Where do you turn when looking for the best haircut suitable to your face shape? None other than Matty Conrad. The award-winning barber shares his guide to every face shape's perfect, balanced look in GQ's new series, "Grooming Guide." What face shape are you?
Director: Sam Dennis
Director of Photography: Callum Gunn
Editor: Phil Ceconi
Host: Matty Conrad
Producer: Shelby Boamah
Senior Producer: Noel Howard
Camera Operator: Oliver Smith
Audio: Alex Shamku
Grip/Gaffer: Nick Taillefer
Production Assistant: Samantha Buzza
Post Production Supervisor: Rachael Knight
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Rob Lombardi
Assistant Editor: Andy Morell
Director: Sam Dennis
Director of Photography: Callum Gunn
Editor: Phil Ceconi
Host: Matty Conrad
Producer: Shelby Boamah
Senior Producer: Noel Howard
Camera Operator: Oliver Smith
Audio: Alex Shamku
Grip/Gaffer: Nick Taillefer
Production Assistant: Samantha Buzza
Post Production Supervisor: Rachael Knight
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Rob Lombardi
Assistant Editor: Andy Morell
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00 Have you ever walked into a barbershop with a picture of your favorite celebrity,
00:03 only to leave disappointed?
00:04 Well, it's probably because that haircut was not suitable to your face shape.
00:08 Hey, GQ.
00:09 I'm Matty Conrad.
00:10 Today, I'm going to break down for you the nine basic face shapes
00:13 and help you determine which hairstyles are going to be suitable to yours.
00:17 This is the grooming guide.
00:18 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:27 The oval.
00:30 When I think of oval face shapes, I think of celebrities like Justin Bieber,
00:34 A$AP Rocky, Brian Gosling, oh, and Henry Golding.
00:37 The oval face shape is widest at the brow and has softer angles
00:41 with an angular jawline.
00:42 This is probably one of the most versatile face shapes that there is,
00:45 mostly because the oval face shape is the perfect balance between width
00:48 and height.
00:49 Look at Justin Bieber.
00:50 He's often wearing hairstyles that are swept up and back
00:52 and kept lean on the sides.
00:53 And this is very flattering, creates a more angular appearance to the face
00:57 shape.
00:57 Things that don't necessarily work great for oval face shapes
01:00 is fringe styles, things that shorten the appearance of the face.
01:03 This idea is perfectly illustrated in these two photos of Justin Bieber.
01:07 You see in the first photo, he's wearing his hair cropped down forward
01:10 just a little bit.
01:11 And it creates a softer look to his jaw.
01:13 But as soon as he's wearing his hairstyle back,
01:15 you can see a much more angular shape to his bottom jaw.
01:18 I suggest keeping the sides nice and tight
01:20 and wearing the hair either back off the face or parted to the side.
01:23 Guys with oval face shapes, they usually look best with just a mustache
01:26 because it keeps the bottom part of the jaw exposed,
01:28 which is often a little more angular and lean looking.
01:31 The objective with any hairstyle is to bring a sense of balance
01:34 to the shape of your face.
01:36 You don't want to create something that is too wide or something that
01:38 is too narrow.
01:41 Round.
01:44 Round face celebrities are guys like Michael Cera, Jeremy Renner.
01:47 This type of face shape is almost as wide as it is tall.
01:50 The widest point of a round face shape is the cheekbones.
01:53 And the face features are usually slightly lower on the face.
01:57 Usually they have fuller cheeks and a slightly rounded softer jawline.
02:00 So let's look at this first image from Michael Cera.
02:02 I wouldn't recommend this.
02:04 His hairstyle is much wider on the sides.
02:05 It creates lots of volume out to the sides of the head
02:08 rather than the top of the head, which makes it look even wider.
02:11 Now, the only reason this works for Michael Cera
02:13 is because of his personality.
02:14 The rest of his style has a certain doesn't give a fuck quality.
02:18 And you really have to respect that.
02:20 Sometimes irony is cool.
02:22 Grooming tip number 147.
02:24 It's good to follow guidelines.
