Whatâ€™s your face shape?

Moira Geddes talks to leading facial recognition scientist Dr Kendra Schmid about the nation's new face shapes.

Kylie Minogue has a traditional heart shaped face. Picture: OPSM Source: Supplied

IF YOU'VE ever spent time in front of the mirror trying to figure out what face shape you are, don't worry — many of us have been there.

But if you've also found that your face has never really fit into the typical square, round, oval or heart parameters, you are definitely not alone. It was only a matter of time before new face shapes were outlined, and that time is now.

Leading facial recognition scientist Dr Kendra Schmid from the University of Nebraska Medical Centre has derived a list of five new face shapes to be added into the equation — kite, heptagon, oblong, rectangle and teardrop.

Cate Blanchett has a kite shaped face, as demonstrated by the red dots. Picture: OPSM Source: Supplied

Analysing over 1000 Australian's faces, Dr Schmid used point detection software to locate points around the face and facial features. She then used those points to calculate face measurements like the overall face length and width, vertical thirds, cheekbone positioning and horizontal lines.

"Working with 14 different facial measurements ensures that unlike previous assumptions that would bucket someone into the square category as they had a square jawline, we are taking into account all differentiating features of the face structure to determine the shapes," Dr Schmid explains.

Using this method, Dr Schmid was able to add kite, heptagon, oblong, rectangle and teardrop shaped faces to the traditional oval, round, square, heart face shapes.

The nine different face shapes. Picture: OPSM Source: Supplied

"One thing I did find, is that a majority of Australians have a longer, narrower, jaw and chin. I asked myself, why is this a common trait among Australians? This characteristic was something that didn't reflect one particular nationality, but was common among over two thirds of the faces.

"As it wasn't isolated to a particular gender or ethnicity, and Australia has such a diverse, multicultural population, a hypothesis I considered is that in fact this narrowing of the jaw may be part of a global human trend. There is no research to support this either way, but it is definitely something that has sparked my interest that I'd love to explore further."

Hugo Weaving has a heptagon shaped face. Picture: OPSM Source: Supplied

Hugo Weaving has a heptagon shaped face. Picture: OPSM

Dr Schmid conducted the research in conjunction with OPSM to help inform the way they buy for the Australian market.

"Everyone knows their shoe size, dress size, shirt size. Over 60 per cent of Australians wear optical frames and all of us should be wearing sunglasses, so knowing your face shape can help you choose frames that suit your style and highlight your best features," she said.