34 Beautiful Short Hairstyles For Long Faces That Add Width

If you have a long or oblong face shape, the right short haircut can work wonders — adding width at the cheeks, softening the forehead, and bringing your features into beautiful balance. The secret is choosing cuts that create horizontal volume instead of vertical length: think chin-length bobs, full or curtain bangs, and waves that fill out the sides. We have rounded up 34 beautiful short hairstyles for long faces that do exactly that, each one flattering a different age, hair texture, and personal style.

From blunt bobs with full fringes to bouncy curls and piecey pixies, every look below is designed to widen rather than elongate. Browse through all 34 ideas, save your favorites, and take them to your stylist — your most balanced, face-flattering short cut is waiting.

1. Chin-Length Blunt Bob With Full Bangs

This is the gold standard for long faces, and for good reason. The chin-length blunt cut creates a strong horizontal line right at the jaw, visually widening the lower half of the face, while the full bangs cover the forehead and instantly shorten the face’s vertical line. Together, they reframe the entire face shape into something softer and more oval-looking.

Ask your stylist to keep the ends crisp and one-length rather than thinned out, because that clean edge is what gives the widening effect. Style it with a flat iron for a polished finish or tuck one side behind the ear for an effortless, modern feel. It flatters straight hair best, but a blowout with a round brush will give wavy hair the same sleek result.

2. Classic French Bob

The French bob — cropped at the cheek or jaw with a straight fringe — was practically made for long faces. Its short length keeps everything compact, and the blunt fringe cuts the forehead’s visual length in half. The result is chic, Parisian, and effortlessly balancing, especially when the sides have a little natural fullness.

This cut works beautifully on fine to medium hair because the short length makes strands look thicker. Use a light texturizing spray rather than heavy products to keep it airy, and let the fringe sit just above the brows. Pair it with a bold lip and you have a timeless look that takes years off a long face.

3. Wavy Side-Parted Bob

Waves are a long face’s best friend because they add volume exactly where you need it — at the sides. This side-parted wavy bob fills out the cheek area with soft, touchable movement, and the deep side part breaks up the face’s vertical symmetry for an instantly more balanced look.

Create the waves with a one-inch curling iron, alternating directions for a natural finish, then rake through with your fingers. A salt spray adds that lived-in texture. This style is wonderfully low-maintenance since it actually looks better slightly undone, and it suits everything from fine to thick hair.

4. Curly Chin-Length Bob

Natural curls are a gift for long faces — they create instant sideways volume without any styling effort. This chin-length curly bob lets ringlets spring out at the cheeks and jaw, widening the face beautifully, while a soft full fringe keeps the forehead in check.

Keep curls hydrated with a leave-in conditioner and scrunch in a curl cream to define them. Diffuse on low heat or air-dry for best results. Ask your stylist for a rounded shape rather than layers that go too short on top, so the volume stays at the sides where a long face needs it most.

5. Layered Bob With Curtain Bangs

Curtain bangs are a softer alternative to a full fringe, parting in the middle and sweeping outward to frame the cheeks. Paired with a layered bob, they draw the eye horizontally across the face, making a long face appear wider and more balanced almost instantly.

This cut is ideal if you want bangs without the commitment of a full fringe — the longer curtain pieces grow out gracefully. Style the bangs with a round brush, sweeping them away from the face, and add a few face-framing layers that flick outward at cheek level for maximum width.

6. Angled A-Line Bob

The angled bob — shorter at the back, longer toward the chin — is a clever shape for long faces. The forward-sweeping length draws attention to the jawline rather than the forehead-to-chin distance, and the deep side part interrupts the face’s long vertical line with a flattering diagonal.

This cut gives fine hair the illusion of density thanks to the stacked back, while the longer front pieces keep it feminine. Blow-dry the front sections forward and under for that sleek angled finish, and refresh the shape with a trim every six to eight weeks.

7. Choppy Textured Bob

Choppy, piecey ends create horizontal texture that stops the eye from traveling straight down the face. This textured bob uses jagged layering through the mid-lengths to build sideways fullness, giving long faces a much-needed sense of width and movement.

It is one of the easiest bobs to maintain — the choppier it is, the better it looks messy. Work a pea-sized amount of matte paste through dry ends to define the pieces. It suits straight to wavy hair and is especially good for anyone who wants an edgy, modern edge to their look.

