Haircut styles on women: September 2011

Face Type: Long Neck

Want to flaunt your long, gorgeous neck? Go with a pixie. For balance, however, Gibson says to try a lengthier bob like Anne Hathaway’s (“bobs that are cut above the chin can look weird with a long neck”). He also styled Hathaway's strands straight and blunt: “Annie has big, beautiful eyes and a softer complexion—I gave her haircut angles to bring strength to her face.”

Face Type: Square Jaw

To offset Brooklyn Decker’s strong jaw line, Gibson gave her a soft, textured bob. “I also created graduated layers and made the cut a little longer in the front,” he adds. “You want hair in the front to be below the jaw so that it doesn’t draw the eye to that area of the face.”

Face Type:

High Forehead “Rihanna had a great pixie cut,” says Campbell. “To minimize her forehead, her stylist gave her fantastic chunky bangs.” “Bangs work well with this face type, but they don’t have to be cut straight across,” says Gibson, who likes Rihanna’s side-swept, angled fringe as an alternative.

Face Type: Round

According to Gibson, sleek, angular short cuts are best for a round face (think an asymmetrical bob or a pixie with side-swept bangs). “A rounder face tends to have less shape to it—while straight hair will lengthen, angles in the haircut will add shape and symmetry,” he says.

Don’t confuse straightness with flatness, though; hair should still have volume. Michelle Williams’ pixie is flattering because “the fullness is kept at her crown and above her ears,” says Campbell.

Face Type: Round

Those with round faces should integrate longer layers into their short hairstyle of choice. “Ginnifer Goodwin’s pixie works because it’s disconnected in shape,” says Gibson. “Instead of being short all the way around, it’s longer on top and shorter on the sides.”

“It’s a very versatile cut,” says Campbell. “She can style it up or down, with bangs or without.” To elongate the appearance of her visage, Goodwin sometimes coaxes her pixie into a sky-high pompadour.

Face Type: Heart-Shaped

“If you have a sharper chin, I wouldn’t take the hair too short,” says Gibson. “I don’t think you should go any shorter than the chin,” agrees Campbell. “You might also follow Reese Witherspoon’s lead and add soft bangs—she looks great with them.”