Palace Beauty Saloon

HAIR TALK: OVAL FACE SHAPE

The oval face shape has long been held up on the “perfection pedestal”. We always hear people talking about how the oval is the perfect face shape. Sure, almighty oval is often more versatile when it comes to haircuts + styles but the “perfect face” by definition actually has nothing to do with shape at all- it has to do with ratio (which we’ll talk about in my next post after we finish face shapes). An oval is typically 3 parts long to 2 parts wide. In other words, the width of your face is about 1/3 less than the length of your face. There are also no major corners on an oval face shape– not around the hairline or on the jawline. If you missed the chart to find your face shape, you can find it the pictures attached with this post. ! Let’s discuss some great hair options for the oval face, shall we?

UPDOS– Okay, this is the place where the ovals may have a slight advantage in the hair race. Playing around with new updos is ideal for someone with an oval face and is a little less work and here’s why– we always want to check proportion + balance in the mirror when doing an updo, but ovals don’t have to worry about off-setting a part of the face with extra volume or soft pieces falling in front like you do when you’re trying to soften a SQUARE jaw. Lucky for ovals, they can wear almost any updo, waves, chignon, braid or top knot– or in Eva’s case a super-chic satin tuban headpiece.

SIDE SWOOP– Heavy side swept bangs are nicest on an oval shape when there’s a little volume behind it, especially with an updo. With little or no volume behind a heavy side sweep, an oval face may appear “shortened”. If you’re really not a fan of volume behind your side swoop, try parting it a little more toward the center so it doesn’t shorten your face too much.

CENTER PART– In the image above (bottom, middle) you see that Eva tucks one side of her center parted hair behind her ear. If that piece were pulled out from behind the ear and both sides were running along her face it could actually make her oval face shape appear oblong. You don’t want to crowd an oval face shape because it will go narrow very quickly. Always try to keep at least one cheekbone clear.

BLOWOUTS– Go sleek, beachy/textured or voluminous. Again, whatever you do just don’t overcrowd the face!

HAIRCUTS– The rumor is that a true oval can pull off almost any haircut, but I’m here to demystify that theory. You have to think of your features! Face shapes aren’t the only important thing and a good hairstylist will make you aware of that. You have to consider other things– do you have a prominent nose? Do you have a weak chin? Do you have a long neck? Do you have wide set eyes? Do you have a short forehead? Do you have a large forehead? Do your ears stick out? Do you have a crazy cowlick? Do you have big/small eyes? I can keep going if you want… Just because you have an oval face shape doesn’t mean you can have any haircut so make sure it’s flattering for what you’re working with!

Are you an oval? Tell us your experiences, favorite haircuts and styles below!

HAIR TALK: PEAR SHAPED FACES

No one owns the pear face shape better than lil Miss Kelly Osbourne. A pear-shaped face means that the widest points of your jaw are slightly wider than the widest points of your hairline. Although it’s a beautiful shape, the pear-shaped face can be a difficult one if you don’t know which styles are most flattering. I give you plenty of ideas on how to either balance a pear face shape or just show ’em what your mama gave you. Here we go!

DEEP SIDE PART: A deep side part on a pear-shaped face will diffuse the width of the jawline if that’s what you’re trying to accomplish. Always pull a little hair near the ear out on the less heavy side like Kelly does in the bottom left photo to balance the deep side part and soften the look.

FULL TOP KNOT: Often times it’s just best to let that beautiful face shine! Pull all of your hair up into a voluminous top knot. The tighter the top knot is the wider the jaw will appear. Adding some fullness to your top knot will even out the overall silhouette of your head shape and that puts less focus on the width of the jaw– more focus on the face and hair together.

GO SHORT: Obviously Kelly has a great neck for short hair. If you and your hair stylist agree it’s suiting for you to go short, you should consider it. A bob, whether it’s styled straight, wavy or curly, tends to cut off the width of a wider jaw and it’s one of the most flattering cuts for pear gals. A bob (or even a lob) puts the focus in all the right places. I know not everyone can pull off a lob or bob, but if you have a pear-shaped face and you can, it’s a great way to find easy balance.

