How to Choose a Beanie for Your Face Shape

Just as different haircuts flatter different faces, beanie styles can enhance your natural features or work against them. Understanding your face shape and choosing beanies that complement it can elevate your entire look, while poorly matched choices can make even the highest quality beanie look awkward. This guide explains how to identify your face shape and select beanies that work harmoniously with your natural proportions.

Identifying Your Face Shape

Before selecting a beanie, you need to understand your face shape. Stand in front of a mirror with your hair pulled back and trace the outline of your face in your mind, noting the following: Is your face longer than it is wide, or roughly equal in both dimensions? Is your forehead wider than your jaw, or vice versa? Is your jaw angular or rounded?

Round faces are roughly as wide as they are long, with soft, curved lines and full cheeks. The widest point is typically at the cheekbones, with a rounded chin and hairline.

Oval faces are longer than they are wide, with a gently curving jawline that's slightly narrower than the forehead. This balanced shape is often considered the most versatile for accessories.

Square faces feature a strong, angular jawline that's roughly the same width as the forehead. The sides of the face appear relatively straight, creating a powerful, defined appearance.

Heart faces are widest at the forehead, narrowing to a pointed chin. Cheekbones are often prominent, and the overall impression is of an inverted triangle.

Diamond faces are widest at the cheekbones, with a narrow forehead and chin. This angular shape has dramatic lines and distinctive features.

Best Beanies for Round Faces

Round faces benefit from beanies that add height and vertical lines, counterbalancing the natural width. Slouchy beanies with volume at the crown create the illusion of length, as do styles worn pushed back slightly on the head to expose more forehead.

Avoid beanies that sit tightly and extend all the way down to the ears, as these emphasise width and make round faces appear even rounder. The goal is to elongate the face visually, so any style that adds height helps.

Cuffed beanies work well when worn slightly back on the head with a bit of slouch at the crown. Fisherman beanies can also flatter round faces because their shorter style exposes more of the face's length while the cuff adds visual height.

Best Beanies for Oval Faces

Oval faces are lucky; their balanced proportions work with almost any beanie style. The key is maintaining this balance rather than throwing it off with extreme choices. Most cuffed, slouchy, and fisherman styles will look good on oval faces.

With this flexibility comes the freedom to choose beanies based on personal style preference rather than face shape constraints. Experiment with different styles and colours to find what best expresses your personality, knowing that your proportions won't work against you.

The only styles to approach with caution are extremely oversized slouchy beanies that can overwhelm more delicate oval faces, making the head appear unbalanced. Moderate proportions typically work best.

Best Beanies for Square Faces

Square faces benefit from beanies that soften angular features and add roundness. Slouchy beanies with curved silhouettes counterbalance strong jawlines, while styles worn at an angle can break up the symmetry of a square face in a flattering way.

Avoid beanies with strong horizontal lines at the brow, as these can emphasise the width and angularity of square faces. Tight-fitting beanies that follow the head's contours may also highlight angular features more than desired.

Fisherman beanies work well on square faces because their rounded crown softens strong jaw definition. Wearing any beanie slightly off-centre or at a casual angle adds visual interest and prevents the symmetrical look that emphasises squareness.

Best Beanies for Heart Faces

Heart-shaped faces are widest at the forehead and narrow toward the chin, so the goal is to minimise the forehead and add visual width at the lower face. Beanies worn low on the forehead help balance proportions by covering some of the wider area.

Fitted beanies generally work better than very slouchy styles, as excessive volume at the crown can exaggerate the heart shape's naturally wider top. A moderate cuff that sits just above the eyebrows flatters heart faces well.

Avoid beanies worn pushed back on the head, as this exposes and emphasises the broader forehead. Similarly, styles with significant height or volume at the crown can throw off the balance heart faces need.

Best Beanies for Diamond Faces

Diamond faces have narrow foreheads and chins with wide cheekbones, creating a dramatic angular appearance. The goal is to balance this shape by adding visual width at the forehead and chin while not emphasising the already prominent cheekbones.

Slouchy beanies add volume at the top of the head, visually widening the forehead area. Wearing beanies slightly back on the head exposes more forehead, also helping balance proportions. Styles with decorative elements like pom-poms add interest and draw attention upward.

Cuffed beanies with a substantial fold can add visual weight to the forehead area, balancing the wider cheekbones. Experiment with cuff thickness; a thicker cuff often works better for diamond faces than a minimal fold.

General Tips for All Face Shapes

Beyond face shape, consider your other features when choosing beanies. Those with larger foreheads may prefer beanies worn lower, while those with smaller foreheads can wear beanies pushed back. Glasses wearers should consider how beanies interact with frames; some combinations create awkward pressure points or visual clutter.

Hairstyle also matters. Longer hair can soften any face shape when allowed to frame the face beneath a beanie. Those with shorter hairstyles might want to consider how much hair will show and adjust beanie positioning accordingly.

Ultimately, while these guidelines provide a starting point, personal style and comfort matter most. If you feel good in a particular beanie, that confidence will shine through regardless of whether it's technically ideal for your face shape.

Ready to find your perfect face-shape-flattering beanie? Take our quiz for personalised recommendations, or browse our collection with style filters to narrow your search.