How to choose jewellery to suit your face shape

I read this blog written by Alyce, who writes for 2threads.com - I thought it was so great that I've had to post it here for you guys!

When you go shopping at a jewellery store like Diva, you probably think the girls working there are there simply to look pretty and ring your items through the register. Turns out though, they are hiding a BIG secret from you. I know this because I am one. Luckily for you, I happen to double as a spy and can divulge this BIG secret if you promise to follow instructions accordingly. So here goes: when you walk into the store, we are totally analysing your face. We look at your chin, forehead, ears. Your eyes, nose and cheekbones. Your mouth, eyebrows and face shape. We look at your skin tone, and admittedly... your clothes.

We don't do this because we're all superficial like most assume, but because it helps us choose jewellery that suits you (except maybe the clothes part).

Here, I can release to you the finer details of our analysis, so you can use them yourself:

Firstly, divide your face into three sections. The top section is your forehead, which consists of the space between your hairline and eyebrows (duh), the middle is the eye and nose area, which is between your eyebrows and the tip of your nose and the bottom is the mouth and chin area, which is between the tip of your nose and chin. Now pick your face shape.

If you have an OVAL face shape

Well, well, well. You have an oval face do you? How convenient. You are considered the "perfect" face shape. When choosing accessories, stylists actually try to make customers look like you. Your forehead proportions are not too wide and the line from your forehead flows into lovely, chiselled cheekbones, then narrows ever so slightly into a beautiful rounded chin. You bitch.

Nevertheless, you shouldn't be denied of great accessories. Therefore, you get them all. Yes, you suit everything. I even researched this further to find something you would look ridiculous in. Other than clinging to the hope your complexion and hair/eye colour isn't right for all tones of jewellery, I'm still looking...

If you have a ROUND face shape

Congratulations, you have a very symmetrical face! If only you had this information when everyone was calling you moon-face on the monkey bars. Horizontally, you have more space between your eyes and ears,and vertically, your face is less curving towards your forehead and chin. You probably have those cute rounded cheeks Aunty Doris loves to pinch at Christmas time, which tends to round your chin out too. The goal is to stretch the face lengthways, to make it appear more narrow and minimise the fullness.

To do this, completely avoid anything with a circular shape, like hoops. Instead choose earrings that will make your face appear longer, like drop earrings in a stick-shape, spiral square or oval shape. In terms of necklaces, avoid round, short necklaces with heavy, spherical shapes, like wire pendants. There is just too mant circles going on is this picture. The length of long pearls and chains will also lengthen your face.

If you have a HEART face shape

You're pretty lucky to be in the Heart Club with Reese Witherspoon, Cameron Diaz and Nicole Richie. Your face is wider at the forehead and the cheeks, and tapers into your sometimes pointed chin. Although I assume the club have weekly meetings discussing ways to disguise their very structured chins, you need not worry! It is actually responsible for the wide variety of earrings and necklaces you can experiment with.

Now that your round-faced girlfriends have tossed out all their circular earrings, wait until they go on holiday, then raid their garbage bins. Small, coin-sized drop earrings like Reese Witherspoon is sporting here are perfect. Oversized earrings in any shape make the bottom portion of your face appear wider, to balance with the top and middle portions. Chunky necklaces worn tight on the neck like chokers and stone jewellery also add weight to the chin area.

If you have a RECTANGLE/SQUARE face shape

Just when you though you left angles back at Year Seven Maths, they come screaming back. Some rectangles can be self-conscious of their prominent jawline and strong angles. Like Paris Hilton. It took me trawling through 19 pages of Google Images before I found a picture of her facing front-on. Or perhaps that's just some serious media training...

Because rectangular shapes are more about length and angles, and because the width of the forehead is the same as the width at the chin, it's important that jewellery does the reverse by softening the face while shortening and widening. Wider spirals, drops and oval shape earrings work well, as do soft, detailed ones like peacock feathers. Ladylike necklaces such as rope-lenth pearls, distract from the angles.

See, it's all very technical. So forget about taking your round, pale complexion upto the rack, choosing a pair of gold solid hoops and throwing them through your lobes before you can get to the counter. Just like your makeup, clothing and hair, accessories can completely alter how you look. And that my friend, is no secret.

Photos: http://badhairday.typepad.com/bad_hair_day/images/1_3.jpg

http://images.teamsugar.com/files/users/2/20652/44_2007/KirstenDunstRound.jpg

http://www.shapeyourstyle.com/sites/tarmstrong/_files/Image/eva-mendes-oval.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii44/samantha_bailey/paris-hilton.jpg

How to choose jewellery to suit your face shape