Not all haircuts are universally flattering, so before you head to your salon, it’s always important to know what styles best fit your face.

There are four basic face shapes: oval, round, square and heart. Variations exist, such as the oblong and the triangular face shapes. Many people have faces that don’t perfectly fit a category, but with a general sense of what shape your face is, it’s easier to find a cut you’ll be happy with.

How to determine your face shape:
One way to find your face shape is to look in the mirror after you’ve washed your hair. Smooth your hair into a ponytail, exposing your ears. Then, trace the outline of your face on the surface of the mirror with an eyebrow pencil or washable marker.

If you want to be more precise, you could measure the width of your face across your forehead, the top of your cheekbones and your jawline, then compare these measurements to the length of your face, from your hairline to your chin.

Round Faces
The round-shaped face is about as long as it is wide, with full cheekbones and a comparatively narrow forehead and jawline. Owners of round faces often appear young for their age.

Recommendation: To define your face and de-emphasize fullness, ask for an “asymmetrical” cut with layers that closely frame the face. Longer hair visually lengthens the face, so try a style that falls to the chin or below. If you prefer short hair, have it cut with choppy, razored ends to create angles. Avoid straight bangs, as they make the face appear wider—you can ask for side-swept fringes—and try a part that is slightly off-center.

Square Faces
Like the round face, this shape has about the same length and width, but the jawline of a square face is sharper, with bolder angles. The forehead and jawline are about the same length.

Recommendation: Offset the sharp angles of a square face with a haircut in soft, graduated layers—the ends of your hair should be soft and wispy. Side-swept bangs will also help draw attention away from the angularity of the square face. Wavy hair or loose curls work well on a square face. Avoid blunt cuts and straight, heavy bangs and try a slightly off-center part.

Heart-Shaped Faces
The heart-shaped face is characterized by a wide forehead and cheekbones and a narrow chin.

Recommendation: Try a chin-length textured hairstyle to fill out the bottom half of your face with side-swept bangs to emphasize the eyes and cheekbones. Pixie cuts look flattering on the heart-shaped face; if you want longer hair, try wispy layers with a strong side part. Avoid blunt bangs and hairstyles that look fuller around the top half of your face.

Oval Faces
Considered the most balanced shape, the oval shape is one and a half times as long as it is wide. If you have an oval face, your forehead and jawline are about the same width.

Recommendation: Virtually any hairstyle works for this face shape. Try one that emphasizes one of your best features—for example, bangs draw attention to the eyes (and if your face is slightly longer than most oval-shaped faces, long bangs help visually shorten the distance from your hairline to your jawbone). Also, try parting your hair at the center.

A Haircut That Flatters Almost Anyone
Go for long layers. The shortest locks of hair should frame your face, hitting at about chin level, while the longest layer should be shoulder-length.

Mochi’s Favorite Salons for Asian Hair

Sei-Tomoko Salon
Address: Three locations in Manhattan, NY
Website: seitomoko.com
Price range: $40 and up
Description: I’m a huge fan of Manhattan’s Sei-Tomoko, where almost all the hairstylists are Japanese, so I trust them to know how to deal with Asian hair. This place is great for a simple trim or a more drastic haircut. Their junior hairstylists accept student discounts, so you can get a haircut starting at $40—which is completely unheard of in New York City, unless you’re in Chinatown. —Stephanie Wu

Coquelicot
Address: 245 Eldridge St, New York, NY
Website: coquelicot-hair.com
Price range: $60
Description: Coquelicot is a respite from the hustle and bustle of the LES. Go to Maki; whether it’s a standard trim, perm or style overhaul, she always dedicates her full attention. Maki does the wash, cut and styling herself, so prices are very reasonable. If you don’t know what you want, there are plenty of Japanese hair and fashion magazines for inspiration. Use this number for Maki: 347-225-4187. —Tammy Ku

Le Gala Hair Group
Address: 78 Essex St (between Hersey Pl & Harrison Ave), Boston, MA
Yelp link: http://www.yelp.com/biz/le-gala-hair-group-boston
Price range: $30 for a cut and wash
Description: The stylists here know their stuff and are very conscious of how different kinds of hair behave. I love that they also factor your styling habits into their recommendations—and the amazing mini scalp massage after the wash certainly doesn’t hurt. I was very happy with my cut from Stella, but a friend is a huge fan of Judy’s as well. —Christine Wei

Milano Salon & Day Spa
Address: 105 Brighton Ave, Allston, MA
Yelp link: milanosalondayspa.com
Price range: $25-100
Description: Milano Salon is run by two men, one who specializes in cuts and one who specializes in color (although they’re fully competent in both types of processes). I’ve never been satisfied with my hair after leaving a hair salon until I went here, thanks to a friend’s suggestion. I’ve recommended this salon to some of my friends, who all go here now too. —Angela Lee

