The perfect haircut is more than just a few snips! Before booking a salon appointment, determine your face shape so you'll know exactly what to ask for. You can do this at home by breaking out a ruler and measuring the widths of your brow, cheekbones and jawline, and the length of your face from forehead to chin. If you have an oval face like Ashley Greene, the widths of your brow, cheekbones and jaw are almost equal, but if yours is round like Charlize Theron's, your face is nearly as wide as it is long, with your forehead and jaw curving at the corners. People with heart-shaped faces like Halle Berry have a wide brow and narrow jaw, but if the length and width of your face is equal, you have a square face like Olivia Wilde. We put together a list of our favorite hairstyles every shape-click through to get inspired!
VIDEO: Trust Us, We Tried It: The Modern Perm
Round Face, Short
THE CUT
A gamine with spiky layers sliced all around the crown like Ginnifer Goodwin's chop.
WHY IT WORKS
"If you're going to go short, go short all the way," says legendary celebrity hairstylist Garren. Unlike a jaw-hugging bob, this petite pixie downplays roundness in a big way. The choppy pieces up top add height, lengthen your face and emphasize your eyes.
Try on Ginnifer Goodwin's haircut now!
EXPERT TIP
This length is a cinch to style for straight, wavy and fine hair, but steer clear of it if you have curls-think poodle.
TO STYLE
Styling short locks is easy with the Eva NYC Mini Healthy Heat Ceramic Flat Iron ($30; target.com). Because of its miniature size, you can actually grasp your shortest strands to totally transform your pixie.
Round Face, Medium-Length
THE CUT
Show off your features with a choppy, layered bob like Taraji P. Henson.
WHY IT WORKS
"I think that it also minimizes the face shape when you do go shorter because you don't have all this hair to create more of a round shape," says Lollo of a short bob. "It works here because she's chosen a side-part, so it gives something for the eye to follow."
Try on Charlize Theron's haircut now!
EXPERT TIP
"When you do a side-part, you want the first piece of your bang to break at your eye," notes Lollo.
TO STYLE
Add in beachy waves with T3 Whirl Trio ($270; sephora.com) a product we wear by with interchangeable barrels.
Round Face, Long
THE CUT
Long, barely there layers that hit at the jawline.
WHY IT WORKS
Selena Gomez's long, staggered layers are an easy way to make your hair, not your face, seem fuller. A scattering of light layers on the bottom keeps volume away from the sides (where you don?t need it) and focuses it near the ends (where you want it).
Try on Selena Gomez's haircut now!
EXPERT TIP
The long layers stop curls from ballooning around your cheeks and prevent fine hair from appearing stringy.
TO STYLE
You, too, can play up your au naturel texture (and avoid damaging heat) by adding a bit of product. We prefer Pantene Extra Strong Hold Level 4 ($6; target.com) for all-day volume and extra hold.
Heart Face, Short
THE CUT
A coy pixie that’s clipped evenly on the sides and nape with short layers on top.
WHY IT WORKS
Halle Berry’s tousled cut is dynamic enough to cancel out a pronounced jawline, while the choppy layers break up a wide forehead.
Try on Halle Berry’s haircut now!
EXPERT TIP
Corkscrew curls and cropped hair don’t mix. To avoid a top-heavy effect that will exaggerate your chin, dense strands need to be sliced into.
TO STYLE
To extend the life of your whispy pixie 'do, try Living Proof Prime Style Extender ($20; sephora.com). It's weightless so that your strands stay upright and ensures your style will last up to two times longer.
Heart Face, Medium-Length
THE CUT
A collarbone-length crop with sweeping bangs and uniform layers.
WHY IT WORKS
Reese Witherspoon's shoulder-skimming layers draw your eyes away from the chin area and add balance.
Try on Reese Witherspoon's haircut now!
EXPERT TIP
This is perfect for hair that has some body, but not the coarse or curly variety. "You'll get too much volume up top," says Garren.
TO STYLE
For a full-bodied look like Witherspoon's, we swear by the GHD Air Hair Dryer ($199; net-a-porter.com). It's powerful enough to cut down on drying time while leaving hair soft, shiny and frizz-free.
Heart Face, Long
THE CUT
Long hair with longer layers or fringe.