MEDIUM-LONG HAIRCUTS: Pear-shaped face girls should always keep a chin length layer or “long bang” that falls somewhere around the chin just in case you’re having “one of those days”. We all do! One of those days where you’re rushing and you just want to throw our hair up in a high pony or bun. Pulling those long bang pieces out can soften the look a great deal. Girls with pear-shaped faces should follow the same “KEEP THE PIECE” rule as round-faced girls when getting haircuts because you want the option to be able to diffuse the width or just pull it back and embrace what you’ve got. While I would say short-medium lengths are the most flattering for a pear-shaped face, longer lengths look amazing too. Make sure to keep some long face framing layers so you don’t get buried in hair.

VOLUME: Pear-shaped face beauties should always try to keep a little volume (unless you’re going pin-straight). Again, remember that the goal is to even out the “overall silhouette”. In other words, you want to keep the top portion of your head looking a little fuller in order to balance out the width of the lower portion.

STYLING: Curls are a great way to diffuse the width of a wide jaw. Classic curls, deep parted Veronica Lake waves, or even just simple beachy waves with texture.

FLAT IRONING: A super sleek head of hair with a center part can make a pear-shaped face appear more oval– but the key is not to hide behind your hair. Try flat ironing and make sure you don’t tuck the pieces near your ear. Leave those sections untucked and instead push back the bang area a little more. That will make the jaw appear more narrow and the forehead will appear a little wider balancing things out.

Never hide behind your hair! Be proud of your face shape and learn to love it. Lots of my clients have a pear-shaped face and have learned how to balance instead of over-crowding the face with hair. If you have any personal tips and trick for your fellow pear-shaped face girls, please feel free to leave them in the comments below! We stil have diamond, inverted triangle and heart shaped to go so stay tuned!

HAIR TALK: OBLONG FACE SHAPE

Could super-duper-model Joan Smalls be any more gorgeous!? She’s a prime example of someone with an oblong face shape. When it comes to this shape, the goal is to wear it proud if you’re happy with it or to widen the face to make it appear less long. If a client of mine comes in and has an oblong face shape, I usually suggest a long bang or layers that hit just below the eyes when the hair is dry– that will draw out the width of your face. I also explain that if you don’t have natural waves, the hair will need to be styled regularly to acheive the widening effect. Super straight hair on an oblong face will make it appear even longer. You want to make sure you are letting the cheekbones be clear and visible with an oblong shape. Here are some great ideas for all of you beautiful oblong girls!

RETRO-LIKE CURLS- Set the hair and give it some real bounce. The softness of a retro curl can make everything feel more “round” and less long even when it’s not. Curls are an amazing way to add width to your silhouette but always keep in mind you want width, not height with oblong!

SIDE SWEEP- As crazy as this sounds– ears help you gain width. Sweep all the hair over your shoulder and make sure you show an ear when there’s a lot of curl or texture going on. In the main photo above, if you cover Joans ears, the face appears much more narrow. When you see the ears it tricks your eye into thinking the face is a teeny bit wider than it actually is. Notice that Joan shows ear in just about every photo and that’s because her hair is cleared away from the face and that allows the cheekbones to come through!

WEAR EARRINGS- I know this isn’t a hair trick but it’s still a trick. Earrings that dangle near the sides of your face (especially ones that are close to your skins own tone) help to draw out the overall silhouette. Try lighter golds for pale skin and bronzy colors for darker skin. Sounds crazy but it works!!

WIDE WIDE WAVES- This may be where you need to learn how to flat iron curl. You can create a great wave pattern around your face with more control over where the waves hit when you use a beveled flat iron to do it. Hmmm… tutorial?? You want the widest part of the curls to hit right at your cheekbones. The hair should almost mimic the cheekbone, but be wider. If you look at the bottom right photo of Joan, you see that the widest part of the wave around here face is right around her cheekbone/ear area. Make that happen! You may have to spend a little time figuring out how to wrap the hair around a curling iron but it’s worth spending the time.

BLOWOUTS- Again, you’re seeking width, so set the hair however you like but keep it off the face. Give it a good warm burst of air around your face at the end and lightly hit your hairline with hairspray. Do what you can to keep the hair from hugging your face.