Paul Brown Salon & Day Spa
Address: Ward Center, 1200 Ala Moana Blvd, Honolulu, HI
Yelp link: http://www.yelp.com/biz/paul-brown-salon-and-day-spa-honolulu
Price range: $40-70 for haircuts
Description: Although it’s on the pricier side to get your hair cut here, they really take good care of you at Paul Brown. You’ll be splurging for great service, careful attention to client needs, professional stylists (including ones that are familiar with Asian styles) and also perks like tea and coffee. They also have a guy who does great eyebrow waxing. —Jasmine Ako

Saloon for Hair
Address: 18192C Colima Rd, Rowland Heights, CA
Yelp link: http://www.yelp.com/biz/saloon-for-hair-rowland-heights
Price range: From $40, $100 for cut, wash and color.
Description: I got an amazing cut here that fetched me tons of compliments and two dyes that I loved. It’s a bit expensive for color that does fade a little after a couple of washes, but the tones are generally rich and bright—and I probably only noticed because I self-consciously look in the mirror every 10 seconds! —Steph Lee

Carlton Hair Salon
Address: Tyler Galleria Mall, Riverside, CA
Website: http://carltonhairinternational.com/
Price range: $48-$80
Description: Even though it’s on the pricey side, Carlton’s stylists know exactly what they’re doing and meet the customers’ needs. I wanted to dye my hair with highlights for the first time, but didn’t know what colors would look good. My stylist suggested some choices and explained the entire process before she started, then cut and styled my hair precisely the way I wanted. —As told by Avni P. to Connie Ho

J Beverly Hills Salon
Address: 820 E Green St, Pasadena, CA
Yelp link: jbeverlyhillssalon.com
Price range: $45-$75
Description: This salon is really professional and the atmosphere is very friendly. For those who don’t have a lot of time to spare, the service is really quick, considering how much detail goes into to what they do. It’s a splurge, but they’re really good at what they do. —As told by Angeline K. to Connie Ho

Related posts:

1. Shape Up A little shaping goes a long way – changing the...
2. Simplify Your Beauty Routine with the Newest Technologies Why use a hand towel to wash your face when...
3. Back to School Beauty School is now in session and it’s time to look...

When we set out to create a list of the most prominent young Asian Americans, it started, like most of our stories do, with a staff chat. The final list, which was heavily debated (is he/she still relevant? is his/her work role-model worthy?), is a product I’m extremely proud of. We always knew we wouldn’t have a problem coming up with a great group of names, but what I’m most happy with is the sheer amount of diversity we came across—age, ethnicity, profession and more. I won’t even get into the amazing people we couldn’t include because they were—gasp—26 or older. We hope that the potential people to add to this list just keeps growing, growing, and growing—tell us in the comments who you’d like to see the next time we do this!

—Stephanie Wu

Written and reported by Jasmine Ako, Susan Hirai, Nicole Tai, Christine Wei and Stephanie Wu

Photo by The Agency Sports

Photo by Forever 21

Photo By Adam Fedderly

Photo by Garrick Fuji

Photo by Dove Shore Photography

Photo by Daniel Chae

Photo HigaTV.com

Photo by Lily's Twitter account

Photo PMK-BNC

Photo by Craig Arend

Photo By Garance Dore

Photo by NBA

Photo by Paul Harvath

Photo by Jasmin Doma

Photo By Mark Hussman

Photo By Lancome

Photo By Debbie Patton

Photo by Rodney Ray

Photo From Wikipedia

Photo by Chris Ripley

Photo by Gregg DeGuire:PictureGroup for FOX

Photo by Getty Images

Photo by 2010 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr Mathieu Young-FOX

Photo by KevJumba.com

View and download the PDF here:

Related posts:

1. Mochi Survey: Attitudes Toward Asian American Cosmetic Surgery The prevalence of cosmetic surgery in Asia has reached a...
2. Evan Low: The Nation’s Youngest Asian American Mayor At age 23, most of us have just graduated from...
3. My Story: Growing Up Asian American in Hawaii My identity crisis starts with being a sixth-generation Chinese and...

“She came in confident,” says Sung. “She was very focused, and it was very obvious that she loved what she was doing.” Unafraid, Brenda took the stage and impressed Sung with her “spontaneity, sense of ease, and playfulness.” Sung remembers an innate quality in Brenda that helped her stand out as a “smart, intelligent girl that talks to you like she’s a little adult.” She became the first director to cast Brenda in a film, giving the then seven-year-old a role in her short film “Requiem.”

From there, Brenda was on her path to fame. She signed a contract with Disney in 2002, and has been a familiar face on the small screen ever since. Judy Taylor, the vice president of casting and talent relations at Disney, remembers her initial meeting with Brenda and the way the actress lit up any room she walked into. “She’s completely engaging, and you want to spend time with her,” Taylor says. On top of that, Taylor recognized that even at age 14, Brenda was a talented actress who was great with comedy.

