Oblong face shape: signs and styles that add width
An oblong face shape, also called long or rectangle, is clearly longer than it is wide, with a forehead, cheekbones, and jaw of similar width and fairly straight sides. The styles that suit it add width and shorten the length: bangs, volume at the sides, shoulder-length cuts, and deep frames. Check your ratio with our free face shape detector, which works from a single selfie.
How to tell if you have a oblong face
Pull your hair back, look straight into a mirror in even light, and check these:
- Your face is clearly longer than it is wide, even with your hair down.
- Looking straight on, your forehead, cheekbones, and jaw seem close in width, with no zone pushing out.
- Your forehead is tall, or the space from the tip of your nose to your chin looks long.
- Long, straight hair with a middle part makes your face look even longer.
- Forehead
- Similar in width to the cheekbones and jaw, and often tall, with a high hairline.
- Cheekbones
- Not much wider than the forehead or jaw; together with the length, this makes the cheeks look long and flat.
- Jaw
- Close to the forehead width, with corners that can be soft or angular.
- Chin
- Can be long from the mouth down, which adds to the overall length.
- Length
- Noticeably longer than the width, and the feature people notice first.
Oblong or oval or square?
Oblong vs oval
Ask where your eye goes first. An oval face is only moderately long and tapers to a rounded chin, so the cheekbones catch the eye. On an oblong face the length catches it instead: a tall forehead, long cheeks, and a jaw nearly as wide as the forehead.
Oblong vs square
If your face's length clearly beats its width, it is oblong, even with a strong jaw. A square face has the same straight sides but stops short, ending about as long as it is wide.
Hairstyles for a oblong face
Shoulder-length cut with waves at the sides
Volume at cheekbone level adds width, and stopping near the shoulders avoids long vertical lines.
Chin-length bob with blunt bangs
The fringe shortens the face from the top and the bob adds width at the bottom, so together they change your proportions more than either does alone.
Full, rounded curls or afro
Width is what an oblong face wants, so let curls or coils expand outward rather than up. A rounded shape that is widest around the ears or cheekbones works best.
Textured crop with a fringe and medium-length sides
A forward fringe covers some of the forehead, and sides left longer than a fade add width. Skip a tall quiff, which adds height.
Long layers with curtain bangs
Long hair can work when layers add movement at the cheeks and below and the bangs cut into the forehead height. Flat, straight length is what stretches the face.
Half-up style or low side bun with volume at the sides
Keeping fullness at the sides instead of on top widens the face, and the low position adds no height.
Bangs
Of every change you can make, a fringe does the most for an oblong face: it hides part of a tall forehead and so shortens the face. A full, blunt fringe at brow level does it most clearly, and curtain bangs that sweep out to the cheekbones add width as well. On curly or coily hair, a full curly fringe cut dry works the same way.
What to skip
- Long, sleek, one-length hair with a center part: it draws straight vertical lines down the full length of your face.
- Height at the crown, like a pompadour, top knot, or teased top: it adds length where you already have plenty.
- Small, narrow frames: they leave a lot of face showing above and below, which makes it look longer.
Glasses for a oblong face
- Deep, oversized frames. Tall lenses cover more of the vertical space in the middle of your face, which visually shortens it.
- Frames with thick or decorative temples. Detail on the arms draws the eye outward toward the ears, adding width.
- Bold square frames with tall lenses. A strong horizontal top line cuts across the length, and the depth fills the middle of the face.
- Round frames with thick rims. Curves soften long, straight sides, and a heavy rim adds horizontal weight.
Makeup, brows, and beards
Contour and blush
Contour along the top of the forehead at the hairline and lightly under the chin to shorten your face from both ends. Apply blush horizontally across the apples toward the ears, not upward, and highlight across the cheekbones in a sideways swipe to add width.
Brows
Straight or barely arched brows draw a horizontal line across the face, which makes a long face look shorter and wider. High arches do the opposite, pulling the eye up.
Beards and facial hair
Width at the cheeks is the goal, so grow the sides fuller than the chin, for example a full beard trimmed short underneath. A long beard or a pointed goatee adds length instead.
How the detector reads it
Length is the main signal. If your face measures 1.5 times your cheekbone width or more, it scores strongly for oblong, and the score keeps climbing as the ratio rises. (The length runs from the highest forehead landmark to the chin, multiplied by 1.08 because that landmark sits below the hairline.) Angular jaw corners, under 148 degrees, add a little extra. The widths do not block oblong, so a long face with a narrow forehead or a broad, angular jaw may show up as "Oblong, with some diamond traits" or "with some square traits".
Try the free face shape detector. It measures your face from one photo, and the photo never leaves your device.
Frequently asked questions
Is oblong the same as a long or rectangle face shape?
Mostly, yes. All three describe a face that is noticeably longer than it is wide, with similar widths from top to bottom. Some guides use rectangle when the jaw is angular and oblong when it is softer.
Does long hair make an oblong face look longer?
Long, straight, flat hair can, because it adds vertical lines. Long hair with layers, waves, or bangs works well, since those add width.
Can an oblong face look good with short hair?
Yes. A chin-length bob, a cropped cut with a fringe, or a short curly shape with volume at the sides all suit an oblong face. The one thing to skip is height on top.
Why does my face look longer in selfies?
A phone held close to your face exaggerates whatever is nearest the lens, and shooting from below stretches the chin and jaw. Hold the phone farther away at eye level and zoom in slightly (or use a 2x lens if your phone has one) for more accurate proportions.
