The cheekbones are the widest point, the forehead is a touch narrower, and the jaw narrows a little more before it meets a softly rounded chin. Turn it upside down and it looks like an egg, which is where the name comes from.
You will often read that oval is the "ideal" face shape. It is not better than any other. It is simply balanced, so most haircuts, frames and brow shapes sit on it without needing to rebalance anything. That makes your styling choices less about the shape and more about your hair texture, the effort you want to put in, and what you like.
Oval is also the shape most often confused with its neighbors. A slightly longer oval can read as oblong, and a soft, shorter oval can read as round. The measurements below settle it.
How to tell if you have an oval face
Longer than it is wide, cheekbones the widest point, a jaw that narrows gently to a rounded chin.
- 1Forehead
- 2Cheekbones
- 3Jawline
- 4Face length
- Length
- About 1.5 times the width
- Widest point
- Cheekbones
- Forehead
- A little narrower than the cheekbones
- Jaw and chin
- Narrower than the forehead, softly rounded chin
- Your face is visibly longer than it is wide, but not by much more than half again.
- The widest part of your face is across the cheekbones, just below the outer corners of your eyes.
- Your forehead is slightly wider than your jaw.
- Your jawline curves smoothly into the chin, with no sharp corner below the ears.
How to measure an oval 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 an oval face, the length is about 1.5 times the cheekbone width, the cheekbones are the widest of the three widths, and the jaw is the narrowest. If you would rather not measure, our face shape detector does it from a photo, on your device.
Best hairstyles for an oval face (women)
Keep the natural balance. Almost any length works, so choose by hair texture and lifestyle, and avoid styles that add length or hide the whole face.
Layers that start at the cheekbones follow the oval's own taper and add movement without changing the proportions.
A soft center-parted fringe frames the eyes and shortens a tall forehead slightly, without hiding the cheekbones.
A clean bob at the jaw shows off the gentle jawline, and the oval's length keeps it from looking wide.
Very short hair puts the whole face on show, which works best when the proportions are already balanced.
Best haircuts for men with an oval face
A classic part keeps the head shape balanced and suits most hair types and offices.
A short, textured top with a light fringe keeps things easy and does not add height.
Moderate height works on an oval face; keep the sides neat so the face does not look longer.
Few shapes can carry a buzz cut as well, since there is nothing to rebalance.
Haircuts to think twice about
None of these are rules. They are the cuts most likely to work against an oval face, and why.
Very long, flat hair parted in the middle draws the eye down and can make an oval face read long.
A lot of height on top adds length the face does not need. Keep volume moderate.
Heavy, straight bangs are not wrong, but they hide the forehead and cut the oval in two. Soften them if you love them.
Glasses for an oval face
Angles contrast nicely with the soft curves.
A strong top line with slight width suits the balanced proportions.
Oval faces can wear bold, unusual shapes.
Only if oversized: frames much wider than the face break the balance.
Fine, but tiny rimless frames can look lost on the face.
Pick frames as wide as the widest part of your face, with the top line close to your brows.
Brows, beard and contour for an oval face
Brows
A soft, moderate arch suits oval faces. Follow your natural shape, peaking above the outer edge of the iris, and avoid very thin or very high arches that make the face look longer.
Beard styles
Most beard shapes work on an oval face, so the main rule is to keep the beard even. A beard that is much longer at the chin than at the sides adds length, which an oval face does not need.
Neat, even length keeps the jaw visible and the balance intact.
Light stubble adds definition without changing the shape.
A full beard works if the sides stay as full as the chin.
Makeup and contour placement
Contour is optional on an oval face. If you like it, sweep a soft shade just under the cheekbones toward the ear, and keep blush on the apples, blended up toward the temples. Highlight the center of the forehead, the bridge of the nose and the top of the cheekbones.
If your oval face leans long, keep blush horizontal across the cheeks rather than angled up, and skip contour on the chin. If it leans short, angle the blush slightly up toward the temples.
Celebrities with an oval face shape
Names commonly cited for the oval 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.
Oval or another shape?
The shapes most often confused with this one, and how to tell them apart.