Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career Money
    • Health Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes amp; Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • NYFW
    • Life In Plastic
    • Cari Champion
    • New Books
    • Postpartum Psychosis
    1. Beauty
    2. Hair

    We're Callin' It: These Are the Best 5 Hairstyles for Long Faces

    We'll take whatever Joan Smalls is having, thank you very much.

    Chloe Metzger#039;s avatar
    By Chloe Metzger
    Published 21 November 2017 In Buying Guides

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Hair, Eyebrow, Face, Forehead, Hairstyle, Lip, Nose, Cheek, Beauty, Black hair,
    (Image credit: Getty Images)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    I’mma be real with you for a sec: This hairstyle-for-your-face-shape thing is not at all necessary for any human being in the world. Because the haircut and style that’s going to look best on you is the one you feel most comfortable wearing, and that almost never comes down to a scientific, geographic formula.

    BUT, not everything you know is a complete lie, because there are certain haircuts and styles that are, technically, more visually appealing to the eye, thanks to angles and lines and the maths of the world. So to get you inspired for your next cut, we turned to our favorite celebs, below, for the hairstyles that look especially excellent on long faces.

    1. Iman

    Best hairstyles for long faces: Iman

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    A deeply swooped side ponytail, like Iman's actual masterpiece, visually cuts a long face in half...diagonally in half, at least.

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    2. Gisele Bündchen

    Best hairstyles for long faces: Gisele Bamp;uuml;ndchen

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    A textured ponytail, like Bündchen's, with softly teased sides adds a bit of width to a narrow face structure.

    3. Sarah Jessica Parker

    Best hairstyles for long faces: Sarah Jessica Parker

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Normally, a center part tends to draw the eye upward—which, on a longer face, can give the illusion of even more length—but Parker's face-framing blowout actually splits the edges off her forehead, giving her face a more angular structure.

    4. Joan Smalls

    Best hairstyles for long faces: Joan Smalls

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Okay, we're not suggesting you magically wake up with waist-length curls, but adding a ton of voluminous waves—whether through a curling wand or by cutting short, choppy layers around the face to encourage a curl—helps to "fill out" a leaner, longer face.

    5. Liv Tyler

    Best hairstyles for long faces: Liv Tyler

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    A long lob with soft bends around the face (plus that ultra-deep side part) will square off an oval shape, like Tyler's.

    Explore More
    Hairstyles
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Chloe Metzger
    Chloe Metzger
    Social Links Navigation
    Beauty Editor

    Chloe Metzger is the deputy beauty director at Cosmopolitan, overseeing the editorial content and growth strategy of the hair, makeup, and skin space on digital, while also obsessively writing about the best hair products for every hair type (curly girl here; whattup), and the skincare routines that really, truly work (follow her on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes pics of that magazine life). She brings nearly a decade of writing and editing expertise, and her work has appeared in Allure, Health, Fitness, Marie Claire, StyleCaster, and Parents. She also has an unhealthy adoration for Tom Hanks and would like to please meet him one day, if you could arrange that. Thanks.

    Read more
    collage of women with cool haircuts on a green background
    Hair Every Stylish Woman In NYC Is Asking for Shattered Layers This Fall The top haircut trends of the season include long layers and modern crops.
    By Samantha Holender
    collage of nyfw beauty trends on a green background
    Beauty Per NYFW, We're Ditching Hair Parts and Going All Out With Eyeliner Consider this the official beauty trend report, with seven shockingly wearable looks to DIY.
    By Samantha Holender
     
     
    two women with blow buns and low ponytails on a liquid golden background
    Hair The Reign of the Slick Back Bun Is Over Low, loose, and undone is the vibe for fall.
    By Hannah Baxter
    Lukita Maxwell at the 78th Emmy Awards held at Peacock Theater on September 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
    Hair Lukita Maxwell Just Made the Baby Bob Fall’s Most Tempting Haircut Her cheekbone-grazing cut and flipped-out ends made the case for going shorter this season.
    By Siena Gagliano
     
     
    Latest in Hair
    two women with blow buns and low ponytails on a liquid golden background
    Hair The Reign of the Slick Back Bun Is Over
    Nicole Kidman attends the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on September 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
    Hair Nicole Kidman’s Emmys Hair Has Me Ready to Retire the Slicked-Back Bun
     
     
    Lukita Maxwell at the 78th Emmy Awards held at Peacock Theater on September 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
    Hair Lukita Maxwell Just Made the Baby Bob Fall’s Most Tempting Haircut
    Zendaya at the 2026 Emmys looking over her shoulder and posing.
    Hair Zendaya's Pixie Cut Is the Star of the 2026 Emmys Red Carpet
     
     
    Latest in Buying guide
    zara new arrivals
    Fall fashion These Zara New Arrivals Have "Where Did You Get That?" Written All Over Them
    a woman outside with long blonde wavy hair next to yellow sunflowers and a bunch of skincare products
    Skincare I Won’t Gatekeep—5 Incredible Skincare Brands You’ve Never Heard Of
     
     
    editors and influencers wearing purple during nyfw
    Fall fashion Purple Is Fashion’s Newest Neutral
    Altuzarra coat outfits from spring summer 2027
    Fall fashion 5 Fall Coat Outfit Ideas Inspired by Altuzarra
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.