Oval-Face Brow Chart

The four numbers to take, the length-to-width lookup that decides which instruction applies to you, the tail-drop conversion for both published angles, the three mapping points and what each one is anchored to, the six things to avoid, and a sub-case worksheet. One page, print it or keep it on your phone.

1. The four numbers to take

Face lengthCentre of the hairline to the tip of the chin, with hair pushed fully back. mm = in
Cheekbone widthAcross the tops of the cheekbones, point to point. mm = in
Brow lengthInner start to the tip of the tail, following the brow. mm = in
Tail dropHow far the tip of the tail falls below the level of the inner start. Negative if the tail ends higher. mm = in

Divide face length by cheekbone width: Write it to two decimals. This is the number that decides which instruction below applies to you.

Convert with inches = millimetres ÷ 25.4. The international inch has been exactly 25.4 mm since 1959, so the division is exact arithmetic, not an approximation. A flexible tape works; so does a strip of paper you mark and then lay against a ruler.

2. Ratio lookup, cheekbone width 120 mm to 160 mm

Find your cheekbone width in the first column. Read across for the face length that would put you at each ratio. Published guidance puts an oval face near 1.45 to 1.50 and an oblong face at 1.65 or above; the 1.55 column is the borderline between them.
Cheekbone width (mm)	Width (in)	Length at 1.45 (mm)	Length at 1.50 (mm)	Length at 1.55 (mm)	Length at 1.65 (mm)
120	4.72	174	180	186	198
122	4.80	176.9	183	189.1	201.3
124	4.88	179.8	186	192.2	204.6
126	4.96	182.7	189	195.3	207.9
128	5.04	185.6	192	198.4	211.2
130	5.12	188.5	195	201.5	214.5
132	5.20	191.4	198	204.6	217.8
134	5.28	194.3	201	207.7	221.1
136	5.35	197.2	204	210.8	224.4
138	5.43	200.1	207	213.9	227.7
140	5.51	203	210	217	231
142	5.59	205.9	213	220.1	234.3
144	5.67	208.8	216	223.2	237.6
146	5.75	211.7	219	226.3	240.9
148	5.83	214.6	222	229.4	244.2
150	5.91	217.5	225	232.5	247.5
152	5.98	220.4	228	235.6	250.8
154	6.06	223.3	231	238.7	254.1
156	6.14	226.2	234	241.8	257.4
158	6.22	229.1	237	244.9	260.7
160	6.30	232	240	248	264

Each length is the width multiplied by the ratio in that column, kept to one decimal where it does not come out whole. The width in inches is the width in millimetres divided by 25.4. Worked example: a cheekbone width of 140 mm is 140 ÷ 25.4 = 5.5118, so 5.51 in; at 1.50 the matching face length is 210 mm, and at 1.65 it is 231 mm. If your face length measures between those two numbers you are inside the range where the arch advice changes direction, and the shape name is the wrong tool for the decision.

3. Tail drop for the two published angles

How far the tip of the tail falls below the level of the inner start, for a given tail run. The run is the horizontal distance from the peak to the tip of the tail. Drop = run × tan(angle).
Tail run (mm)	Drop at 10° (mm)	at 10° (in)	Drop at 15° (mm)	at 15° (in)	Difference (mm)
12	2.12	0.08	3.22	0.13	1.10
14	2.47	0.10	3.75	0.15	1.28
16	2.82	0.11	4.29	0.17	1.47
18	3.17	0.12	4.82	0.19	1.65
20	3.53	0.14	5.36	0.21	1.83
22	3.88	0.15	5.89	0.23	2.02
24	4.23	0.17	6.43	0.25	2.20
26	4.58	0.18	6.97	0.27	2.38

tan 10° = 0.176327 and tan 15° = 0.267949. The last column is the gap between the two published angles: across a 20 mm tail run the entire disagreement amounts to 1.83 mm, which is 0.07 in. Measure your own tail drop and compare it with the level line rather than arguing about which angle is correct.

4. The three mapping points, and what each is anchored to

The salon map has three points. Two of them are placed from the nose, one from the eye, and the published versions do not agree on which is which.
Point	Anchored to the nose	Anchored to the eye
Start	A straight line up from the dimple of the nose to the front of the brow.	A pencil held vertically at the inner corner of the eye, where it crosses the brow line.
Arch	A line from the outer edge of the nose across the centre of the eye; one version runs it through the pupil instead.	Directly above the outer edge of the iris.
Tail	A diagonal from the outside of the nose to the outer corner of the eye. Every published version keeps this one on the nose.	Not used for the tail by any version checked.

Why the anchor matters: the nose is not the feature the brow frames. A wide nose pushes both start points outward and the whole eye area reads spread out; a narrow nose pulls them inward and the eye area reads crowded and centre-heavy. Neither result says anything about your nose. The eye-anchored version starts from the feature that is actually being framed, and then you move it deliberately — inward to pull a wide-set eye area together, outward to add width to a close-set one.

5. Six things to avoid on an oval face

A high, dramatic arch. An arch lengthens, and this outline is already the longest for its width of the seven shapes. Past a moderate bend the face reads longer and the expression reads permanently surprised or severe.
Over-thinning. It makes this face look pinched rather than refined, it ages the eye area, and hair taken from the top edge does not reliably return to a usable line.
Extremely thick and completely straight at the same time. Either on its own is wearable here. Together they go blocky and cover the soft contour that is the reason the outline reads as oval.
Treating “versatile” as an instruction. It is permission, not a shape. Almost anything working is not the same as anything being right for your proportions, and it is how a face ends up wearing whatever was circulating last month.
Accepting the map's start point without checking it. It is keyed to your nose in most published versions. Take it from the inner corner of the eye instead and move it on purpose.
Settling the shape name before the ratio. If your length-to-width number lands near 1.55, you are in the zone where the arch instruction reverses. Decide the ratio first; the shape name follows from it.

6. Which case are you, and what to change first

Tick the row that describes you. The fourth column is where you write what you actually did and what happened.
Case	The tell	Change this first
Ratio near or above 1.55	Face length well past 1.5× cheekbone width	Reduce the bend; add width at the tail
Ratio near 1.45	Face length barely past cheekbone width	Keep a soft angled arch; do not flatten
Full lower face	Cheeks carry width the outline does not	A slight arch only; test tail length before committing
Faint or light brows	Brow colour well below hair colour	Depth of colour, not the outline
Sparse brows	Skin visible through the body of the brow	Grow first, shape second; the outline is drawn, not carved
Two growth directions	Hairs at the front grow against hairs at the tail	Remove from the top of the brow, not from the arch
Structural asymmetry	A scar, dimple or cowlick at the peak of one brow	Match what the two brows do, not their silhouettes
Down-turned tails	The tail already falls well below the inner start	Length before angle; a lifted tail may not be available to you

Take the four numbers in section 1 before the appointment and write them on this sheet. The two questions worth asking out loud: how far from the inner start will the peak sit, and where will the tail end relative to the inner corner. If the answer to either is that it will be seen to on the day, you are buying the queue version of the shape rather than your own.