02:25 But ultimately, the choice is yours because confidence is sexy.
02:30 Let's have a look at Michael Cera's facial hair choices.
02:32 Now, on the left side, you'll see that he's rocking just a mustache,
02:35 which is very cool right now.
02:36 But it's not something I usually recommend for guys with round face
02:39 shapes because just a mustache actually creates a slightly wider appearance
02:43 to the face, especially contrasted against the next photo
02:46 where he's got a full beard on the bottom and a more angular outline,
02:49 which creates a leaner look to his face shape,
02:51 thus bringing it into balance.
02:54 So by just choosing a mustache, you're emphasizing the width.
02:57 But by adding the beard to the bottom and an angular outline,
03:00 you're elongating the appearance of the shape, bringing it into balance.
03:05 Are you sensing a theme here?
03:07 Good.
03:08 Conversely, let's look at Jeremy Renner.
03:09 This is a guy that's playing by the rules,
03:11 and it's working out beautifully for him.
03:13 When it comes to a round face shape, I definitely
03:15 recommend keeping a leaner shape on the side, something nice and tight
03:18 that creates a very angular appearance and creating some height on top.
03:22 Grooming tip number 32.
03:23 If you're looking for a little height on top, it's time to get a blow dryer.
03:26 If you don't have one, well, ask your partner.
03:29 If you don't have a partner, it's because you don't have a blow dryer.
03:32 This type of face shape usually benefits more from an angular style,
03:36 so haircuts that are lean on the sides and create a little bit more height
03:39 through the front and top.
03:41 You want to try and avoid hairstyles that wear down in the front
03:44 and create a fringe or hairstyles that are too wide in the sides
03:47 because they amplify the width of the face shape.
03:49 Your goal with a round face shape is to stretch it out slightly,
03:52 making it appear more oval.
03:55 Square.
03:58 Now, when you think of a square face shape,
04:00 think of guys like Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Pattinson, Pedro Pascal,
04:04 and Michael B. Jordan.
04:05 Now, the one thing you're going to notice about a square face shape
04:08 is it's not quite as elongated as a rectangular face shape.
04:11 You'll usually notice that the features sit slightly lower on the face,
04:15 especially when you look at a picture of Leonardo DiCaprio.
04:18 Even though he has a very square face shape,
04:20 his eyes are a little lower set, and the rest of his features
04:22 sit a little lower in his face shape, and he has quite a prominent forehead.
04:26 Anytime you break away from the solid vertical lines on the side of the head
04:28 by interrupting them with a little bit of volume or shape
04:31 is a great way to soften out the overall appearance of a square face shape.
04:34 Perfect example with Leonardo DiCaprio, you
04:36 can see that even though he's wearing a very classic parted hairstyle, which
04:39 creates a more angular look, he's left the sides not sheared short.
04:44 They are still full, a little bit layered,
04:45 and it gives it just a slightly softer appearance,
04:48 balancing out the rest of the shape of his face.
04:50 Now let's look at Robert Pattinson.
04:52 One thing I like about what he does is he also
04:54 wears his hair a little looser and a little more natural, slightly tousled,
04:57 which creates a little bit more volume and a little more softness
05:00 to the overall look.
05:01 When it comes to Michael B. Jordan, you can see for his facial hair
05:04 he wears a really nice clean cut mustache in what we call an anchored style.
05:07 That means he has a small goatee at the bottom.
05:09 And what that actually does for his face shape
05:11 is give it a slight elongation, which brings it into balance.
05:15 Traditionally, I usually recommend guys wear
05:18 hairstyles that are a little bit more side swept,
05:21 like a layered classic haircut.
05:22 One of the things you really want to stay away from on a square face
05:25 shape is anything that shortens the appearance of the forehead.
05:28 When you wear the hair down to the front and maybe a little swept off
05:30 the side, it gives you a more youthful appearance.
05:33 But that has diminishing returns, and I don't
05:35 recommend wearing that hairstyle past the age of about 25.
05:39 Gourmet tip number 77, age matters to your hairstyle.
05:44 Some hairstyles will make you look slightly younger,
05:46 and some will make you look like you're trying to look younger.
