Triangle Face Shape

What Is a Triangle Face Shape?

A triangle face shape has a jawline that is wider than the cheekbones, and cheekbones that are wider than the forehead. Draw a line down each side of the face and the two lines move apart as they go down, like a triangle standing on its base.

The usual signs are:

• Wide, strong jaw. The jaw is the widest part of the face, often with full cheeks near the jaw corners.
• Narrow forehead. The forehead is clearly narrower than the jaw, and the temples can look slim.
• Length close to width. The face is usually not much longer than it is wide.
• Flat or broad chin. The chin is wide rather than pointed.

Triangle vs. Square

A square face also has a strong jaw, but its forehead is about as wide as the jaw. In a triangle face the forehead is clearly narrower. If your forehead and jaw measure within a centimeter of each other, square is the better fit.

Triangle vs. Inverted Triangle (Heart)

These two are opposites. An inverted triangle face is widest at the forehead and narrows to a small chin. Most guides put it with the heart face shape. If your forehead is your widest point, read that page instead.

Triangle vs. Round

A round face is widest at the cheeks, with soft curves at the jaw and the forehead. A triangle face is widest lower down, at the jaw, and the forehead looks small next to it.

How to Tell If You Have a Triangle Face

You need a soft tape measure, a mirror and two minutes. Pull your hair back and look straight ahead.

1. Forehead. Measure across the forehead at its widest point, halfway between the eyebrows and the hairline.
2. Cheekbones. Measure across the face from the outer point of one cheekbone to the other.
3. Jaw. Measure from one jaw corner, just below the ear, to the other.
4. Length. Measure from the middle of the hairline to the bottom of the chin.

You likely have a triangle face if the jaw is your largest width number, the forehead is your smallest, and the length is not much bigger than the jaw. If the forehead and jaw come out about the same, look at the square page.

Faces sit on a spectrum, so you may land between two shapes. That is normal. Pick the shape that matches your widest point, because that is what most haircut and glasses advice is based on.

What our detector shows for a triangle face

Our free face shape detector reports six shapes: oval, round, square, oblong, heart and diamond. It has no triangle class. A triangle face will come out as the closest of those six, often square or round, because the jaw is wide. If your result is square or round but the tape measure says your jaw is clearly wider than your forehead, the triangle advice on this page will likely suit you better.

Best Hairstyles for a Triangle Face Shape

The rule is simple: volume above the cheekbones, softness at the jaw. Width at the crown and temples makes the forehead look wider. Hair that ends right at the jaw line, or adds bulk there, makes the jaw look even wider.

Women's hairstyles

• Side-swept or curtain bangs. They widen the forehead and draw the eye up.
• Layers that start at the cheekbones. They add movement and width where the face is narrow.
• A bob that ends at the chin or just below it, with volume at the crown. Avoid a blunt bob that ends exactly at the widest part of the jaw.
• Shoulder-length hair with soft waves. The length falls past the jaw and the waves soften its line.
• Half-up styles and a little lift at the roots. Both build height and width on top.

Men's hairstyles

• Textured quiff or pompadour. Height and some width on top balance a broad jaw.
• Side part with medium length on top. It widens the upper face.
• Sides kept a bit fuller. A very tight skin fade makes the top of the head look narrower next to the jaw.
• Short, even beard. Keep it trimmed close at the jaw corners so it does not add width there.

Hairstyles to avoid

• Flat hair pressed close to the head on top, such as slick, center-parted styles with no lift.
• Blunt cuts that end exactly at the jaw.
• Very tight buns and ponytails that pull all the hair back, unless you add lift at the crown.

Best Glasses for a Triangle Face Shape

Pick frames that are heavier and wider at the top. They add width at the brow line, right where a triangle face is narrow.

• Browline frames. A bold top bar and a light lower rim.
• Cat-eye frames. The lifted outer corners widen the upper face.
• Semi-rimless frames with a strong top. Weight on top, almost nothing below.
• Frames as wide as the cheekbones or a little wider. Color or detail at the top corners helps too.

Avoid small, narrow frames and frames with a thick bottom rim. Both make the jaw the strongest line on the face.

Makeup and Contouring for a Triangle Face

• Contour the jaw corners. A shade one or two tones darker than your skin, blended under the outer jaw, softens its width.
• Highlight the forehead and temples. Light reflects and makes the upper face look wider.
• Blush high and outward. Place it on the upper cheekbones and blend toward the temples.
• Brows with a soft arch. Slightly longer brows that extend outward add width to the top of the face.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Triangle Face Shape