But eliciting laughs wasn’t Brenda’s only skill. As a young girl, Brenda’s mother wanted her and her brother to participate in extracurriculars. Brenda begged to take ballet, while her younger brother Timmy was set on taekwondo. However, “my mom only wanted to take us to one place,” she says. And since it was unlikely that Timmy would join ballet class, Brenda had to tag along to taekwondo. “I cried all the way through my first class,” she says. But eventually, she fell in love with it—while Timmy quit halfway through, Brenda went on to get a black belt. Her unique athletic ability made her a prime candidate for her first starring role in a movie as Wendy Wu, a girl who revisits her Chinese heritage and uses martial arts to save the world. According to Lydia Look, one of the script’s cowriters, the directors of Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior were having trouble finding a suitable actor with both the comedic presence and taekwondo ability to play the main character, originally named Kenny Lu. “Brenda was originally brought in to play the [supporting] monk’s role,” says Look. “We started training with her in martial arts, and that’s when we realized that she should be Kenny Lu.” They quickly switched things around and offered Brenda the lead in the movie. “She had the perfect combination of wit and martial arts,” said Look. The movie was such a hit that a sequel—in which Wendy Wu returns to China—is currently in the works.

Brenda’s agenda doesn’t stop there, though. After a successful run on The Suite Life as hotel heiress London Tipton, she has a starring role in its spinoff, The Suite Life on Deck. As one of the more seasoned actresses on set, Brenda has taken on a sisterly role, serving as a mentor for some of the younger actresses such as Debby Ryan, who is five years younger than her. At their first meeting, Debby remembers being starstruck and nervous about sharing a stage with someone she had watched on TV growing up. “She teaches me new things every day,” says Debby. She adds that Brenda’s calm presence keeps the younger actors grounded on the set. “She watches out for us, and I can’t think of a better female coworker to have.”

While acting is Brenda’s first love, she loves to read, cook, and bake in what little spare time she has. She separates her professional and personal life by making a conscious effort to draw a definitive line between the two. “I’m 20 years old,” says Brenda. “I want to go have fun, to be able to go to the movies with my brothers.” Most of her free time is spent with her family, especially younger brothers Timmy, 18, and sous-chef Nathan, 12, whom she affectionately calls Nay-nay. Though the two drive her insane—like all little brothers do—all three are extremely good friends. When Timmy turned 18 and graduated from high school in the same week, Brenda remembers tearing up at the idea of her younger brother growing up so quickly. Luckily for her, he’ll be attending college in California, close to the family.

As for Brenda, she manages to squeeze in courses at UC Berkeley while the cameras aren’t rolling. Her best friend Danielle Panabaker, who she met on the set of Stuck in the Suburbs, had taken courses in psychology and suggested the same for Brenda. Brenda fell in love with the subject after taking an elective in high school and now plans to get her bachelor’s degree in psychology. “It works hand-in-hand with my acting,” says Brenda. “It teaches you why people do certain things, and it helps me get into character.” Brenda’s dad is a secondary school teacher, so the importance of education has been drilled into Brenda since she was young. “It’s a personal endeavor for me,” she says. “Education is the one thing that no one can take away from you. It’s what you learn, and what you take from it.”

Understanding the importance of education isn’t the only thing Brenda’s learned from her parents. Brenda is half Hmong and half Thai, and while she loves being American, she’s also very attached to her parents’ native cultures. Her dad only speaks Hmong at home, so Brenda has picked up the language. “I speak it with a little bit of my valley girl accent,” she jokes. “It’s such a close-knit culture, and very family-oriented. As with many Asian cultures, no matter where you branch off, you’re family.” Brenda also laughingly admits that her favorite part about the Hmong culture is the food. “There’s a chicken drumstick dish where they stuff it with noodles,” she says. “It’s my favorite dish.”

Like many others, growing up as an Asian American was both a challenge and a blessing for Brenda. “Being an actress is difficult,” says Brenda. “Sometimes they won’t look at you because you don’t have blue eyes and blond hair, and it’s 10 times as hard to get through the door.”

But Brenda is realistic about the industry. “Sometimes they’re just not looking for an Asian actress,” she says. “That was difficult when I was younger, but it’s all part of the job.” And in true Brenda style, she takes everything in stride. “At the end of the day, it makes you a better person. You can’t think of yourself as an Asian American actress. It’s not about what you look like, it’s about what you do … and who you are as a person.” Though Brenda doesn’t believe that she’s faced much discrimination as an actress, director Elizabeth Sung thinks that isn’t the case for most Asian American actors. “Brenda is a special case,” she says about the young girl she discovered in 1995. “Her talent cuts through all doors—it just knocks them down. It’s credit to Brenda’s unique talent.” Even at six years old, Brenda told Sung on the set of “Requiem” that she wanted to be a director one day. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s a show-runner one day,” says Sung. “She will be the role model that inspires a lot more young Brendas to come.”

How does Brenda feel about being a role model to young girls everywhere, from budding Disney stars to young Asian American girls with dreams of acting? “Oh goodness,” she says. “I hope I can set a good example. If I can do it, anyone can. I’m living my dream every single day.”

Related posts:

1. Lights, Camera, Medicine: Why Gossip Girl’s Nan Zhang Left the Hit Show If there is one thing Nan Zhang – that’s Kati...
2. Yin Chang: The Girl Behind the Glasses On Gossip Girl, Nelly Yuki is perhaps the most complex...
3. Dessert Chef Pichet Ong Balances the Sweet and Savory in Life Math and English literature double major, Masters in Architecture and…...