05:50 Try and avoid the latter.
05:51 Now, you can choose a mustache or not.
05:53 I honestly recommend just keeping a short shaped stubble
05:56 to show off that square jaw.
05:57 It's probably one of your best features.
06:01 Oblong.
06:03 Think guys like Jake Gyllenhaal or The Rock.
06:06 Guys with an oblong head shape usually are a little broader
06:09 or they have a slightly more elongated shape and a strong jaw line.
06:13 The oblong head shape is ideal for bald guys.
06:16 Look at The Rock.
06:17 The Rock doesn't have any hair on top, but his face shape still
06:20 looks nice and balanced, and his jaw line looks really nice and strong.
06:23 Gourmet tip number 54, ditch the comb over.
06:26 You're really not fooling anyone.
06:28 Besides, bald is sexy.
06:30 When it comes to picking facial hair for an oblong face shape,
06:33 goatee style is usually very complimentary.
06:35 It actually creates a little bit more of an anchor for the chin shape
06:38 instead of creating a wider look that a beard will give it.
06:41 Remember, that jaw line, it's wide enough.
06:44 Relax a little on that thing.
06:46 Now, here is Jake Gyllenhaal.
06:47 You can see when he wears his hair very short, instead of taking a high fade,
06:50 he leaves it a little soft in the sides,
06:52 creating a little bit more of a balanced, rounded shape to it.
06:54 That's going to be very complimentary to his elongated head shape.
06:57 But even when he wears his hair a little bit longer,
06:59 you can see he leaves a little bit of flow and width on the top
07:02 just as much as he is creating just a little bit of height.
07:04 One of the things that I think looks particularly good in this style for Jake
07:07 is that his hairstyle is softer, rounder, creates a little bit more fullness,
07:12 and the outlines that are nice and rounded and natural
07:14 give it a little bit more of an oval appearance to his face shape,
07:17 de-emphasizing both the length of his face and his jawline.
07:21 Now, when it comes to an oblong head shape,
07:22 you're usually looking for a haircut that presents a little bit more of a balanced shape.
07:26 You're not necessarily looking to create any more height than you are width.
07:29 So if you wear your hair short,
07:31 usually something that has a little bit more softness in the sides
07:34 and a little shorter on top can be very complimentary.
07:36 If you wanted to grow your hair out,
07:38 you really do need to pair a little bit of length on top
07:40 with the equal length on the sides.
07:42 This is what's going to help it keep balance.
07:44 Rectangular.
07:47 Now, when it comes to the rectangular face shape,
07:50 I think of celebrities like Joe Alwyn or Chad Michael Murray.
07:54 The rectangular is often viewed as a slightly more angular version of oval.
07:57 It's usually characterized by a higher forehead and a little bit more symmetrical.
08:02 The difference between a rectangular face shape and an oval face shape, though,
08:05 is a broader chin.
08:06 So let's look at Joe Alwyn's hairstyle and see what he did right here.
08:10 You can see that he's got a lot of texture and a little bit more fullness in the sides
08:14 instead of keeping them really tight and lean.
08:15 And this gives out an overall balance to his face shape.
08:18 Same with Chad Michael Murray.
08:20 When you see Chad Michael Murray's hair, he's got a little bit more of a side sweep
08:23 and he leaves the sides just a little longer to create a little bit more fullness.
08:27 One of the really great benefits of a rectangular face shape
08:29 is that you can also wear it very short and almost militaristic style
08:32 because the rounder, more natural shape that that gives the head
08:35 will, again, soften the look of the extreme angles.
08:38 So it gives it a little bit more of a balanced look.
08:40 Flattering hairstyles are going to be things that have a little bit more texture
08:43 and just a little bit more volume on the sides.
08:45 You want to stay away from haircuts that are going to be really harsh, lean, and angular
08:50 because you're going to overemphasize the angular nature of the face shape.
08:53 Because the rectangular face shape has a really strong jaw already,
08:56 you can go either clean shaven or keep a shorter stubble that has a nice natural outline.
