Your cheekbones shape the middle of your face more than almost any other feature. They decide where light hits your face, how your smile looks and which side of the “high cheekbones vs low cheekbones” debate you fall on. However, cheekbones are surprisingly hard to judge in a mirror. In this guide, you will learn what high and low cheekbones look like, how to tell which you have, what prominent, flat and sharp cheekbones mean, and finally how to make the most of yours with makeup and styling.
What Are Cheekbones?
Your cheekbones, or zygomatic bones, sit below and to the side of your eyes. Each one runs from the outer corner of your eye toward your ear and forms the widest part of the middle of your face.
Three things decide how your cheekbones look:
- Height: how close the fullest point sits to your eyes. This is what makes cheekbones high or low.
- Projection: how far your cheekbones stand out from the side of your face. This makes them prominent or flat.
- Soft tissue: the fat and skin over the bone, which can sharpen or soften the outline.
Your cheekbone width also matters beyond the cheeks themselves: it is one of the four measurements that decide your face shape, together with your forehead, jaw and face length.
What Are High Cheekbones?
High cheekbones have their fullest point high on the face, close to the lower edge of the eyes. As a result, the cheeks look lifted, and a soft hollow often appears just below the bone. That contrast between the raised bone and the shadow beneath it is why many people describe high cheekbones as sculpted.
You will often hear the term high set cheekbones, which means the same thing: the bone sits high on the face. People with high set cheekbones usually find that light catches the top of their cheeks in photos, even without makeup.
High cheekbones and your smile
The “high cheekbones smile” is a well-known sign. When you smile, your cheek muscles push the fullness of your cheeks upward. With high cheekbones, the cheeks lift into round “apples” close to the eyes and the eyes often crinkle at the corners. With low cheekbones, the fullness rises less and stays closer to the mouth.
What Are Low Cheekbones?
Low cheekbones have their fullest point lower on the face, closer to the base of the nose. Instead of a hollow below the bone, the mid-face looks smooth and full. Consequently, faces with low cheekbones often look softer, rounder and more youthful.
The term low set cheekbones means the same thing. Low set cheekbones are common, completely normal and, in fact, keep the face looking full as it ages. They simply need slightly different contouring if you want more definition.
High Cheekbones vs Low Cheekbones: The Key Differences
Put high cheekbones vs low side by side and the difference comes down to one line. Whether you call it high vs low or low vs high cheekbones, what matters is where the fullest point of the cheek sits between your eyes and your nose.
| Feature | High cheekbones | Low cheekbones |
|---|---|---|
| Fullest point | Close to the eyes, above the middle of the nose | Close to the base of the nose |
| Below the bone | A soft hollow or shadow | Smooth, full cheeks |
| Overall look | Lifted, sculpted, defined | Soft, round, youthful |
| When you smile | Cheeks lift toward the eyes | Cheeks lift less and stay lower |
| Common face shapes | Diamond, heart, oval | Round, square, oblong |
| Makeup goal | Show off the bone with highlighter | Add lift with contour placed higher |
In short, low cheekbones vs high cheekbones is not about better or worse. Each simply changes where your face catches light and where it needs definition.
Other Cheekbone Types: Prominent, Sharp and Flat
Height is only half the story. Your cheekbones also differ in how far they stand out, which gives four main cheekbone types.
Prominent cheekbones
Prominent cheekbones stand out clearly from the side of the face and often form its widest point. They are the signature of a diamond face shape, where a narrow forehead and jaw make the cheekbones look even wider. Prominent cheekbones can be high or low, although they usually look most dramatic when they are also high.
Sharp cheekbones
Sharp cheekbones are prominent cheekbones with a crisp edge and a clear hollow below. Low body fat, high set bones and good lighting all make cheekbones look sharper, which is why models often appear to have sharp cheekbones in photos.
Flat cheekbones
Flat cheekbones barely stand out, so the side of the face looks smooth from temple to jaw. Flat cheekbones are common with oblong and rectangle faces. Importantly, they are a normal variation, and contour makeup or hairstyles with volume at the sides can add width and dimension.
How to Tell If You Have High Cheekbones
If you keep wondering “do I have high cheekbones?” or how to know if you have high cheekbones without asking a makeup artist, these four quick checks will answer it. You only need a mirror, good light and a minute. Pull your hair back first so you can see your whole face.
Find the bone
Press your fingertips along the top of your cheek, below the outer corner of your eye, and slide them toward your ear. The firm ridge you feel is your cheekbone.
Compare it with your nose
Keep your fingers on the fullest point of the bone and look straight into the mirror. If that point sits above the middle of your nose, you have high cheekbones. If it sits near the base of your nose, you have low cheekbones.
Look for the hollow
Stand under a ceiling light. A natural shadow just below the bone usually means high set cheekbones, while an even, smooth cheek suggests low or flat ones.
Do the smile test
Smile broadly. If your cheeks lift into round apples right below your eyes, your cheekbones are likely high. If the fullness stays closer to your mouth, they are likely low.
In addition, take a photo straight on at eye level, because a phone held too low or too high changes how high your cheekbones appear. If two or more checks point to high, your cheekbones are high. That is the simplest way to know if you have high cheekbones.
Cheekbones and Face Shapes
Your cheekbones are a strong clue to your face shape. These pairings are common:
| Face shape | Typical cheekbones |
|---|---|
| Diamond | Prominent and usually high, the widest part of the face |
| Heart | High and fairly wide, with a narrow chin |
| Oval | Gently prominent, slightly wider than the forehead and jaw |
| Round | Full cheeks, often low or softly rounded |
| Square | About as wide as the jaw, often less prominent |
| Triangle | Narrower than the jaw |
| Oblong and rectangle | Often flat, similar in width to the forehead and jaw |
Not sure of your face shape yet? Our guide What Is My Face Shape? shows you how to find it in a few minutes.