8. Stacked Bob For Fine Hair

A stacked bob builds graduated layers at the back that push volume upward and outward — exactly what a long face needs. The fullness through the crown and sides shortens the face’s appearance while giving fine hair dramatic body it would never achieve at longer lengths.

This is a dream cut for women over 50 with fine hair, since the stacking creates lift that lasts. Round-brush the crown while blow-drying and finish with a volumizing mousse. The shorter back also shows off the neck beautifully, adding elegance to the overall silhouette.

9. Pixie With Long Side-Swept Fringe

Pixies can absolutely flatter long faces — the trick is the fringe. A long side-swept fringe falls diagonally across the forehead, cutting the face’s vertical length while the fuller sides of the pixie add width at the temples and cheeks.

Keep the top textured and slightly piecey so the style does not lie flat against the head, which would elongate the face. A little pomade on the fringe gives it that sweeping movement. This cut is bold, low-maintenance, and wonderfully freeing for anyone ready to go short.

10. Pixie With Full Bangs

If side-swept is not your style, go for the full fringe. A pixie with straight-across bangs covers the forehead completely and rounds out the sides, transforming a long face into something much more balanced. The key is keeping the pixie rounded rather than flat, so there is fullness at the temples.

This look is striking on fair skin with freckles and looks fantastic with glasses. Use a light styling cream to keep the bangs piecey rather than helmet-like, and trim the fringe every three to four weeks to keep it sitting just above the lashes.

11. Textured Curly Pixie

Curly pixies are pure joy for long faces. The voluminous coils on top and through the sides create a wide, rounded halo of texture that fills out every angle of a long face, while the tapered sides keep it neat and modern.

Define curls with a curl-enhancing cream and let them air-dry for maximum volume. Because the shape is doing the balancing work for you, this cut needs almost no daily styling — just refresh curls with a spritz of water and you are out the door.

12. Pixie Bob (Bixie)

The bixie — a hybrid of a pixie and a bob — gives you the best of both worlds. It is longer than a pixie, so the feathered layers fall softly around the cheeks and jaw, widening a long face, while staying short enough to feel fresh and easy.

The wispy side-swept bangs are the star here, breaking up forehead length with a soft diagonal. Blow-dry with a paddle brush for smoothness, then flip the ends outward slightly with your fingers for that feathered finish. It is a great grow-out-friendly option too.

13. Shaggy Short Shag With Bangs

The short shag is all about layers that flick outward, and that outward movement is exactly what widens a long face. Choppy bangs shorten the forehead while the flicked layers add fullness at the cheeks and jaw — a double win for oblong faces.

Embrace the messiness: scrunch in some texture spray and let the layers do their thing. This cut loves wavy and thick hair but works on straight hair with the right layering. It is effortlessly cool and never looks overdone.

14. Feathered Short Shag

For a softer take on the shag, feathered layers fall lightly around the face with airy, outward movement. The soft curtain-like bangs part gently in the middle, drawing the eye across rather than down the face — perfect for anyone who finds a full fringe too heavy.

Feathering is done with a razor or point-cutting, so ask a stylist experienced with the technique. Blow-dry the layers outward with a round brush for that signature flick, and finish with a light-hold hairspray. Romantic, feminine, and beautifully balancing.

15. Deep Side-Swept Bob

A deep side part is one of the simplest tricks for a long face. It creates an immediate diagonal line across the forehead, breaking the face’s vertical symmetry, while the sweeping fringe adds gorgeous asymmetry that the eye reads as width.

This works on almost any bob length but is especially pretty at chin length. Train the part while hair is damp by combing it over and clipping it in place until dry. A shine serum keeps the long sweeping section glossy and smooth all day.

16. Asymmetrical Bob

Asymmetry is a long face’s secret weapon. When one side is longer than the other, the eye stops measuring the face’s length and starts following the interesting diagonal lines instead. This bob’s uneven shape plus wispy bangs makes an oblong face look intriguingly balanced.

Keep the longer side grazing the jaw and the shorter side tucked behind the ear to show off the contrast. Flat-iron for a sleek, editorial finish or add waves for softness. It is a confident, fashion-forward choice that photographs beautifully.

17. Modern Bowl Cut With Wispy Fringe

The modern bowl cut is rounded, soft, and surprisingly flattering for long faces. Its circular shape adds fullness at the sides exactly where oblong faces are narrowest, and the wispy see-through fringe keeps the forehead covered without feeling heavy.

Today’s bowl cut is textured and piecey, not the severe version from decades past. Ask for soft, blended edges and a fringe you can see through slightly. Style with a small amount of wax on the ends to emphasize the rounded shape.

