Mastering Makeup Application: Tips Based on Your Face Shape
Understanding your face shape is the first step toward applying makeup that enhances and flatters your features. Whether you have a round, square, heart-shaped, or oval face, the right makeup techniques can make all the difference in your appearance. This guide will walk you through the best ways to contour, highlight, and apply makeup for each face shape, ensuring you look your best.
Determining Your Face Shape
Before you start applying makeup, it's important to determine your face shape accurately. Here are some quick tips to help you identify yours:
Method 1: Determining Your Face Shape
Round - An equally distant width between chin and forehead as well as cheek to cheek. Square - The same width from jawline to jawline as from temple to temple. Heart-shaped - Wider width from temple to temple tapering to a narrower chin. Oval - Generally about one and a half times longer from forehead to chin as from cheek to cheek.
For accurate results, look in a mirror and carefully examine your face, noting the distribution of facial features.
Applying Makeup to a Round Face
Round faces can often appear softer and more full-featured. However, contouring and highlighting can help balance out the roundness. Here’s how to apply makeup to a round face:
Method 2: Applying Makeup to a Round Face
Contouring
Contour along the sides of your forehead and temples with a color that is one to two shades darker than your skin tone. Use foundation to shade the areas you would like to reshape, such as your chin, nose, forehead, and cheekbones.Highlighting
Highlight the middle of your forehead and chin to offset the contouring and emphasize different areas of your face. Use a concealer that is one to two shades lighter than your skin and apply it where you want to brighten, such as under your eyes in an upside-down triangle shape.Balancing Blush
Apply blush on the apples of your cheeks, blending it back toward the temples to form a triangle pointing toward the nose. Avoid getting the color too close to your ears.Eyes and Lips
For a darker eyeshadow, try a shade like plum and contour your eyelids with a bronzer. Use lip liner on the sides of the lips to give your face a less rounded and more angular appearance.Applying Makeup to a Square Face
Square faces can appear more angular, which can be softened with contouring and highlighting. Here’s how to apply makeup to a square face:
Method 3: Applying Makeup to a Square Face
Contouring
Contour the sides of your forehead below your cheekbones and under your jaw to promote a more rounded and softer look. Use foundation to shade areas like your chin, nose, forehead, and cheekbones.Highlighting
Highlight the high points of your face, such as the center of your forehead and chin, with a concealer. Apply highlighter along the brow bone to brighten your eye area.Blush and Eyes
Concentrate blush on the hollows of your cheek, blending upward with a blush brush. Apply an eyeshadow color like scarlet, periwinkle, or lavender for a balancing effect, and finish with mascara.Lips
Apply a wide but light border of lip liner on the edge of your lips, smudging it to soften the edges of your face.Applying Makeup to a Heart-Shaped Face
Heart-shaped faces benefit from balancing contouring and highlighting. Here’s how to apply makeup to a heart-shaped face:
Method 4: Applying Makeup to a Heart-Shaped Face
Contouring
Contour along the sides of your forehead and temples to soften your chin. Contour below your cheekbones starting from your ears and ending in the middle of your cheeks.Highlighting
Highlight areas that naturally catch light, such as your eyes and forehead. Use highlighter in a C-shape motion from the center of your forehead down the bridge of your nose to your cheekbone.Blush and Eyes
Apply blush starting from the top of your temple down to your cheekbone, blending upward with a blush brush. Apply a soft shade of eyeshadow like pale pink, mint green, or sky blue, and finish with one or two coats of mascara.Lips
Apply lip liner on top and bottom lips, with slightly more on the bottom to even out the face. Add a soft color on the upper lip and a bold shade on the bottom lip.Applying Makeup to an Oval Face
Oval faces are generally balanced but can benefit from enhancements to the center of the face. Here’s how to apply makeup to an oval face:
Method 5: Applying Makeup to an Oval Face
Contouring
Contour your forehead and below your cheekbones to create balance by emphasizing the center of the face. Start contouring from your ears and stop in the middle of your cheek.Highlighting
Brighten the middle of your forehead and chin using a C-shape motion. Highlight around your eyes using highlighter under your eyes and along your brow bone.Blush and Eyes
Apply blush starting at the apples of your cheeks and blending upward. Use a soft and natural color eyeshadow like taupe and contour your eyelids with a bronzer.Lips
Apply a deep or rich pink lipstick to enhance the curvature of your lips. Add a small amount of lip liner to the sides of the lips.Understanding and applying these techniques based on your face shape can help you achieve a balanced, flattering look. Whether you’re round, square, heart-shaped, or oval, there are makeup tips and tricks to help you highlight your best features.
Remember, the key is to balance your features and enhance what you naturally have. Experiment with different techniques and products to find what works best for you!