09:00 You want to try and avoid things like chin straps or lowrider beards,
09:04 things that really overemphasize the angular nature of the jaw.
09:07 [music]
09:09 Triangle.
09:10 [music]
09:12 A great example of a triangular face shape is Cillian Murphy or Timothee Chalamet.
09:16 The triangular face shape is characterized by the jawbone being wider than the cheekbones
09:21 with a pointed chin and a slightly narrower brow.
09:23 If you ask me, it doesn't look like Timothee Chalamet's had a haircut in eight months.
09:27 But something about the look really works for him.
09:30 He creates a little bit of a curtain effect on the corners of his head shape
09:33 that create a slightly more narrow-looking forehead.
09:35 This is really, really beneficial.
09:37 This type of head shape often benefits from something that has a little bit more coverage
09:42 near the forehead or at least in the corners.
09:44 This somehow de-emphasizes the width of the forehead and brings everything else into balance.
09:49 Trimming tip number 47.
09:51 Don't shampoo your hair every day, especially if it's longer.
09:54 All it's going to do is make it dry and puffy.
09:57 A little grease never hurt nobody.
09:59 When it comes to your facial hair choices for a triangular face shape,
10:02 you already have one of the strongest jaw shapes there is.
10:04 So I highly suggest just going clean cut and clean shaven.
10:08 Leave it out there for the world to see.
10:09 The diamond.
10:12 Diamond face shape celebrities are guys like Jason Derulo, James Harden, Jamie Kennedy.
10:19 A diamond-shaped face is always widest at the cheekbones,
10:22 slightly more narrow through both the forehead and the chin.
10:26 Let's look at Jason Derulo because this is a really great example of both what to do right
10:30 and what he's doing wrong.
10:32 You can see in this picture that he's really emphasizing the length of his face
10:35 by creating a style that has a lot of height on top and is very narrow high up,
10:39 almost creating a more triangular shape on top.
10:42 Also with his beard, it's elongated at his chin and kept narrow everywhere else,
10:46 which creates an even longer look to his chin.
10:49 So it creates a really heavy diamond shape.
10:52 Now in this photo, what he's doing is absolutely right.
10:55 He's limited the amount of height that he has on top and kept the shape a little bit wider
10:59 and a little rounder.
11:00 And when it comes to his facial hair, he's left it in natural outlines
11:03 and kept it nice and short and tight around the chin.
11:05 This is a really great way to de-emphasize the angular nature of his face shape
11:09 and brings it more into balance.
11:11 Now the diamond face shape also is complemented by a lot of larger beards,
11:15 like James Harden.
11:16 James Harden.
11:17 I mean, the guy has just grown a huge beard.
11:19 He's dominant on the court.
11:21 It's very intimidating.
11:22 I mean, there is something really intimidating about a guy with a giant beard.
11:25 What's up?
11:26 James Harden has a very pointy chin and a strong diamond shape
11:29 with his width being right at his cheekbones.
11:32 But because he creates a broad, natural-looking beard,
11:35 it de-emphasizes the angular nature of the bottom,
11:38 which allows him to wear his hair nice and tight on top.
11:41 Even though that slightly emphasizes the narrow nature of his head shape,
11:44 it brings it into balance by creating more width on the bottom.
11:47 This type of face shape usually benefits from something that creates a little bit more width
11:51 on the top in the corners and is a little bit more soft and rounded,
11:55 not something that is angular and high-centered.
11:57 Celebrities with heart-shaped faces are guys like Nick Jonas,
12:05 Harry Styles,
12:07 Shawn Mendes.
12:08 Heart shape.
12:09 Sounds more like heartthrob to me.
12:11 Now, a heart-shaped face is usually a wider forehead, wider cheekbones,
12:15 but a narrow chin.
12:16 And what that means for choosing a hairstyle is that texture and softness
12:20 and curl and movement usually work best.
12:22 In fact, I think that's one of the reasons why this face shape has become so synonymous with these celebrities
12:27 is because the hairstyles that most guys are wanting to wear these days
12:30 have a little bit more softness and a little bit more movement to them.