18. Chin-Length Bob With Blunt Fringe For Older Women

Elegance has no age limit, and this polished bob proves it. The blunt fringe sits just below the brows, softening forehead lines and shortening a long face, while the softly rounded chin-length edges add width and sophistication. It is refined, timeless, and incredibly flattering after 50.

Keep the cut one-length with just a whisper of rounding at the ends. A smoothing blowout with a large round brush gives it that salon-fresh bounce. This style also pairs beautifully with statement earrings, since the short length keeps the neckline open.

19. Tousled Wavy Neck-Length Bob

A touch longer than chin length, this tousled wavy bob still counts as short — and it is a dream for long faces. The loose waves expand outward at the cheeks, and the middle-parted curtain fringe frames the face with soft horizontal lines.

The undone texture is the whole point, so do not over-style it. Braid damp hair overnight or use a large-barrel iron for loose bends, then shake it out. A texturizing spray keeps the waves piecey and full all day long.

20. Bouncy Curly Short Cut

Short, bouncy curls that sit at ear level create a beautiful wide silhouette around a long face. The full rounded shape fills out the sides while a soft curly fringe takes the focus off forehead length — it is balance in its most joyful form.

Shape is everything here: ask your stylist for a rounded cut that keeps volume at the sides rather than the top. Pineapple your hair at night to preserve the curl pattern, and refresh in the morning with a water and leave-in mix.

21. Tapered Afro-Textured Cut

This tapered cut celebrates natural texture while flattering a long face perfectly. The voluminous rounded crown adds glorious width at the temples and cheeks, and the short tapered sides keep the silhouette clean and modern. The overall round shape is the ideal counterpoint to an oblong face.

Keep the crown moisturized with a rich butter or cream to maintain that soft, rounded fullness. Regular shape-ups every three to four weeks keep the taper crisp. It is regal, low-fuss, and endlessly chic.

22. Soft Perm-Waved Bob

A modern soft perm gives straight hair the permanent waves that flatter long faces so well. The gentle, uniform waves add consistent fullness across the sides, and wispy bangs keep the forehead in proportion — you wake up with width and movement every day.

Today’s perms are nothing like the tight curls of the past; ask for large rods and a soft, touchable wave. Use sulfate-free shampoo and a weekly deep-conditioning mask to keep permed hair healthy and springy.

23. Highlighted Layered Bob

Highlights do more than add color — they add dimension that the eye reads as width. This layered bob uses caramel highlights to emphasize the flipped-out layers, creating horizontal movement and brightness across a long face.

Ask your colorist for face-framing highlights that start at cheek level to draw attention sideways. The flipped-out layers are key: blow-dry them outward with a round brush so they kick away from the face and maximize the widening effect.

24. Side-Parted Voluminous Pixie

Volume is the name of the game with this pixie. Extra lift and texture on top and through the sides widens the whole upper face, while the deep side part keeps the forehead from dominating. It is a particularly smart choice for women over 60 with long faces.

Blow-dry the top upward with a small round brush for lasting lift, and use a volumizing powder at the roots. Soft pieces along the temples prevent the style from looking severe. Youthful, fresh, and full of personality.

25. Boyish Pixie With Textured Fringe

Do not let the word boyish fool you — this pixie is incredibly flattering for long faces. The long textured fringe sweeps across the forehead, visually cutting the face’s length, while the tousled texture adds width and playfulness around the temples.

This is the ultimate wash-and-go cut: towel-dry, add a dab of texture cream, and tousle. It grows out into a cute shaggy pixie too, so you get months of good hair days from a single cut. Perfect for the effortlessly cool.

26. Jaw-Length Bob With Flipped Ends

Flipped-out ends are a retro trick that works brilliantly on long faces. By flicking the ends outward at the jawline, you create a wider silhouette right where the face needs it most, while the deep side part adds flattering asymmetry up top.

Use a flat iron to flip the ends outward, or blow-dry with a round brush turning the ends up. A flexible-hold hairspray keeps the flips in place without stiffness. It is polished, a little playful, and wonderfully face-balancing.

27. Curly Bob With Bangs

Curls plus bangs is a powerhouse combination for long faces. The curls expand outward at the cheeks for instant width, and the full curly fringe covers the forehead while adding texture up top — every element of this cut works to shorten and widen.

