Some of Hollywood’s hottest starlets, including Ginnifer Goodwin, Carey Mulligan and Michelle Williams, are sporting their hair shorn short and they’re looking better than ever. “When it comes to
short hair, we’re coming away from the bob and going really short,” says Jorge Joao, a Redken consulting stylist based in Toronto. And while many of us admire the look, we also are nervous about whether it’s a look we can pull off, but according to Joao, short hair can work with any face shape—it’s just a matter of working with what you’ve got. Check out your face shape and see what short ’do will work for you.

Short hair styles for: Oval

Your face is oval if the length of your face is greater than the width of your face. And you’re lucky when it comes to hair styles because with a petite oval face, pretty much any cut will work for you, says Joao. Go quite short (like Halle Berry and Emma Watson), longer like iconic ’60s supermodel Twiggy, or play with anything in between.

Short hair styles for: Square

You have a square face if the width and length of your face is very similar and you have a broad jaw line and forehead. What you want to do if you have this face shape, says Joao, is elongate your face. And you can do this by leaving some diagonal lines or long vertical lines when it comes to the overall shape of your cut, he says. “You’re not going short all around—you might have some longer pieces on the sides , or a longer fringe that you wear side-swept diagonally across your face, for example,” says Joao, who owns Koi Hair Studio in Brampton.

Short hair styles for: Round

Your face is round if the width and length of your face is quite similar, but there’s a circular feeling to the overall shape of your face. With a round face, you’re looking to do something similar as people with a square face shape—that is, add length and lines to elongate your face, such as with longer side pieces accenting your cheekbones.

View our favurite celebrities sporting short hair in our gallery!

Short hair styles for heart and long face shapes on the next page …

Short hair styles for: Heart

Your face is heart-shaped if your cheekbones and forehead are wider than your forehead and you have a delicate chin, such as Victoria Beckham. With a heart-shaped face, you want to go with diagonal lines on the top, but with some pieces alongside your face to add more illusion of width—Beckham’s much-copied graduated bob (or “pob” as it was nicknamed) would work well.

Short hair styles for: Long

You have a long face if your face is longer than it is broad – often quite narrow in width, and with high cheekbones. With your elongated face shape, Joao suggests going with more horizontal lines. “Rather than going higher, you want to neutralize the height,” he says. Think a straight-across fringe and length on the sides that will add a wider feel to your face.

Read more:

Our 7 favourite short hair styles

5 short hair cuts to try now

5 healthy hair secrets