Do you have an aquiline nose?

What an aquiline nose looks like

The word describes the bridge in profile. On an aquiline nose the line from the top of the bridge to the tip bows outward in one continuous curve. There is no corner, no single high point, just an even arc. Seen from the side it looks like the top edge of a bird's beak.

The tip usually follows the curve. It points slightly down rather than straight ahead, which makes the arc read as one shape from brow to nostril. It does not hook under toward the lip; if it does, the nose is closer to hawk.

From the front, an aquiline nose is usually long and fairly narrow, with a bridge that runs visibly from between the eyes to the tip. The nostrils are ordinary. Nothing in the front view says aquiline, which is why many people only learn they have one from a side photo.

The name comes from the Latin aquila, eagle. It is a description of a line, not of a people. The shape appears in every population and at every age, and it usually becomes clearer through the late teens as the nasal bones finish growing and the bridge settles into its adult height.

How to tell if you have an aquiline nose

You need your profile. Stand side-on to a bathroom mirror and hold a hand mirror in front of you, angled to show the side of your face. Or have someone take a photo from the side, at eye level, from a couple of metres away. Side selfies with a phone held close distort the nose.

Then do the straight-edge check.

1. Find the two ends. The top of the bridge, between the eyes, and the tip of the nose.
2. Lay a line between them. A pencil held flat against the mirror, or a line drawn on the photo.
3. Look at the gap. On an aquiline nose the bridge stands away from the line along most of its length, with the widest gap somewhere near the middle.
4. Look for a corner. If there is none, and the curve is even, the reading is aquiline. A single bump with straight sections either side is Roman.

The face tools on this site read a front photo, so they cannot see the curve. What they do measure is nose width against mouth width and face width, and the symmetry of the nostrils. Those numbers are still useful, because an aquiline nose is usually narrow and the readings will show it.

Side light helps. A window to one side of your face throws a shadow under the curve and shows its shape; flat light from the front hides it. Take the side photo by that window and the reading is usually obvious at a glance.

Aquiline vs Roman and hawk noses

Aquiline and Roman are the most confused pair, partly because the words are often used for each other. Both profiles are convex. The difference is whether the convexity has a corner. Roman does: a bump with straighter lines above and below. Aquiline does not: the bridge bows in one arc.

Hold the straight-edge check in mind. A Roman bridge touches the line above and below its bump, so the gap is short and sharp. An aquiline bridge stands off the line for most of its length, so the gap is long and gradual. If you cannot find a single high spot, you are reading aquiline.

Hawk is the stronger neighbour on the other side. A hawk nose is more convex than an aquiline one, with a thinner, higher bridge, and its tip hooks down toward the lip, sometimes past the level of the nostrils. If the tip drops under, read hawk; if it only points a little down, read aquiline.

Small curves sit on the border with Greek, the straight bridge. A very gentle arc that barely leaves the straight edge is a fair Greek reading. The names are labels for a continuous range, and either is fine for a nose near the middle of it.

Glasses for an aquiline nose

Glasses matter more for an aquiline nose than for most, because the frame sits on the bridge and a curved bridge lets it slide. Two things help: a bridge that grips high on the nose, and a frame whose weight balances the profile rather than following it down.

For fit, look for adjustable nose pads or a keyhole bridge. Pads can be set to sit at the top of the bridge, above the curve. A keyhole bridge, with its open arch, rests high and leaves the curve clear. A flat saddle bridge on a plastic frame rides down the arc and tips forward.

For proportion, a heavier top rim draws the eye up and across. Browline frames, thick upper rims and darker colours at the top all do this. A frame that is heavy at the bottom and thin at the top leads the eye down the length of the nose.

Frame width should match the face, not the nose. A narrow frame leaves the nose looking long between the lenses; a frame as wide as the face at the temples balances it. The face shape guides cover which outline suits your face; choose the version with pads or a keyhole bridge.

Sunglasses follow the same rules. Aviators and navigators with a straight or gently curved top bar sit well above a convex bridge and give the profile a deliberate line. Very small round lenses do the opposite, since the nose extends well below them.

Contouring, makeup and hair for an aquiline nose

Nose contouring is optional and works by shadow, not by changing the nose. For an aquiline nose the usual aim is to make the curve read as straight in the front view. Run a matte contour shade down both sides of the bridge, keeping the two lines parallel and close together.

Highlight does the real work. A thin line of a lighter matte shade down the centre of the bridge, broken once at the point where the curve is highest and picked up again below it, splits the bridge into two short sections. The eye reads the highlighted parts and skips the arc between.

Keep the highlight matte. Shimmer on a high bridge catches the light along its whole length and makes the curve more obvious, which is the opposite of the aim. If you prefer no nose contour at all, defined brows and eyes carry attention upward without any product on the nose.

For hair, softness around the face balances a strong profile. Waves, curls, layers starting at the cheekbone and side-swept fringes all add a second line beside the nose. Hair pulled tightly back leaves the profile on its own, which some people prefer and some do not.

For men, a beard does the same job below. A beard with some length at the chin adds a second line to the profile and brings the nose into balance; a textured or longer front does it above. See the beard guides for your face shape.

An aquiline nose and the rest of the face

A nose sits inside a face, and the face changes how it reads. An aquiline nose on an oblong face looks longer, because both are long. On a round face it is a strong line against soft surroundings. On an oval face it usually looks in proportion.

The golden ratio test measures nose width at the nostrils against mouth width. A narrow aquiline nose tends to give a mouth-to-nose ratio above the typical face, which is why a defined mouth and lip colour balance it well from the front.

Symmetry is worth checking too. A curved bridge often leans a little to one side, and the symmetry test reports the nose region separately from the eyes, brows, mouth and jaw. A nose score slightly below the others is ordinary; most bridges lean a few degrees.

Age tends to strengthen the shape. The tip of the nose drops slightly over the decades and the cartilage softens, so an aquiline curve becomes a little more pronounced. Glasses that grip at the top of the bridge stay the right answer, and a good brow keeps the balance.

Frequently asked questions