Pull all your hair back in a headband. Look at your hairline and chin line. If it helps, draw a few dots with eyeliner to help you see the shape. "Be honest about what you see," says Buckett. "Not everyone has a perfect, oval-shaped face." Although the right attitude can help you pull off any cut, Buckett, who has styled Ashley Olsen and Rachel McAdams, offers these basic guidelines for getting the hair you want with the face you've got.
Now find a style that will work for you...
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Shape: Heart
How to tell: Wider forehead and narrow chin What suits your shape: Forget blunt bobs and super-short styles. To flatter a heart-shaped face, Buckett suggests a combination of a side part accented by bangs, and chin-length (or longer) all-over layers. "Adding pieces that hit at the jaw fools the eye into seeing a more oval shape instead of a pointy chin," he says. Heart-shaped stars:
Long: Reese Witherspoon
Side-swept, fringy bangs with a side part and flowing layers
Medium: Christina Ricci
Eye-skimming, soft bangs with face-framing, long layers
Short: Jenny McCarthy
A deep side part that sweeps hair across the forehead, combined with choppy, chin-length layers
Will a pixie a-la-Michelle Williams make you look chic or chubby? Will a trendy full fringe bring out your features or square off your face? These are important questions you should think about before running to a stylist toting a picture of a celebrity haircut you just have to have. Or worse, before you hastily grab scissors on a slow weekday night and go to town on your poor, defenseless hair. Any stylist will tell you that it's your face shape that determines which haircut will flatter you best.
So to help you prep for your next big snip, we went to Tommy Buckett from the Marie Robinson Salon in New York City to find out which haircuts work for each specific face shape. He shares advice on how to determine your face shape by breaking it down from jawline to forehead girth. Cruise through his expert advice and get matched with a celeb-inspired cut that works for your face, so that you never make a face shape haircut mistake again.
And remember, if for some crazy reason you don't heed this advice and end up with a bad haircut, go ahead and speak up to your hairstylist and give them the opportunity to fix what is bothering you. "They would much rather hear your thoughts and make it right so you leave happy and return. Satisfying the client is the number one priority for any stylist/colorist," says celebrity stylist and New York City salon owner Marie Robinson.