12:33 Grooming tip number 249.
12:35 If you're trying to create a softer, wavier look in your hair,
12:37 avoid using pomade and sticky gel products.
12:40 Use a paste, like a grown-up.
12:43 Now, often if you have a widow's peak,
12:45 you're probably going to have a heart-shaped face.
12:47 It doesn't have to be really exaggerated, sometimes just very subtle in the case of Harry Styles.
12:52 But you can see what he does with his hairstyle really complements that look.
12:55 He's somebody that wears his hair up off his face, but not straight back.
12:59 He often wears it a little bit looser,
13:00 that has nice little pieces coming down the side to de-emphasize the width of his forehead,
13:04 but it also really complements the strength of his jaw shape.
13:07 So it's not necessarily about making it look leaner and tighter.
13:10 However, that also can be very complimentary.
13:13 Look at Nick Jonas.
13:14 The way that Nick Jonas wears his hair is often very tight on the sides, nice and high up.
13:18 But what he's doing right is that he's leaving that soft textured feel to his hairstyle.
13:23 That plays out really nicely against the angular nature of the jaw shape on a heart-shaped face,
13:28 giving it a sense of balance.
13:30 So there's not like one descript haircut that you need to have for this.
13:33 It's more about the type of a feeling your haircut should have,
13:36 and that should be loose and natural.
13:38 The thing you want to avoid is anything that emphasizes the narrowness of the chin.
13:41 And most guys with a heart-shaped face often just opt for a short shaped stubble.
13:46 The Pear.
13:49 Think guys like Zach Galifianakis, Anthony Anderson.
13:54 This is a face shape that is denoted simply by having a slightly narrower forehead,
13:58 a little bit wider on the cheekbones, and widest at the jaw.
14:01 Now, this is a type of face shape that can be a little transformative,
14:04 because a lot of the time, a wider jaw, it denotes having a little bit more weight on your face.
14:09 And some guys that have gone through some extreme weight loss
14:12 will notice that that face shape changes slightly to something a little more angular and a bit more square.
14:16 But the jawline is still usually fairly wide set.
14:20 Now, Anthony Anderson is a guy that also has a pear-shaped face,
14:23 and you can see in this photo, he wears his hair really tight.
14:25 I think I'd prefer to see his hair a little bit longer.
14:28 See, something like this is a little more complementary to his face shape.
14:31 It just creates a little bit more of a broad statement up top,
14:34 something that doesn't make his head shape look too narrow,
14:37 and therefore his jawline looks just a little bit more balanced and soft.
14:40 Same goes for Zach Galifianakis.
14:42 Always, I like to see him with slightly softer hairstyles that create a little bit more width.
14:46 You can see that it flows nicely, creates a little bit more of a broad shape up top.
14:51 So the goal for a haircut for a pear-shaped face is to create a little bit more width through the top,
14:56 which balances out the wideness of the jaw.
14:58 Hairstyles you want to avoid with this face shape are anything that is high and tight,
15:01 because those are very narrow-looking shapes.
15:04 And the more narrow the top looks, the wider the bottom looks.
15:07 So when it comes to facial hair for guys with a pear-shaped face,
15:09 you're going to want to go with something that is a little bit more of a structured, angular beard.
15:12 Remember, all that means is that the outlines are a little bit more straight lines and corners
15:17 instead of rounded, soft shapes.
15:19 So by wearing more angular beards, I find that most guys with a pear-shaped face
15:23 often create the illusion of a slightly stronger-looking jaw and a narrow-looking face shape.
15:28 Grooming tip number 284.
15:30 If you're trying to maintain a short beard, it's best to invest in a good quality beard trimmer.
15:34 It'll last you longer and keep you looking sharper.
15:37 Alright guys, I hope this was helpful.
15:39 If you want to find your own face shape, just take a picture of yourself on your cell phone.
15:42 When you go in to do the edit, use the marker icon and just start drawing the shapes around your face.
15:48 Whichever one tends to line up most is probably your face shape.
15:51 I'm Matty Conrad.
15:53 Good luck and good grooming.
15:55 [Music]