Are High Cheekbones Attractive?
Many people find high cheekbones attractive, and studies on facial attractiveness often link prominent cheekbones with beauty, especially in women. High cheekbones also tend to look youthful, because they keep the mid-face lifted.
However, attractiveness depends on the whole face, not one feature. Low cheekbones give a soft, approachable look that many people prefer, and plenty of well-known faces have low or flat cheekbones. Balance between your cheekbones, eyes, nose and jaw matters far more than cheekbone height alone.
What Changes the Way Your Cheekbones Look?
- Genetics: your bone structure sets the height and width of your cheekbones.
- Body fat: fuller cheeks hide the bone, so losing weight often makes cheekbones look higher and more prominent.
- Age: over time, the fat pads in the mid-face thin out and move down. As a result, cheeks can look flatter, and the shadow below the bone can deepen.
- Lighting: light from above deepens the hollow below the bone, while flat, front-on light hides it.
- Expression: smiling lifts the cheeks and makes cheekbones look higher than at rest.
How to Get More Prominent Cheekbones
You cannot change the height of the bone, but you can change how prominent your cheekbones look. Here is how to get cheekbones that stand out more:
- Use contour and highlighter: the quickest, safest way to add definition, as the next section explains.
- Lower your body fat gradually: a healthy diet and exercise reduce fullness in the cheeks, which reveals more of the bone.
- Choose the right haircut: layers that start at the cheekbones draw attention to them, while volume at the jaw makes them look higher by contrast.
- Grow a beard (if you can): a beard with a defined upper line along the cheek makes the area above it look sharper.
- Consider medical options carefully: cheek fillers and implants exist, but they are medical procedures. Discuss risks and results with a qualified professional first.
Facial exercises and “mewing” are popular online, yet there is little scientific evidence that they change the shape of your cheekbones.
How to Highlight Cheekbones With Makeup
Makeup is the easiest way to make the most of your cheekbones. The basic method works for everyone; the only difference between high and low cheekbones is where you place the contour.
- Find your cheekbone. Press along the bone as in the mirror check above, so you know exactly where it sits.
- Contour the hollow. Suck in your cheeks slightly and blend a matte contour a shade or two darker than your skin into the hollow below the bone, from your ear toward the middle of your cheek. Stop at the outer corner of your eye.
- Highlight the top. Next, tap highlighter along the top of the cheekbone, from just under the outer eye toward the temple.
- Add blush. Smile and dab blush on the apples of your cheeks, then blend it up toward the highlighter.
- Blend well. Finally, blend every edge so you see shape, not stripes.
Makeup tips for high cheekbones
High cheekbones need very little contour. Instead, focus on highlighter on top of the bone and keep contour light, so the face does not look hollow.
Makeup tips for low cheekbones
For low cheekbones, place the contour slightly higher than the natural hollow and angle it upward toward the temple. Then put blush higher on the cheek. Together, these steps create the look of a lifted cheekbone.
Best Hairstyles and Glasses for High and Low Cheekbones
| Cheekbones | Hairstyles | Glasses |
|---|---|---|
| High | Pixie cuts, slicked-back styles and layers that start at the cheekbone show them off | Rimless, oval or cat-eye frames that sit above the cheekbones |
| Low | Volume at the crown and layers that start above the cheek create lift | Frames with a strong top line, such as browline styles, that draw the eye up |
| Prominent | Soft waves and side parts that balance the width | Oval or rimless frames no wider than the cheekbones |
| Flat | Volume at the sides and face-framing layers | Bold, wide frames that add width at the cheek |
Also, check that your glasses do not rest on your cheeks when you smile, which is common with high cheekbones and large frames.
High vs Low Cheekbones FAQs
What are high cheekbones?
High cheekbones are cheekbones whose fullest point sits close to the eyes, usually above the middle of the nose, often with a soft hollow below them.
Do I have high cheekbones or low cheekbones?
Find the fullest point of your cheekbone with your fingertips and look in a mirror. If it sits above the middle of your nose, you have high cheekbones; if it sits near the base of your nose, you have low cheekbones.
What is the difference between low cheekbones vs high cheekbones?
Low cheekbones peak near the base of the nose and give a soft, full mid-face. High cheekbones peak near the eyes and give a lifted, sculpted look with a shadow below.
Are high cheekbones attractive?
Many people find them attractive, and they tend to look youthful. However, attractiveness depends on the balance of the whole face, and low cheekbones can be just as appealing.
Can you get high cheekbones?
You cannot change the bone, but contour makeup, highlighter, a lower body fat level and the right haircut can all make your cheekbones look higher and more prominent.
What are flat cheekbones?
Flat cheekbones barely stand out from the side of the face, so the cheek looks smooth from temple to jaw. They are a normal variation and are common with oblong and rectangle faces.
What does a high cheekbones smile look like?
When you smile, your cheeks lift into round apples just below your eyes, and the corners of your eyes often crinkle.
High or Low Cheekbones: Which Do You Have?
In the end, high vs low cheekbones comes down to one question: does the fullest point of your cheekbone sit near your eyes or near your nose? Once you know the answer, you can place your highlighter and contour in the right spot and pick haircuts and glasses that flatter your cheeks. Your cheekbone width also shapes your whole face, so for the full picture, check your face shape with our free Face Shape Detector.