WHY IT WORKS
"I definitely think for women with heart-shaped faces, going longer is great," says Honey Artist Michael Lollo. "But one thing you want to do is have some layers that break at the cheekbone and the chin to bring some of the attention to that area."
Try on Taylor Swift's haircut now!
EXPERT TIP
This look is easy to pull off, regardless of texture. If your hair is on the fine or sparse side, keep the layers long and concentrated closer to the ends.
TO STYLE
Keep things wispy like Ciara and go for a texturizing spray or let your hair air-dry.
Long/Oval Face, Short
THE CUT
A blunt bob with minimal, subtle layers.
WHY IT WORKS
"This face shape is the easiest to carry off any kind of haircut," says Tollo. Go for a strong lob with a little bit of face-framing like Rihanna.
EXPERT TIP
Pick your go-to, everyday hairstyle based on your natural hair part. That can be your guiding factor.
TO STYLE
Because this cut is blunt by nature, play up your natural texture in the styling and stick with a center part.
Long/Oval Face, Medium-Length
THE CUT
A sleek blowout that hits at the shoulder Kate Middleton's.
WHY IT WORKS
Kate Middleton's layers may look uniform, but the difference is there. The subtle variations in length keep your strands from lying flat against your head, which has an elongating effect.
Try on Ashley Greene’s haircut now!
EXPERT TIP
If your hair is fine, keep uneven pieces around your face so hair looks as full and dense as possible.
TO STYLE
For a high-gloss finish like Middleton's, we're turning to Ouai Hair Oil ($28; sephora.com).
Long/Oval Face, Long
THE CUT
Long strands paired with a retro texture and sweeping fringe.
WHY IT WORKS
Got down-to-there hair? You've probably had it up to here with stylists wanting to lop it off. No more. Side-swept bangs like Emma Stone's can shorten long faces as effectively as a pert bob. "You're covering the area between your hairline and brow, removing several inches from your face," says Garren.
Try on Emma Stone's haircut now!
EXPERT TIP
Keep fine hair shoulder-length and flighty bangs centered by blow-drying.
TO STYLE
You can easily create old-fashioned waves like Stone's with a large-barrel curling iron ($36; amazon.com), a paddle brush ($22; sephora.com), and hair pins ($4; jet.com). Curl, gently brush, and pin back the sides to get the look.
Square Face, Short
THE CUT
A short layered bob with subtle bangs.
WHY IT WORKS
Cameron Diaz's cut brings the focus higher and puts the emphasis on your cheekbones, rather than your jaw.
Try on Cameron Diaz's haircut now!
EXPERT TIP
Dense strands could puff out at this length, so be sure to tame any frizzy pieces with a quick pass of a flat iron.
TO STYLE
Here, Diaz kept her short hairstyle and cut fairly au naturel and maintenance free—except for her platinum color. To subtly touch up roots from home—witthout having to see a colorist—try Madison Reed Root Touch Up ($30; sephora.com).
Square Face, Medium-Length
THE CUT
Light shoulder-length layers all around that start a few inches above the ends with sweeping bangs.
WHY IT WORKS
Feathery layers (which can be achieved with a razor) like Olivia Wilde's camouflage a strong chin. "The airy ends prevent the eye from noticing any sharp corners," says Garren. He recommends parting at the side for an asymmetrical effect, which also offsets squareness.
Try on Olivia Wilde's haircut now!
EXPERT TIP
The layers pump up any hair type.
TO STYLE
Even if you don't have wavy texture like Wilde's, you can still get that naturally texturized look with DevaCurl Wave Maker ($26; sephora.com).
Square Face, Long
THE CUT
Collarbone-skimming strands with slight bangs that hit at the cheekbone.
WHY IT WORKS
Long locks are flattering, but you want to avoid a "simplistic" look with blunt ends, says Garren. There's nothing ho-hum or harsh about Jessica Simpson's structured ringlets. The airy fringe and light scattering of layers "get rid of angles and soften the entire face, top to bottom," says Garren.
EXPERT TIP
Keep layers to a minimum if your strands are fine.
TO STYLE
The Bio Iconic Curl Expert Pro Curling Iron ($130; sephora.com) works like a charm and this one with a 1" barrel will give you tight curls like Simpson's.
