Pear Face Shape: How to Tell, and What Suits It

A pear face — also called a triangle face — is the exact inverse of a heart: narrowest at the forehead, widest at the jaw. It is the least discussed of the seven shapes, which means most general styling advice is working against it rather than for it.

What is a pear face shape?

On a pear-shaped face, the jawline is the widest measurement. The forehead is narrow, the cheekbones sit somewhere in between, and the width increases steadily as you move down the face. The jaw is often strong and may be angular or softly rounded.

Because the visual weight sits low, styling for a pear face is about building width and interest above the eyeline so the proportions read as balanced.

How to tell if you have a pear face

• Your jaw is your widest measurement. This alone identifies the shape — no other face shape is widest at the jaw.
• Your measurements ascend downward: forehead narrowest, then cheekbones, then jaw widest.
• Your forehead is noticeably narrow relative to the lower face.
• Your face length is somewhat greater than your cheekbone width.

Measure the jaw at the corners below the ears rather than at the chin. The chin on a pear face is often relatively narrow even though the jaw behind it is wide, and measuring at the chin will give you a misleading result.

Pear vs. square, and pear vs. heart

Pear vs. square catches people out because both have a strong jaw. The difference is the forehead. On a square face the forehead is roughly as wide as the jaw; on a pear face it is clearly narrower. If yours measured about equal, use the square face shape guide.

Pear vs. heart is a straight inversion — heart is widest at the forehead, pear at the jaw. The styling advice inverts with it, so it is worth measuring rather than guessing. See the heart face shape guide for the opposite case.

Best hairstyles for a pear face

Build volume high, keep it controlled low.

• Volume at the crown and the top of the head. Height above the eyeline is the most direct way to balance a wide jaw.
• Side-swept fringes, which add apparent width across a narrow forehead.
• Short layered cuts with lift at the top, such as a layered pixie or a textured crop.
• Chin-length or shorter styles with the volume concentrated above the ears rather than at the jaw.
• Longer styles that fall past the jaw, so the widest point is not where the hair ends.

Worth avoiding: bobs that end exactly at the jawline, which stack width at the widest point; heavy volume or curls concentrated at jaw level; and completely flat crowns, which leave nothing to balance the lower face.

Best glasses for a pear face

Frames are the most effective tool available to a pear face, because they sit exactly where width is needed.

• Top-heavy frames — browline, cat-eye, and any shape with visual weight along the upper rim — broaden the narrow forehead directly.
• Bold, decorative upper rims and contrasting temple arms, which pull attention upward.
• Frames wider than your forehead, which correct the taper rather than following it.
• Upswept shapes, which lift the eye away from the jaw.
• Strong colour or pattern on the top of the frame only.

Avoid small, narrow, bottom-heavy, or rimless frames — each of them leaves the jaw as the widest and most prominent element.

Makeup and contouring for a pear face

• Contour along the jawline and beneath the jaw corners to soften the widest part of the face.
• Highlight the forehead broadly, across the centre and out towards the temples, to widen the narrow upper face.
• Apply blush high on the cheekbones, swept upward and outward towards the temples, lifting attention away from the jaw.
• Keep brows full and extended slightly past the outer eye corner. Fuller brows add visual width where the face is narrowest.
• Emphasise the eyes. A stronger eye look draws the focus upward more effectively than any amount of jaw contouring.

Frequently asked questions

Is a pear face the same as a triangle face?

Yes. Pear and triangle both describe a face that is narrowest at the forehead and widest at the jaw. Be careful with "inverted triangle", which is the opposite shape and is styled like a heart face.

Is a pear face shape common?

It is less common than oval, round, or square, but more common than diamond. It is under-represented in styling guides, which is a coverage gap rather than a reflection of how often it occurs.

What hairstyle makes a wide jaw look narrower?

A style with real volume at the crown and length that falls past the jaw rather than stopping at it. Adding width above the eyeline reduces the jaw's prominence more effectively than trying to hide the jaw itself.

What glasses suit a pear face?

Top-heavy frames — browline or cat-eye shapes with a bold upper rim — worn slightly wider than your forehead. They add width exactly where a pear face is narrowest.

Check your pear face shape

Measuring at home works, but it is easy to talk yourself into the answer you were expecting. A second opinion helps.

Upload a photo to the free AI face shape detector and compare its verdict with your own measurements. It reads your forehead, cheekbone, jaw, and length proportions and returns a confidence rating alongside the result, so you can tell how firm the reading is. Where the tool and your tape measure agree, you can style with confidence. Where they disagree, the tie-breakers in this guide will usually tell you why.

Still deciding between two shapes? Start with the complete guide to the seven face shapes, or read how accurate face shape detectors really are to understand what can throw a photo-based result off.