The Best (and Worst) Bangs for Long Face Shapes
Today, we continue on with the next face shape in the bangs series, the long or oblong face. (Check out the best bangs for round faces here if you missed it, and stay tuned for square, heart, inverted triangle, pear, diamond and oval.)
I want to point out that the long face is an AMAZING one for bangs. Like I've been saying, the whole point of bangs is to help make your face appear more oval and to bring out your eyes. Well, guess what? Because bangs fall right at the middle of your face, they naturally aid in creating that horizontal line that you want to widen a long face. (That is, unless you make one of the bang mishaps I'll get to later.)
All of this is not to say there's anything wrong with going bang-less and wearing your long face loud and proud—look at Sarah Jessica Parker! But if you're looking for a fun change and feel inspired by any of these pics, bring 'em in to your hairstylist to make sure you're speaking the same language. As always, keep in mind your hair texture, even skin type (since oily foreheads can encourage bangs to clump together faster). I don't think a bit of bang separation due to cowlicks is a problem at all, though.
Do You Have a Long Face Shape?
Liv Tyler at the 2012 Room to Grow Gala.
Henry McGee/Globe Photos
Liv Tyler is the first celebrity that comes to mind when I think about the long face shape. As she demonstrates, long faces are less wide than they are long, with the rounded edges that are similar to an oval around the hairline and chin. The forehead, cheeks and jawline are all about the same width.
The Best Bangs for Long Faces
Blunt, Straight-Across Bangs
Liv Tyler at the 2007 New York City premiere of ‘Reign Over Me.’
ACE Pictures
I don't know why Liv Tyler ever grew out these bangs, because I just love them on her. As you can see, a full horizontal fringe really helps to widen her face. It's just the right thickness; any fuller and I think the bangs would take over, instead of them emphasizing her eyes like they're doing now. Note the slight choppiness on the ends, which breaks them up a bit and adds softness.
Textured, Straight-Across Bangs
Kelly Rowland at a 2013 album signing for ‘Talk a Good Game.’
Demis Maryannakis/Star Max
Kelly Rowland is wearing a variation on Liv Tyler's straight-across bangs—these are more textured, but have the same effect of creating horizontal fullness. I like this technique in particular for wavier hair types, as it takes away from the contrast between the straight bangs and curlier lengths. You still want the bangs to be substantial enough to cover the forehead; anything thin and wispy is only going to accentuate a long face.
Bardot Bangs
Rachel Zoe at the 2013 ELLE Women in Hollywood Tribute.
S. Bukley/ImageCollect
Rachel Zoe has amazing hair—and the big reason is her smart choice of bangs. These totally remind me of Brigitte Bardot. They're deliberately longer and thicker on the sides, and gently part in the middle to expose a bit of forehead. The weight on the edges of the face helps create the illusion of a more oval shape.
Curtain Bangs
Alexa Chung at the 2014 Alexa Manicure Collection launch.
Solarpix/PR Photos
Similar to the Bardot bangs are these curtain bangs on Alexa Chung. She wears them with a more defined center parting, but you could also do something similar with a slightly off-center part. Her bangs are a bit longer on the sides than Rachel's, but the effect is the same: a more oval-shaped face.
Long, Side-Swept Bangs
Kelly Reilly at the 2014 Disney ABC Television Group Winter Press Tour Party.
Carrie Nelson/ImageCollect
Kelly Reilly is wearing a gorgeous side-swept fringe here, with amazing volume that you'd get from blow-drying with a round brush. It has a rounding effect because it covers most of the forehead (only a tiny corner is showing above her left eye), and then it hits right at brow level before tapering down on one side. I think the length of the bangs are key. You want them to end somewhere around the middle of the face, instead of down around the chin, because where the bangs stop is where you'll get the most widening benefit.
Side-Swept Bangs
Molly Sims at the 2006 Los Angeles premiere of ‘American Dreamz.’
Paul Smith/Featureflash
Another variation on the side-swept bang is this look on Molly Sims. Her bangs aren't cut as thickly as Kelly Reilly's, as her hair type is finer and straighter. They're also not as long, reaching just the top of the brows. But they still work well to cover most of the forehead, and I love the interest they add to the long, straight hairstyle. Really pretty.
The Worst Bangs for Long Faces
Wondering what not to do? Here are a few noteworthy examples:
Baby Bangs
Krysten Ritter at the 2012 ELLE Women in Hollywood Tribute.
Andrew Evans/PR Photos
Krysten Ritter is an ex-model, so she actually manages to pull off these baby bangs—but for us mere mortals, they’re not the best idea. They're cut well above the eyebrows, which is too high on the face to have the desired widening action. So they only serve to make a long face look longer.
Side-Swept Baby Bangs
Sarah Jessica Parker at the 2008 DVD launch of ‘Sex and the City: The Movie.’
Henry McGee/Globe Photos
Here's another example of baby bangs, this time on Sarah Jessica Parker. These were a short-lived hair experiment in 2008, so I take it she didn't love 'em. I don't think they're terrible, but if you compare to the longer side-swept bangs on Molly Sims or Kelly Reilly, you can see how they'd do more to soften SJP's face than these short ones. Note that Sarah now tends to use her curls, instead of bangs, to widen her face—so that's a good technique, too, if you're naturally curly. The widest part of the curly hairstyle should be right in the middle of the face.
Short, Textured Bangs
Hilary Swank at the 2008 Trump Tower Dubai Party.
S. Bukley/ImageCollect
Not only are Hilary Swank's bangs too short and wispy-looking, but they're accompanied by short layers all throughout her short haircut—which is creating a huge amount of height at the top of her head. Height is not what we want. We want width. I think this is something to be very aware of if you have a long face and want a short hairstyle; try to keep the layers at the top nice and long, so that they lie flat. Short would be great on her if she went with a long side-swept bang.
Long, Heavy, Blunt Bangs
Leona Lewis at the 2011 Genesis Awards.
Byron Purvis/AdMedia
The idea behind these Leona Lewis bangs was good—I just think something got lost in the execution, as they're way too heavy, long and helmet-like. All you see are bangs, comin' through! Not her eyes or any of her pretty face. The more natural way that Liv Tyler did blunt bangs is better, with a length that reaches the bottom of the eyebrows, a slightly thinner bang and more choppiness on the ends to soften.
Stringy Bangs
Alicia Keys at the 2006 Conde Nast Black Ball.
ACE Pictures
Alicia Keys was SO close here—I actually love the idea of bangs on her, just not these bangs. They don't have enough weight to eliminate the stringiness, so need more hair to be cut into the bang from higher on the crown. I'd also cut them a half-inch shorter, so they're grazing the bottom of her brows.
Long Curtain Bangs
Dakota Johnson at the 2013 New York City premiere of ‘Don Jon.’
Sonia Moskowitz/Globe Photos
I'm not 100 percent against these long bangs on Dakota Johnson. But I think you can see how they don't do anything to de-emphasize her face length, since they don't cover any of her forehead. These bangs also have an elongating effect because the longest pieces stop at her jawline. It would be better if they were thicker and all stopped around the cheekbones, to create the illusion of width in the middle. Know what I mean?