HAIRCUTS- Honestly, you’re not that limited on haircuts with an oblong face shape. The only thing you should really steer clear of is hard bobs that make you appear longer and really long sleek straight hair with no layers or movement. Everything else can be styled accordingly to create the illusion of a wider face.

CURLY GIRLS- As Carrie Bradshaw proved to the world, curly girls with oblong face shapes are the chic-est. Let those curls be if you have them! Allow them to be loose + wild + off your face to widen the overall sillhouette. You of course need a great haircut to manage major curls, but once you have that, you’re all set. Curly hair for an oblong face is ideal because of the horizontal volume it gets naturally.

Are you an “Oblong” girl? Please share your stories about it below. What are your favorite and least favorite things about this face shape?

HAIR TALK: RECTANGLE FACE SHAPE

When it comes to a rectangular face shape, the goal is to keep the face from appearing longer than it is naturally. There are many things that contribute to lengthening a rectangular face– hair length, volume and cut. Here are a few ideas for you gorgeous rectangle gals!

Layer away!: Adding lots of layers to a rectangular face shape can open you up in the cheekbone area while cutting many off the “four corners” at the same time.

Length matters: You never want to wear your hair super-long if you have a rectangular face shape. Excessive length only makes a rectangular face shape look longer.

Blowouts: Waves and curls are great for rectangular face shapes because width of the overall silhouette helps. In other words, go for a little more horizontal volume and steer clear of too much height. Major volume going upward also contributes to lengthening your face.

Updos: Severe, sleek updos can make your jawline corners look even stronger. If you’re okay with that, then go for it! If you’re trying to soften go with a more romantic wavy chignon. Higher updos will bring out your corners, where lower chingons will draw less attention to them.

Bangs: I’m not a huge fan of a square blunt bang with square or rectangular bangs with a square jaw because it tends to make everything very box-y. Instead, try a soft rounded line or a soft/parted “curtain bang (a la Brigitte Bardot!) If you need bang ideas, see here!

A-line cut: Just like with a square jaw, the corners of the jawline can be diffused by an a-line haircut. The longer length in front will weigh the hair down and lay closer to your cheeks, minimizing squareness. Then pair it with a long side bang to break up the usual “elongating lines” of a long bob. Try it with a little bend on the ends, too!

Are you working with a rectangular face shape? If so, please share your own tips and tricks for what you think looks best below!

HAIR TALK: HEART SHAPED FACE

Did you know a true heart-shaped face has a widow’s peak? True story. The cheek area is slightly wider than the hairline and then drops into a pointed chin. There are no wide-set/squared off corners along the jawline. I think Kourtney Kardashian is a pretty great example of a heart-shaped face (and some super-cute hair dos!). Okay, here are the best tips and tricks for you heart shaped beauties…

PARTING WITH A WIDOW’S PEAK: You never really want to force a middle part when working with a widow’s peak. If it goes there, naturally then great. Otherwise, try going slighly (even just the tiniest bit) to one side or the other. When you split the hair right down the center with a widow’s peak, it tends to look thinner on each side. Better to thicken it up by going slightly off center. Look at Kourtney in the bottom center photo– it’s allllllmost center but she just pushes the widow’s peak piece over to one side. When you try to go straight down the center, one side typically behaves and the other refuses. Make mornings easier on yourself!

DEEP SIDE PART WITH CURLS: I love this looks on a heart shaped face for two reasons. One, it does away with any parting issues caused by a widow’s peak. Two, it opens up the face and features the gorgeous jawline of a heart shaped face. Tuck the less heavy side and let the heavy side fall in front of your shoulders if your hair is long enough.

HAIRCUTS: I would say the sky’s the limit for haircuts on a heart-shaped face. Almost anything looks great except heavy bangs or an jaw-length short bob. Short bangs can be really hard to control if you have a widow’s peak and if you have cowlicks on top of that, you definitely want to skip shorter bangs.

BRAID AWAY: There’s not much more to this one than the fact that I think this is a super-cute look heart-shaped face girls. It’s a sweet, soft, feminine look that opens up your face.

