The Most Flattering Bangs For Every Face Shape

Having a round face is considered so much of an aesthetic struggle that it even has its own TikTok community. As TikTok user jigglyjulia put it bluntly, "I always look like I'm a child." In an age of snatched eyebrows, heavy contouring, and siren eyes, getting compliments like "you're cute" is bound to clash with the popular villain-era aesthetic (via Elle).

It may seem that round faces don't get the attention they deserve, but it wasn't always this way. Round faces were a popular beauty standard during the pre-World War I era and into the 1920s (via The Washington Post). Early 20th-century actress Lillian Russell was even known as a "goddess with big rounded cheeks" and was the embodiment of feminine beauty. So, if you were a trendsetter once, you can certainly do it again! As hairstylist Jon Reyman told Glamour, "If you style it and own it, you can rock any type of bangs no matter what face shape you have."

As far as complimentary cuts go, Reyman recommended a longer, side-sweeping fringe for those with round faces: "The angle of the bangs creates more length in your face and thus a more oval shape." Drew Barrymore, looking fierce in the picture above, has debuted variations of the side bang for years which completely changed the look of her face each time. Furthermore, long bangs also let you show off more of your beautiful face!

Next up: The heart-shaped or inverted-triangle face. People with heart-shaped faces get to have all the fun. The natural angles of your face allow you to play around with edgy, asymmetric cuts that the rest of the population can only dream of. For you, only the best statement bangs. As celebrity stylist Nick Stenson told Makeup.com, "If you're feeling bold and ready to push the bounds of tradition, make an appointment with your stylist for that micro fringe!"

Micro bangs, also known as baby bangs, are an eye-catching look in 2022. According to celebrity hairstylist Ashley Streicher, "They are making a comeback from the late '90s, early 2000s when — in my opinion — Gwen Stefani made them so popular" (via Bustle). You also probably saw Barbie Ferreira rocking this hairstyle in the Season 2 finale of "Euphoria." Baby bangs may seem like a risky option, but they're absolutely made for heart-shaped faces. Pair them with long, unlayered hair for an edgier look, or short hair for a more playful vibe. If you're nervous about going super short, French hairstylist Odile Gilbert has advised you to grab some clip-in bangs to try first (via Vogue).

When you're sitting in the salon chair with an overgrown mane and a grown-out fringe from 2018, it's easy to feel like your face looks like an egg. The truth is, your oval-shaped face is actually the gold standard used by most stylists, according to hairdresser and popular YouTuber Brad Mondo (via YouTube). "As a hairstylist, typically, — not all the time for everybody — but our goal is to make your face appear more oval," Mondo said. 

That being said, hair experts do have a couple of recommendations for what fringe looks best, especially for those with large foreheads and long chins. According to Suave Professionals stylist Marcus Francis, "blunt bangs cut straight across visually flatter oval faces" (via Glamour). Dakota Johnson's straight-across bangs obscure her forehead for a more balanced look overall. Her stylist Mark Townsend additionally recommended that you "ask for bangs that hit between the brow and the eyelash and are longer on the edges" (via InStyle). He added, "That way, you can wear them swept aside or straight with a middle part."

But watch out, curly-haired people! Celebrity hairstylist Ted Gibson has said to proceed with caution (via Us Weekly). "Those with curly hair need a bit of softness and bangs need to be broken up a bit," Gibson says. "If you have curly hair, it's important to not have your hairdresser cut blunt, straight across bangs."

Curtain bangs have been around since the '70s, thanks to the shag haircut and models like Farrah Fawcett. In the 2020s, this fringe is more popular than ever. The topic has even racked up more than 2 billion views on TikTok! It's not just for Gen Z either; celebrities like Jennifer Lopez even got in on this trend. The best part about this style is the ability to grow it out painlessly. "The shorter and blunter the fringe, the more frequent the upkeep — usually about every four weeks," Toronto stylist Samantha Stonehouse explained to Chatelaine. "Curtain bangs or side-swept fringe can last a long time, more like six to eight weeks to maintain the style."

While some stylists have said curtain bangs are for everyone (via Vogue), there are a few reasons why it works especially well for those with rectangular or square-shaped faces. When it comes to minimizing a wide forehead or a sharp jawline, stylist Jon Reyman has said curtain bangs are an easy win (via Glamour). "If you have a square jawline, a long, layered fringe can help to soften and balance your features," Reyman said. Style icon Kim Kardashian, who is known to have a rectangular face, transformed her mane in 2022 into a blonde shag, rocking choppy curtain bangs for a photo shoot with Interview Magazine.

Like the oval face, the diamond-shaped face looks good with a wide variety of fringe styles. According to cosmetic surgeon Dr. Julian De Silva's research, the diamond-shaped face was on the rise as one of the most popular face shapes in the 2010s. "Megan [Fox] is one of the great screen beauties of her age and she has a symmetrically perfect diamond-shaped face," Dr. De Silva told Daily Mail in 2017. "More women covet this shape than any other." Hairstylist Brad Mondo has also spoken about the rising popularity of the diamond shape (via YouTube), so it's definitely still relevant!

According to Chicago salon creative director Amy Abramite, it's all about framing your face. "Side-swept bangs or a deep side part is flattering since it lays across the forehead covering half of it" (via Byrdie). Likewise, New York City stylist Lauren Thompson said, "face-framing bangs are great to accentuate the cheekbones while balancing out a narrow forehead" (via Byrdie).

In terms of length, feel free to shorten it to your preference. In Mondo's video about bangs, we learn that "the length of your bangs don't matter much here." Though Mondo has also said feathering helps to soften any sharp angles on your face, it's emphasized that "whatever you want to do with the diamond face, it's pretty much fine."

Once you start looking for them, you'll see Birkin bangs everywhere. These are basically below-eyebrow bangs that are straight-across, layered, and thinned out for a breezy vibe. As you may have guessed, they are named after the woman who popularized them, Jane Birkin. This film star and singer became a fashion icon in her youth — her fame boosted by her film cameos and her relationship with famous songwriter Serge Gainsbourg.

History aside, these simple bangs are a great way to break up a long face or change the focus of the viewer's gaze. "Keeping the fringe line low right around your eyebrows is best," was stylist Jon Reyman's advice to Glamour. Another stylist, John Stedman, told Good to Know: "The number one rule is you don't want anything super harsh that accents the length of your face." Additionally, "upping the volume of your hair at the sides will give the illusion of a shorter face shape" as well, Stedman said.

You likely have this face shape if your face is wider at the bottom than at your temples — like a triangle or pear. The good news is that hats probably fit you better than most. The bad news is you may have no idea what to do when you want to change up your hairstyle. Thankfully, public figures like Meghan Markle, Kelly Osbourne, and Billie Piper are trailblazing for you, finding what works and what doesn't. 

Much like with the rectangular face shape, the pear-shaped face needs a bit of softening. This calls for long bangs — we're talking bangs so long they wrap under your chin. "Choose curtain bangs or side-swept bangs to widen the forehead, and tapering going in to soften the jawline," salon owner Natalie Palomino said in a video about how to frame triangle-shaped faces. As you can see in the above picture, Meghan made some subtle curtain bangs work for her. According to Palomino, you can also reframe this face shape with plenty of layers: "This year's modernized shag is the perfect haircut for this face shape, as it creates a lot of width at the top, opening up the forehead while narrowing in and softening the larger jawline."