Oblong Face Shape

Length vs width

Much longer than wide

Widest part

All similar, so the sides look straight

Jawline

Rounded and soft, with no corner

Chin

Rounded

• Measure hairline to chin, then cheekbone to cheekbone. On an oblong face the length clearly dominates, and the face reads as long at a glance.
• Hold a ruler vertically against each side of your face in the mirror. If temple, cheek and jaw all touch it at about the same point, your sides are straight.
• Trace your jaw from earlobe to chin. You should feel a gentle slope with no corner, ending in a rounded chin.
• Borderline cases are common. An oval face with slim cheeks can measure as oblong, and losing weight or the hollowing of the cheeks with age can tip you over the line.

• Full, blunt bangs that reach the brows take several centimeters off the visible length; this is the single most useful cut for you.
• A chin-length bob with texture through the ends adds horizontal width at the lower face, where yours is narrow.
• Big, bouncy blowouts or natural curls with volume at the ears widen the middle of the face.
• A collarbone-length lob with waves from cheekbone level down keeps length without a long, straight curtain.
• Side-parted hair with a sweeping fringe adds width across the forehead.
• Half-up styles with volume at the sides, not the crown, add structure without height.

Hairstyles to avoid

• Very long, sleek, straight hair, which draws a vertical line from top to bottom.
• Teased crowns, top knots and high ponytails, which stack on more length.
• Hair pulled tight to the head at the sides, which exposes the narrow width.

Men's haircuts

• A side-swept fringe or a short textured crop worn forward cuts the forehead length.
• Keep the sides at a medium length, a number 3 guard or longer, rather than a skin fade, so the head doesn't look narrow.
• A messy, mid-length cut with natural wave adds width at the temples.
• Avoid tall pompadours and spiky tops, which lengthen the face.

Beard styles

• A full beard with squared-off sides adds width and some structure to a soft, long jaw.
• Grow the cheek area fuller and keep the chin short and flat across the bottom.
• A chevron mustache paired with stubble breaks up the length with a horizontal line.
• Skip goatees and long chin beards, which add length below the face.

Your jaw is soft, so frames with some angle supply contrast, but depth matters more than shape. Choose a frame that reaches the edges of your face and has generous height, with the top rim at your brow line or just above it. A thick or contrasting temple arm also adds width at the sides.

• Bold square or geometric frames, which give your soft jaw more definition.
• Deep frames, tall from top to bottom, that cover more of the middle of the face.
• Wide frames with decorative temples or a thick top bar to add horizontal emphasis.
• Low-bridge frames, which sit lower on the nose and shorten it visually.

Frames to avoid

• Small, narrow frames, which leave the face looking even longer.
• Rimless or very thin frames, which add no width.
• Shallow frames that sit as a thin line across the eyes.

• Brush blush in a horizontal stroke across the apples and out toward the ears to make the face look wider.
• Keep brows long and fairly flat, extending slightly past the outer eye.
• Smoky eyes blended out to the sides, rather than up, add width at the middle of the face.
• Skip heavy nose contour, which makes the face look narrower.

Where to contour, highlight and blush

• Shade the forehead along the hairline and blend downward.
• Contour the very bottom of the chin to shorten the lower face.
• Leave the jaw unshaded: it is already narrow and soft, and contour there only slims it.
• Highlight the outer cheekbones and the sides of the forehead to bring width outward.