LOTSA LOOSE LAYERS: A piece-y blowout on hair with lots of layers is flattering on a heart-shaped face because it frames the face and makes the face appear a little more oval. Look at Kourtney in the bottom right hand photo, the slight off center parting creates a more oval shape and diffuses the appearance of a widow’s peak almost entirely.

UPDOS: Try a voluminous bun or pony. That will balance out the over-all silhouette of a heart-shaped face. Also, don’t go “too full” with your updos. When they’re wider than the hairline, they can actually make the chin look longer/more pointed.

If you have a tip or trick you want to share with other girls who have a heart-shaped face, please feel free to share it below!

HAIR TALK: DIAMOND FACE SHAPE
(Continuation of best hair styles for specific face shapes)

On to the next one– the gorgeous diamond face shape! If you’re a diamond, your hairline is more narrow. Also, starting below the ear your jawline comes to a point at your chin. (If your jawline narrows but your hairline is wide, then stay tuned for the inverted triangle face shape which coming will be next!) Here are some tips + tricks for styling hair around a diamond face shape:

Stay back: The diamond face shape can get very narrow when there’s a lot of hair surrounding the face. I love how Ashley pushes it all back in the top photo. Typically diamonds have a great jawline so let that it show, girl! If it’s hard for you to get your hair to stay back, try applying a light holding mousse at the root before you blowdry and then tuck behind the ear.

The One + Only: I love when diamond face shaped girls push one side back. Like I said before– a too much hair can crowd and make a diamond face appear too narrow so it’s good to open one side up and show off that great jawline. Any kind of texture works well here– smooth waves, messy textured waves, pin straight, or crazy curls. It says “Look at my pretty hair” but it doesn’t hide your pretty face.

Deep side part: I loooove the way a deep side part looks on a diamond face shape but it can often be a challenge because of how the hairline narrows. If you find it challenging, use some mousse at the root before you blow-dry. This will help the hair stay in place instead of falling forward as it naturally wants to. Also, try parting on the diagonal– using a tail comb, start deep to one side and come come back to the center as you go back. That will help balance out the weight and not make the heavy side too heavy.

Bangs: I like to avoid heavy, straigh bangs on my clients with diamond face shapes. The reason is- the hairs in front of a narrow hairline usually grow upward or out to the sides so it can be a bit of a challenge to control straight heavy bangs. I do, however, love “curtain” Bardot bangs for this face shape. A center or slightly off-center parted curtain-y bang will help maintain the silhouette of the diamond face shape and is typically much easier to control because you’re not trying to fight their natural direction so much.

Haircuts: Layers, layers, layers. No one is a better candidate for lots of layers than a girl with a diamond face shape. Lots of layers keep a diamond face shape “open”. Less layers will fall in front of the widest points of a diamond face shape and narrow you out. See how Ashley looks more narrow in the bottom right hand photo? Still gorgeous but her face definitely appears more narrow than the other images. Luckily it looks great sleek and straight because she’s got layers. The hair still moves and doesn’t just hang. It’s important to have layers in order to wear super straight hair on a diamond face.

Ponytails + Updos: What can I say? Honestly, updos + ponytails are always great on diamond face shapes. High, low, center, whatever! Pulling the hair back off of a diamond face shape is a good thing. I can’t say there is a specific guidline for diamonds to follow here. You lucky girls!

Are you a sparkling diamond? If so, please feel free to share your experiences with your face shape below. Tell us your best tips and tricks!

HAIR TALK: ROUND FACE SHAPE

Let’s be honest- SO many of us think we have a round face. But when it comes to face shapes you really want to try and be sure you know which one or two you are. Use this guide to get a more accurate answer. The best way to sum up a round face is that it’s just about if not the same in width as it is in length with no major corners at the jaw. One person that I think has always done a great job keeping her round face looking more oval-ish Ginnifer Goodwin. She doesn’t hide behind her hair which many people with a round face shape try to do. In this particular post, I’m going to be speaking from personal experience as I’m a round-faced girl. Here we go…

Shaping: One thing I always tell my girls with a round face is to keep a little hair out in front of the ear and not to tuck it back. Look at each of Ginnifer’s images above– there’s always a little something in front of one ear or both. The reason this is helps a round face is because it visually stops the width of your face. It cuts off “the circle” and tricks the eye into thinking that the width of the face face stops there.
Don’t over do it: Those of us with round faces tend to want to hide behind lots of hair (story of my life!). Problem is, we’re not fooling anyone. I’ve learned over the years that doing so often just frames your cheeks and can make them look fuller. I’ve also learned that it doesn’t take a lot of hair being pushed forward to minimize the roundness of the face– instead try the tip above. Let that beautiful face come out from behind the hair curtain!

