The short answer: To find your face shape, measure four things with a soft tape in the mirror: the width across your forehead, your cheekbones, and your jaw, and the length from hairline to chin. Compare them. If your face is longest, it is oblong. If cheekbones lead, oval or diamond. If all three widths match, round or square, split by whether your jaw is soft or angular.
What you need
A mirror, a flexible tape measure or a piece of string and a ruler, and a minute. Pull your hair back so you can see your hairline and jaw. Write down four numbers as you go. You are measuring proportions, not exact sizes, so a soft tape held lightly against the skin is all it takes.
The four measurements
- Forehead. Across the widest part, about halfway between your eyebrows and hairline.
- Cheekbones. From the top of one cheekbone across to the other, just under the outer eye corners.
- Jawline. From the tip of the chin to below the ear, then double it, or measure across the widest part of the jaw.
- Face length. From the center of your hairline straight down to the tip of your chin.
Read your numbers
| Result | Face shape |
|---|---|
| Length clearly the largest | Oblong or rectangular |
| Cheekbones widest, tapering to chin | Oval or diamond |
| Forehead, cheeks, jaw about equal, soft jaw | Round |
| Forehead, cheeks, jaw about equal, angular jaw | Square |
| Wide forehead, narrow chin | Heart |
Turn it into frames
Once you know your shape, the rule is contrast. Angular frames flatter round and oval faces. Round and softer frames flatter square and angular faces. A wide top balances a heart shape. Our Frame Finder turns your shape into picks, and the face shape matrix lays out every pairing. For specific shapes, see round, square, oval, and heart.
From our test bench. We measure faces before we fit frames, and the number people misjudge most is length. Many call a face round when it is actually oval, because they never measured top to bottom. Take the four numbers first. The frame that flatters follows from the proportions, not from a guess in the mirror.
FAQ
How do I figure out my face shape?
Measure your forehead, cheekbones, jaw, and face length with a soft tape in the mirror, then compare. The largest measurement and the shape of your jaw tell you whether you are oval, round, square, oblong, or heart.
What is the easiest way to find your face shape?
Pull your hair back, look straight into a mirror, and trace the outline of your face on the glass with a washable marker. The shape you draw, tall, round, angular, or tapering, points to your face shape.
Why does face shape matter for glasses?
Frames look best when they contrast your face: angular frames on round faces, round frames on angular faces. Knowing your shape turns frame shopping from guesswork into a short list.
Part of Choosing Glasses Frames · Related: the face shape matrix · Try the Frame Finder · Last updated: August 5, 2026
