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Nose shape types: the common names and how to tell yours
Nose shape types like Roman and hawk are side-view names. A front photo shows width, length and tip. One table maps traits to views. Free nose read.
Read the overview4 min read
Nose and lips
How nose and lip shapes are told apart and measured, how mouth width compares with nose width, and where contour and lip colour go.
What this topic covers, and where to start
Most nose and lip types are named from the side or from an impression: a Roman nose, heart-shaped lips, full lips. Most people only have a front-facing photo, and this topic is about that gap: what a front photo can show of the nose and mouth, what it can measure, and what can only be described. It suits anyone who wants to work out their nose and lip type first, then decide where contour and lip colour should go.
Begin with nose shape types, which separates what only a profile shows from what a front photo can read. Lip shape types comes next; a lip name is just a combination of a few readings. Mouth to nose ratio is a single division, mouth width over nose width, and shows why a smile throws the reading off. Last come nose contour for your nose shape and lip makeup for your lip shape. Each starts from which end your readings lean towards, then decides where shadow and light go. They change where an edge reads, not the real width of the nose or mouth.
The nose and mouth are the two features expression moves most. A smile pulls the corners of the mouth apart and flares the nostrils, and dry lips roll inward, so every measure here asks for a relaxed, closed-mouth photo taken after moisturising your lips. And do not rush to file yourself under a type: most people sit in the middle on most readings, and that is the commonest result.
- LipsLip makeup for your lip shape: where liner, depth and gloss goLip makeup for your lip shape comes down to liner, depth and gloss. Read three things on a relaxed photo, then use the table. See your features free.4 min read
- LipsLip shape types: the common names and how to read yoursLip shape types are five traits: fullness, width, upper-to-lower ratio, bow depth and corner tilt. Check each on a relaxed photo. Free face report.4 min read
- NoseMouth to nose ratio: comparing mouth width with nose widthMouth to nose ratio is mouth width over nose width. The drawing rule says 1.5, real faces run nearer 1.2; a smile moves it. See your features free.4 min read
- NoseNose contour for your nose shape: where shadow and light goNose contour for your nose shape: where shadow and light go in seven cases, and where artists disagree. Want your nose read? A free face report helps.4 min read
FAQ
Can a front photo show what type of nose I have?
Only part of it. Whether the bridge is straight, convex or concave shows only in profile; a front photo can read nose width, nose length and the tip.
What is a normal mouth to nose width ratio?
There is no agreed normal. The drawing rule makes the mouth 1.5 noses wide, but real faces rarely match it, and one large set of measured faces has a middle value nearer 1.2. Measure on a relaxed, closed-mouth photo, because a smile widens the mouth and flares the nostrils.
Can nose contour and lip makeup change the size of my nose and lips?
They cannot change the real size, only where the edges seem to sit: nose contour darkens the sides and keeps the front bright, and lip makeup shifts an edge or deepens or lightens an area. The effect also depends on the light, so photograph the result in the light you normally use.