Diamond Face Shape

What Is a Diamond Face Shape?

The diamond face shape is defined by a specific set of proportional relationships between the four key facial measurements used in craniofacial anthropometry (Farkas et al., 2005). In a diamond-shaped face, the cheekbones are the widest point of the face, while both the forehead and the jawline are noticeably narrower. This creates a face that narrows at both the top and the bottom, producing a distinctive diamond-like silhouette when viewed from the front.

The angular structure of the diamond face shape gives it a naturally sculpted appearance. The cheekbones tend to sit high on the face and are sharply defined, lending a sense of architectural precision to the facial proportions. The forehead tapers inward from the cheekbones toward the temples and hairline, and the jawline narrows downward toward a chin that is often pointed or angular. Overall, the face is slightly longer than it is wide, though not as elongated as an oblong face shape.

Among the six primary face shape categories — oval, round, square, oblong, heart, and diamond — the diamond face shape is widely considered the rarest category. Its defining combination of a narrow forehead, dominant cheekbones, and narrow jawline occurs less frequently in the general population than the proportional patterns that define other shapes.

Diamond vs. Oval Face Shape

The diamond face shape is sometimes confused with the oval face shape because both share a common trait: the cheekbones are the widest part of the face. However, the two are distinguished primarily by forehead width. In an oval face, the forehead is only slightly narrower than the cheekbones, resulting in a smooth, gently curved contour from hairline to chin. In a diamond face shape, the forehead is distinctly narrow — the contrast between the wide cheekbones and the narrow forehead is far more pronounced, producing angular rather than rounded transitions between facial zones.

Diamond vs. Heart Face Shape

The diamond and heart face shapes are also frequently compared, but they differ in a fundamental way. A heart-shaped face has a wide forehead — the forehead is either the broadest part of the face or nearly as wide as the cheekbones. The face then tapers downward to a narrow, pointed chin. In a diamond face shape, the forehead is narrow, and the cheekbones are clearly the widest measurement. The heart shape is widest at the top of the face; the diamond face shape is widest in the middle.

How to Tell If You Have a Diamond Face Shape

Determining whether you have a diamond face shape involves examining the proportional relationships between your forehead, cheekbones, jawline, and face length. You can do this through self-assessment with a mirror, manual measurements, or by using an AI-powered face shape detector for a more objective analysis.

Manual Measurement Method

To measure at home, pull your hair back so your full face is visible, and use a flexible measuring tape or a ruler held against your face in front of a mirror. Take these four measurements:

1. Forehead width — Measure horizontally across the widest part of your forehead, typically from one temple to the other.
2. Cheekbone width — Measure across the most prominent points of your cheekbones, usually just below the outer corners of your eyes.
3. Jawline width — Measure across the widest part of your jaw, near the angle of the mandible where the jaw turns upward toward the ears.
4. Face length — Measure vertically from the center of your hairline (or the top of your forehead) straight down to the tip of your chin.

If your cheekbone measurement is the largest of the three width measurements, and both your forehead and jawline are noticeably narrower, you likely have a diamond face shape. The face length will typically be somewhat greater than the cheekbone width, giving the face a slightly elongated appearance.

Visual Cues to Look For

Beyond precise measurements, several visual characteristics are associated with the diamond face shape:

• High, prominent cheekbones — The cheekbones stand out as the most visually dominant feature, creating width in the mid-face area.
• A narrow forehead — The forehead is visibly narrower than the cheekbones. The hairline may come in at the temples, accentuating this narrowness.
• A narrow, angular jawline — The jaw tapers to a point. The chin may be narrow or slightly pointed rather than wide and flat.
• Angular transitions — Rather than smooth, rounded curves between facial zones, you can see defined angles where the face widens at the cheekbones and narrows above and below.
• Face appears longer than wide — The overall shape is vertically oriented, though not as dramatically elongated as an oblong face.

Best Hairstyles for Diamond Face Shape

The overarching goal when styling hair for a diamond face shape is to add width at the forehead and jawline while minimizing the visual dominance of the cheekbones. This creates the illusion of more balanced proportions, bringing the face closer to the symmetry associated with an oval face shape (Milady, 2022).

Women's Hairstyles

For women with a diamond face shape, the best hairstyles work with the angular bone structure rather than against it, while strategically adding volume where the face is narrowest.

