A step-by-step method for measuring forehead, cheekbone, and jaw width plus face length, and how to interpret the ratios to identify your face shape.
What You Need
A flexible measuring tape (or a piece of string and a ruler), a mirror, and hair pulled fully back off your face. Measurements taken over hair or bangs will be inaccurate, so this step matters more than it seems.
Four Measurements
Forehead width: measure across the widest point, typically eyebrow to eyebrow level extended to the hairline on each side. Cheekbone width: measure from the outer edge of one cheekbone to the other, at the highest point of the bone. Jaw width: measure from one jaw angle to the other, at the widest point below the ears. Face length: measure from the center of your hairline straight down to the tip of your chin.
Doing the Math
Divide face length by cheekbone width to get your length-to-width ratio. A ratio close to 1.0 suggests a round or square face (depending on jaw angle); a ratio around 1.5 suggests oval; a ratio above 1.6 suggests rectangle. Then compare your three width measurements to each other: if forehead is clearly widest, you're looking at heart or inverted triangle; if jaw is clearly widest, triangle; if cheekbones are clearly widest with narrow forehead and jaw, diamond; if all three are close, square or rectangle depending on your length ratio.
Common Measurement Mistakes
The most frequent error is measuring jaw width at the chin rather than at the jaw angle (the hinge point near the ears), which produces an artificially narrow reading. The second most common mistake is measuring cheekbone width too low, closer to the mid-cheek than the actual bone's highest point. If your measurements produce a shape that doesn't match what you see in the mirror, remeasure jaw width first — it's the number most often taken incorrectly.