While we a) all have faces and b) hair, there’s the indisputable truth that a haircut that works for one person’s face won’t necessarily suit another’s.
The culmination of this rule came from a life lesson well learnt in 2004, when I thought I could rock a pixie crop in the style of Winona Ryder. For me, it was before my year 12 formal, while for Winona it came after the peak of her shop-lifting career. She was on a comeback campaign and dominating the headlines (albeit for illegal reasons) but that hair? Good lord was it cool.
It looked ridiculously good on her. Not so much me. But the outcome of this was positive and resulted in some solid real-life research, of which now lives here—choosing the right haircut for your face.
ROUND FACE
Short | If you’re going to go short, go super short—cropped, cute, and oodles of layering. P.S. If you have curls, don’t do this. You will look like a poodle.
Medium | You need a lob—a long, collarbone-skimming bob with wispy pieces; not too heavy around your neck. You don’t want to be weighed down.
Long | Yes, you’re keeping it long, but you’re after some long layers around the jawline.
HEART FACE
Short | Go the pixie cut but have it clipped in closely on the side and at the back of your neck. The layers up top need to be short. Hair mud will be your friend. Mohawks possible.
Medium | Add a sweeping fringe into the mix and uniform layers all over.
Long | Go the fringe. A full, heavy fringe. Fabulous. Like Taylor Swift when she had hers (and then cut it off into the above).
LONG FACE
Short | Yes. Go you. Just take a photo of Victoria Beckham in and go to town. Get the layers to hug just around your chin.
Medium | This is a tricky cut to master, because you want it to look all the same length but really it’s not. Lots of variations need to occur here while all looking totally uniform.
Long | Yes, if you’ve got a long face, and long hair, then there’s the very real chance you could look horsey. But if you add a fringe into the mix, you’ll look sleek.
SQUARE FACE
Short | Remember when Cameron Diaz had that cute cut in Something About Mary? That is now you. Minus the jizz in your hair.
Medium | Feathery layers above your shoulders. Throw a light fringe in too if you like.
Long | You kind of want it to look like you’ve let your fringe grow out on purpose. Add in some light feathering around your cheek-bones—A+.
A lover of travel who can often be found in Hong Kong, when not on a plane or walking down a sometimes unsavoury street in search of an authentic feed, AJ (or Amanda to some) contributes to a number of publications on matters of food and travel. She created the platform Pepper Passport: a publication for the avid cook, discerning and curious traveller, lover and sharer of good things, both at home and while away.
Photo Credit: Harper and Hartley