• Side-swept bangs — Perhaps the single most recommended style for a diamond face shape. Side-swept bangs drape across the forehead at an angle, creating the visual impression of additional width in the forehead area. This softens the contrast between the narrow forehead and the wide cheekbones, bringing the upper face into better balance with the mid-face.
• Chin-length bobs — A bob that falls at or just below the chin adds width and fullness exactly where the diamond face shape is narrowest: the jawline. The horizontal line of the bob visually widens the lower face, counterbalancing the dominant cheekbones above. Textured or slightly layered bobs are particularly effective because they add volume without looking blunt or severe.
• Tousled layers — Layered cuts with movement and texture create natural volume that can be directed to the forehead and jaw areas. Layers that frame the face around the temples and chin are ideal. The casual, undone quality of tousled layers also softens the angular transitions inherent to the diamond face shape.
• Styles with volume at forehead and jaw level — Any hairstyle that creates fullness at the top and bottom of the face — whether through curls, waves, voluminous blowouts, or strategic layering — will flatter a diamond face shape. The key is placing volume at the forehead and jaw, not at the cheekbones where the face is already wide.
• Deep side parts — A deep side part shifts the visual weight of the hair to one side of the forehead, creating asymmetry that adds perceived width to the upper face. This works well as a complement to side-swept bangs or layered styles.

Men's Hairstyles

Men with a diamond face shape benefit from styles that add volume and width to the forehead area, softening the angular proportions and drawing attention upward (Milady, 2022).

• Side part — A classic side part with moderate volume on top adds structure to the forehead area and creates a balanced, polished look. The directional sweep of the hair widens the appearance of the upper face.
• Longer fringe — A fringe (bangs) that falls across or to the side of the forehead fills in the narrow forehead area with hair, reducing the visual contrast between forehead and cheekbones. This can be worn casually or styled more deliberately.
• Textured quiff — A quiff that adds volume and height at the front of the head effectively widens the forehead area. Texture is important — a textured, slightly messy quiff looks more natural and creates more perceived width than a slicked, smooth one. This is one of the most flattering men's styles for the diamond face shape.
• Medium-length textured cuts — Cuts that leave enough length on top and at the sides to create volume around the temples and forehead work well. Avoid cuts that are too short on the sides, as these can make the cheekbones appear even more prominent by contrast.

What to Avoid

Certain hairstyles can exaggerate the angular proportions of a diamond face shape rather than balancing them:

• Slicked-back styles — Pulling hair straight back from the forehead removes any coverage or volume from the already narrow forehead, making it appear even narrower in relation to the cheekbones. This accentuates the diamond silhouette rather than softening it.
• Extreme height at the crown — Tall, voluminous styles that add height only at the very top of the head elongate the face vertically and draw attention away from the forehead width. For a diamond face shape that is already slightly longer than wide, this can make the proportions appear unbalanced.
• Styles that add width only at the cheekbones — Any hairstyle that creates fullness at ear level — such as a mid-length cut that flips outward at the cheekbones — will emphasize the widest part of the face. This works against the goal of visual balance.

Best Glasses for Diamond Face Shape

Choosing the right glasses for a diamond face shape follows the same core principle as hairstyling: add width and visual weight at the forehead while softening the angular cheekbone area. The right frames can create a more balanced, proportional appearance across the face (The Vision Council).

Recommended Frame Styles

• Oval frames — Oval-shaped frames introduce soft, rounded lines to the mid-face area, which contrasts with and softens the angular bone structure of a diamond face shape. The curved edges create a smooth visual transition across the cheekbone zone. Oval frames are one of the most universally flattering options for diamond faces.
• Cat-eye frames — Cat-eye frames sweep upward at the outer edges, drawing the eye upward and outward toward the temples. This creates the impression of additional width in the upper face, visually expanding the forehead area. The upswept shape is a particularly elegant complement to the diamond face shape's high cheekbones.
• Rimless or semi-rimless frames — Because rimless and semi-rimless frames have minimal visual bulk, they do not add additional width at the cheekbone level. This allows the glasses to sit on the face without emphasizing the area where a diamond face shape is already widest. Semi-rimless frames with a strong top bar are especially effective, as the brow line detailing adds visual weight to the forehead.
• Frames with brow line detailing — Frames that feature decorative elements, thicker material, or color accents along the top edge (the brow line) draw the eye upward toward the forehead. This adds perceived width to the upper face and balances the dominant cheekbones below. Browline (or "clubmaster") style frames achieve this effect well.
• Frames as wide as the cheekbones — Regardless of the specific style, the frame width should approximately match the width of the cheekbones. Frames that are significantly narrower than the cheekbones will make the mid-face appear even wider by contrast, while frames that extend beyond the cheekbones can look disproportionately large.

