Round faces have that sweet appeal, but the right cut can add sophistication, too. Let round-faced beauties like Viola Davis, Kirsten Dunst, and more show us how it’s done. No lengths are off-limits. With the sage advice of celebrity hairstylist Andy Lecompte — who has worked with the likes of Madonna, Miley Cyrus, and Jennifer Connelly — find out which cuts look extra gorgeous against a round face.
Mid Length Layers
Selena Gomez knows that if it’s not broke, don’t fix it, as these waves have become her signature. And with good reason: “It’s about angling layers out the right way — not boxing the face in. That’ll make a round face look shorter,” Lecompte says. Steal her look by asking your stylist for loose, face-framing layers, the first ones beginning slightly past the chin. Add waves by wrapping sections of the hair around a one-and-a-quarter-inch-barrel curling iron, feathering it away from the face. Brush through curls with a wire-bristle brush.
Long on Top
The sides and back of Viola Davis’s crop are short and tidy, but the top — the whole top, from hairline to crown — is left with plenty of length. By brushing all that heft forward, the cut becomes more voluminous, drawing the eyes to the angles of the star’s jaw rather than contributing to an overall roundness.
Tapered Pixie
Don’t be afraid to go short. Haley Bennett’s piecey fringe, paired with short, tapered sides, gives definition to her round face. Before your stylist picks up a pair of scissors, be sure to ask for softness around the ears if you favor a more feminine look. “Clipping too much will look masculine,” Lecompte says. He also recommends styling with your fingers to avoid stiffness. “Using a brush or flatiron will give too much artificial shape.”
Blunt Ends
To contrast with the soft curves of her face, Chrissy Teigen’s stylist left the ends of her one-length, shoulder-skimming cut completely blunt. It’s a graphic choice that draws the eye downward, lending length and sophistication.
Chin-Length Bob
For Gabrielle Union, it’s not a fancy cut that’s doing the heavy lifting here. Instead, a side-part placed just above the highest point of her eyebrows works with blunt, chin-length strands to open up her face and accent her bone structure. If parted in the center, the crop might look almost too symmetrical.
Long, Tapered Bangs
The foundation for Kirsten Dunst’s style is a shaggy, below-the-shoulders cut. To prevent bangs from shortening a round face, adjust the width. This particular fringe is snipped just above the eyelashes from cheekbone to cheekbone, angled down at the sides. The effect both highlights the actress’s eyes and draws the center of attention inwards.
Jaunty Layers
If you’ve got long, relatively fine hair — many blondes like Cameron Diaz do — one way to plump it up is by chopping it with snippy layers throughout. Diaz’s shortest pieces start below the chin, but even the ends are layered a bit to give the appearance of more volume overall. In turn, that extra density downplays width and pulls the focus south, not east or west.
Side-Swept Bangs
Don’t be intimidated by the thought of bangs — they don’t always accentuate a round face. Emma Stone’s sweeping fringe, which she matched with a deep side part and a shoulder-length cut, actually thins her face. “The longest bit of the bang hits mid-lip, but when you blow it dry and sweep it over, it grazes the cheekbones and defines them really nicely,” Lecompte says. He suggests running a texturizer (we love Garnier Fructis Style Pure Clean Finishing Paste) over strands for control.
Long and Layered
A long cut like Laura Haddock’s lengthens the face, and subtle layers starting near her collarbone prevent it from falling flat. “Those light layers, achieved with thinning shears, give it a little lift, but it still looks like it’s one length,” he says. Long hair is prone to split ends, so maintenance is important: Treat it with a weekly mask, like Shu Uemura Art of Hair Moisture Velvet Nourishing Treatment for Dry Hair, and a bimonthly trim.
