Bang ‘Em Up: How to Rock Face-Framing Bangs

Finding the style that’s best for your face shape...

By Meredith Orren
Posted May 7, 2012

BangsCall ‘em bangs or call ‘em fringe: they are in. If today’s TV heroines are any indication, bangs have roared back into the spotlight, to adorable effect.

On Fox’s New Girl, both Jess Day (Zooey Deschanel) and best gal pal Cece (Hannah Simone) rock blunt cut ones. Chloe (Krysten Ritter), the main character on Don’t Trust the B--- in Apartment 23 wears hers in short, flapper-y style. Mad Men’s Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks) smolders in her signature side-swept bangs. And The Office’s Ellie Kemper achieves true urchin status via her mega-blunt, mega-shiny bangs.

According to (Jen Aniston’s BFF) Chris McMillan of the Chris McMillan Salon in Beverly Hills, getting bangs right is all about cutting the right amount to begin with

"The trick is to make sure bangs aren't too thick, or they overwhelm your face," he told Allure magazine.

The benefits to bangs are many. They make you look younger. They can minimize a large forehead. They can camouflage frown lines and crow’s feet. They bring out cheekbones and draw focus to the eyes. Plus, bangs are great way to get a new look without taking any length from your overall hairstyle.

Bangs behave best on hair that’s naturally straight and thick. But this doesn’t mean that those other hair textures can’t wear bangs; just be clear when you tell your stylist what type of bangs you want, and be prepared for them to require a little day-to-day hands-on styling.

• Long, side swept bangs will help soften a prominent chin on people with square or heart-shaped faces.

• Straight across, brow-skimming bangs that are blunt- cut – worn parted or not – are great for shortening a long face. You want the bangs to graze the cheekbones at the temples and skim the brows at the center.

•If your bangs are longer, try applying a little product and then blow-drying them back away from the face to achieve a Charlie’s Angels-ish look.

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