Cut curly bangs dry and a little longer than you think, since curls spring up. Diffuse upside down for maximum root volume, and avoid brushing curls dry, which creates frizz. Embrace the big, beautiful shape — it is doing all the flattering work for you.

28. Sleek Center-Parted Bob With Curtain Bangs

Sleek does not have to mean elongating. This polished chin-length bob keeps its widening power through the center-parted curtain bangs, which sweep outward across the cheeks and create a beautiful horizontal frame for a long face.

Flat-iron the lengths for glass-like smoothness, then bend the curtain bangs slightly outward with the iron or a round brush. A shine serum finishes the look. Minimalist, elegant, and quietly face-flattering.

29. Tousled Wavy Pixie

A wavy pixie brings softness and width that a straight pixie cannot. The tousled waves lift away from the head at the sides, filling out a long face, while the long side fringe breaks the forehead’s vertical line with effortless charm.

Enhance natural wave with a sea-salt spray scrunched into damp hair, or create bends with a small iron. The beauty of this cut is its imperfection — the messier, the more flattering. Ideal for wavy hair types who want short without the severity.

30. Graduated Bob

The graduated bob stacks shorter at the nape and curves forward to the chin, creating a rounded, full shape that hugs a long face beautifully. The built-up volume at the back and sides shortens the face’s appearance from every angle.

This precision cut needs a skilled stylist — the graduation must be smooth, not stepped. Blow-dry the back sections upward for lift and tuck the front pieces slightly under. It is a classic for a reason: structured, flattering, and timeless.

31. French-Girl Bob With Micro Fringe

The micro fringe — cut well above the brows — is a bold little detail with big balancing power. By exposing just a sliver of forehead, it makes the rest of the face appear shorter, while the slightly wavy chin-length bob adds playful width at the sides.

This look is for the confident: the micro fringe is a statement. Keep it textured and piecey rather than blunt so it feels modern, not severe. Pair with minimal makeup and let the cut be the star.

32. Wispy Layered Pixie

Feathered, wispy layers around the ears and temples soften a long face without any harsh lines. This pixie keeps things light and airy, with a soft side fringe that gently covers the forehead — delicate, feminine, and quietly widening.

Point-cutting creates the wispy texture, so find a stylist who specializes in soft pixies. Style with a lightweight cream, feathering the pieces outward around the face. It is a lovely option for fine hair, since the layers create movement without removing bulk.

33. Deep Side-Parted Sleek Bob

Sometimes the simplest change makes the biggest difference. A sleek chin-length bob with a dramatic deep side part uses one strong diagonal line to completely disrupt a long face’s vertical symmetry — no bangs required.

Tuck one side behind the ear to emphasize the asymmetry, and keep the part deep — almost at the temple — for maximum effect. A glossing treatment or shine spray gives the sleek strands a mirror finish that looks expensive and polished.

34. Voluminous Round-Brushed Bob

We end with pure glamour: a round-brushed bob with big, bouncy ends curving under at the chin and a full fringe. The rounded volume creates a wide, face-hugging silhouette that is the perfect antidote to a long, narrow face.

Achieve it with a large round brush and a blow-dryer, rolling each section under for maximum bounce, or set it with hot rollers for extra staying power. Finish with a flexible hairspray. It is the ultimate special-occasion style that flatters while it dazzles.

How To Choose Your Short Hairstyle For A Long Face

The golden rule is simple: add width, reduce length. Look for cuts that create horizontal lines and side volume — chin-length bobs, full or curtain bangs, waves and curls at cheek level, and side parts that break up vertical symmetry. Avoid styles that add height on top without width at the sides, like sleek center-parted long pixies or cuts that hug the head too closely, since these will only emphasize length.

Consider your hair texture and lifestyle too. Curly and wavy hair gets free width from its natural volume, while straight hair benefits most from bangs and layered ends that flick outward. Bring photos of two or three favorites from this list to your stylist, and ask how each would work with your specific texture and density — a good stylist will tailor the shape to your face, not just copy the picture.

Conclusion

These 34 beautiful short hairstyles for long faces prove that the right cut is all about balance, not hiding. Whether you fell for a blunt bob with a full fringe, a bouncy curly crop, or a textured pixie with a sweeping fringe, each of these 34 looks is designed to add width exactly where a long face needs it — at the cheeks, temples, and jaw.

Short hair is liberating, stylish, and — chosen well — incredibly flattering for oblong faces. Save your favorites, book that salon appointment, and get ready to see your face in its most balanced, beautiful light. Your perfect width-adding short cut is one snip away.