What to Avoid

• Narrow frames — Frames that are narrower than the cheekbones emphasize the widest part of the face by creating a visible gap between the frame edge and the cheekbone. This makes the angular proportions of the diamond face shape more pronounced rather than softening them.
• Frames that draw attention to the narrow forehead — Avoid frames with heavy bottom rims, underlined styles, or decorative elements at the lower edge. These pull the visual focus downward, away from the forehead, and can make the narrow forehead appear even more recessed.
• Excessively angular or geometric frames — While some angularity can complement the diamond face shape's bone structure, extremely angular frames (sharp rectangles, hexagons) can make the face appear overly harsh. A degree of softness in the frame shape usually works better.

Makeup and Contouring for Diamond Faces

Contouring and highlighting techniques for the diamond face shape focus on the same proportional goal as hairstyling and eyewear: widening the forehead and jawline while reducing the visual dominance of the cheekbones (Milady, 2022). By using light and shadow strategically, makeup can reshape the perceived proportions of the face without altering its actual structure.

Highlighting Techniques

Highlighting draws light to an area, making it appear more prominent and visually wider. For the diamond face shape, highlighting should be applied to the areas that are naturally narrow:

• Forehead — Apply highlighter across the center and sides of the forehead to bring light to this area and create the appearance of greater width. Focus on the temples and the area just below the hairline, where the diamond face shape tends to narrow most visibly.
• Jawline and chin — A light highlight along the jawline and at the tip of the chin opens up the lower face. This counterbalances the narrowness of the jaw and draws visual attention downward, distributing focus more evenly across the face.
• Center of the forehead and bridge of the nose — A subtle highlight down the center of the face creates a vertical line of light that draws the eye inward, reducing the focus on the horizontal width of the cheekbones.

Contouring Techniques

Contouring uses shadow to visually recess or narrow an area. For a diamond face shape, contour is used to reduce the perceived width of the cheekbones:

• Under the cheekbones — Apply a matte contour shade in the hollows beneath the cheekbones, blending downward and toward the ear. This creates depth that makes the cheekbones appear less wide and less dominant. Be careful not to extend the contour too far toward the center of the face, as this can look harsh.
• Temples (optional, minimal) — Unlike the heart face shape, where temple contouring is a primary technique, diamond faces generally do not need heavy contouring at the temples. The forehead is already narrow, and additional shadow here can make it appear even smaller. If you choose to contour the temples, use a very light hand.

Blush Placement

Blush placement is important for the diamond face shape because it can either emphasize or downplay the cheekbones depending on where it is applied:

• Apply blush to the apples of the cheeks — Rather than sweeping blush along the cheekbone ridge (which would add color and visual weight to the widest part of the face), apply blush to the round, fleshy part of the cheeks — the "apples" — that become visible when you smile. This places the color in the center of the face rather than at the outer edges, drawing attention inward.
• Blend downward and slightly toward the center — Blending in this direction keeps the color concentrated in the mid-face rather than spreading it outward toward the cheekbone peaks. This is the opposite of the blush technique used for round faces, where blush is swept upward and outward to create definition.

Eyebrow Shaping

Eyebrows play a significant role in framing the forehead, and this is particularly important for the diamond face shape with its narrow forehead area. Slightly wider, more horizontal brows can make the forehead appear broader. Avoid highly arched brows that create vertical emphasis and make the forehead look taller and narrower. A soft, gently curved arch tends to be the most flattering brow shape for diamond faces, as it adds horizontal width without adding excessive height.

Celebrities with Diamond Face Shapes

The diamond face shape may be the rarest category, but it is well represented among high-profile celebrities and public figures. Looking at famous examples can help you identify the defining characteristics of this shape and see how different styling choices work with its angular proportions.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Diamond Face Shape

References

1. Farkas, L.G. (1994). Anthropometry of the Head and Face (2nd ed.). Raven Press.
2. Farkas, L.G., Katic, M.J., & Forrest, C.R. (2005). International anthropometric study of facial morphology in various ethnic groups/races. Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, 16(4), 615-646.
3. Liu, Z., Lin, Y., Cao, Y., Hu, H., Wei, Y., Zhang, Z., Lin, S., & Guo, B. (2021). Swin Transformer: Hierarchical Vision Transformer using Shifted Windows. Proceedings of the IEEE/CVF International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV), 10012-10022.
4. Milady (2022). Milady Standard Cosmetology (14th ed.). Cengage Learning.
5. The Vision Council. Consumer Guide to Eyewear Selection. thevisioncouncil.org.