Deep part: A deep part is wonderful for a round face because it changes the focal point of the length of your face. People can’t see if your face is the same in length and width. If you look at the bottom left photo, Ginnifer parts the hair, it goes up off of her forehead and then down at the cheek. You can obviously see that this makes her face look more oval. On the bottom right, she swoops it down and across which also makes the face look a bit longer. Either way a deep side part with some wave is perfect for a round face.

Chop Chop: Girls with round faces do not like to hear this 90% of the time, but I’m going to say it for the other 10%– if you’re comfortable in your own skin and not insecure about the way you look, don’t be afraid to just chop that hair right OFF! Round + oval faces are the absolute best face shapes for going super short and no one works a better pixie than Ginnifer Goodwin. She plays with so many textures and she minimized the roundness in just the right ways. I love when she makes it a little fuller on top with lots of choppy texture because it actually elongates the face. If you google “Ginnifer Goodwin short hair” you’ll see– this girl knows how to do it. She also had a lot of beautiful ‘dos when her hair was long so she’s a great one to look up when searching for round face hair style ideas.

KEEP THE PIECE: Really important– ask (beg) your hairstylist to leave that little section that falls in front of your ear on the long side. Not longer than the rest neccessarily, but as long as the length of your hair. I’ve been cutting hair for 16 years and I can tell you, as soon as you cut into that piece, you start opening up the face. Round-faced girls usually want the opposite. You want that particular section to stay long and you want it to always run right along the side of your face. That will be your key piece in minimizing roundness. Doesn’t matter if you have a bob, a pixie, or hair down to your waist with lots of layers. Don’t layer or cut that little section shorter than you have to. (No joke– I physically hold on to those pieces under my chin when anyone cuts my hair… but I’m crazy.)

Short haircuts: Keep some texture in short hair. Sleek short haircuts on a round face can make it appear more round. I’m not saying it’s not cute to have a sleek bob on a round face– it’s actually one of my favorite things because those girls look like DOLLS. But, for an every day short cut, meaning a bob or pixie, texture will diffuse the roundness. If your hair is naturally straight, put some weightless mousse in the roots and then give it some quick curl with curling wand.

Mid-length haircuts: Layers in medium-length hair are great for round faces as long as “The Piece” mentioned above remains intact. When I wear medium-length hair, I always ask whoever is cutting it for me to only give me layers “above the occipital”. In English, that means that the only hair that gets layered is the hair that grows above that bone you feel in the back of your head. That usually leaves a nice weight to the ends and then plenty of layers to play with.

Long haircuts: I find that the best way to wear long or super-long hair with a round face is to add layers and a long bang. Long hair with a round face needs some texture and the only way to get that is by adding layers. You can put all the texturizing product in the world in long heavy hair but you won’t get any long term lift and movement without some layering. I think the biggest mistake a girl with a round face can make is having really long hair with no layers because all that will do is draw attention to your cheeks. Again, ask to keep “The Piece” mentioned above.
Bangs: The rumor is that girls with round faces shouldn’t have bangs. That couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s more than fine to cut bangs and have a round face as long as they’re the right kind of bang. Here’s a bang guide to help you see the difference. I always check the forehead length before giving someone bangs. If you have a short forehead and a round face, skip the bangs. If you have a average sized forehead or a larger forehead, go for it. Just make sure there are longer pieces on the side like you see here and here.

High Pony: We round-faced girls don’t always love pulling all of our hair off of our face but sometimes a high pony can help elongate a round face. The volume on top can extend the silhouette of the head tricking the eye into thinking you have more of an oval face. Try wearing it with some loose natural pieces falling out in front of the ear and alongside your face.
Hope these tips help you and I hope you’ll share some of your favorite styles for a round face below!