High cheekbones sit close to eye level, so the widest part of the face is just below the eyes, with a soft hollow underneath. They catch the light high on the face, which is why they stand out in photos. You can see how wide your cheekbones are compared with your forehead and jaw with our free golden ratio face test.
What high cheekbones are
Your cheekbones, the zygomatic bones, sit under the outer part of each eye and curve back toward the ears. When the most prominent point of each cheekbone sits high, close to the level of the nose bridge or just under the eyes, people call them high cheekbones. When it sits lower, nearer the level of the nostrils, they are called low cheekbones.
Both are normal. They come mostly from the shape of the skull, which you inherit.
How to tell if you have high cheekbones
The finger test
- Stand in front of a mirror in good light.
- Place your fingertips under the outer corner of each eye and press gently until you feel bone.
- Slide down and out until you find the most prominent point of the bone.
- If that point sits close to the level of your nose bridge or just under your eyes, your cheekbones are high. If it sits closer to the level of your nostrils, they are lower.
The light test
Stand under a light that comes from slightly above. High cheekbones catch the light high on the face, with a shadow forming underneath. Lower cheekbones catch it lower, closer to the middle of the cheek.
The photo test
Look at a straight on photo. Find the widest point of your face. If it sits just below the eyes, your cheekbones are probably high and prominent. Our face shape detector compares the width across your cheekbones with your forehead and jaw, which tells you how much your cheekbones stand out.
High cheekbones and face shape
High cheekbones are common in a few face shapes.
- Diamond faces are widest at the cheekbones, with a narrower forehead and jaw, so the cheekbones are the main feature.
- Heart shaped faces often have high cheekbones close in width to the forehead.
- Oval faces have cheekbones as the widest point, though less dramatically.
Round faces often have fuller cheeks that soften the bone underneath, and our guide to haircuts for round faces covers cuts that bring out the cheekbones in that shape.
Why high cheekbones stand out
Light falls on the top of a high cheekbone and leaves a shadow below it, which gives the face clear contour without makeup. That contrast shows up well on camera, which is one reason high cheekbones are so common in fashion photography.
Research on facial attractiveness has not singled out cheekbone height on its own. It points to symmetry, closeness to the average face and, in some studies, features linked with health and maturity. Fuller cheeks are associated with a youthful look, so both high and lower cheekbones have their own strengths. Our guide to the most attractive face shape explains why no single feature or outline wins.
How cheekbones change with age
The bones change little in adult life, but the soft tissue over them does. Many people find their cheekbones look more defined in their late twenties and thirties as the fullness of youth softens, then slightly less defined later as the cheeks lose some volume and the skin loosens. Weight changes also make cheekbones look more or less defined.
Makeup to show off your cheekbones
You can bring out cheekbones of any height.
- Find the hollow. Suck in your cheeks gently to see the hollow under the bone, then relax.
- Contour. Use a matte shade a little deeper than your skin and blend it along the top of the hollow, from near the ear toward the corner of the mouth, stopping about level with the outer corner of the eye.
- Highlight. Tap a highlighter on the top of the cheekbone, just above the contour.
- Blush. Put blush on the upper cheek and sweep it up toward the temple for lift.
- Blend. Soften every edge so the shading looks like natural shadow.
For lower cheekbones, place the contour and highlight a little higher than the bone to suggest lift. For high cheekbones, keep the contour soft so it does not look too sharp.
Haircuts that show off cheekbones
- Layers that start at the cheekbones frame them.
- Tucking the hair behind the ears shows the width across the cheeks.
- A side part with volume at the crown draws the eye up toward the cheekbones.
- Short, textured cuts with close sides show off the whole outline.
High vs low cheekbones at a glance
| High cheekbones | Lower cheekbones | |
|---|---|---|
| Most prominent point | Close to eye level | Closer to the nostrils |
| Shadow below | Clear hollow under the bone | Softer, fuller cheek |
| Common face shapes | Diamond, heart, oval | Round, square, oblong |
| Light in photos | Catches high on the face | Catches mid cheek |
| Contour placement | Soft, just under the bone | A little higher than the bone |
Both are normal, and both can look striking with the right light and styling.
Cheekbones in women and men
On average, men have slightly broader faces across the cheekbones and women slightly fuller cheeks, but the overlap is huge. In our own measurements the width across the cheekbones compared with the jaw varied far more between individuals than between women and men.
Photo tips for cheekbones
- Light from slightly above and to one side creates the shadow under the cheekbone that shows its shape.
- Turn your face slightly toward the light, so one cheekbone catches it and the other falls into soft shadow.
- Relax your jaw. Clenching widens the lower face and hides the hollow.
- A gentle smile lifts the cheeks and makes cheekbones look higher.
Cheekbones and symmetry
Cheekbones are one of the places where small differences between the two sides of the face are easy to see, because light catches each side a little differently. That is normal. Our guide to symmetrical faces explains why every face has small differences between its halves.