BeYoutiful Beauty

Face

How to Cleverly Contour and Highlight to Enhance Your Face Shape

09 Apr, 2019
By Andie Reeves
All good trends come to an end, and extreme highlighting and contouring, after its Kardashian-led peak in recent years, seems to be on its way out. This doesn't mean an end to face-shaping with bronzer and highlighter altogether, but rather a move to a more subtle take on the art of contouring. Think enhancing your natural face shape rather than trying to create a totally new one. Instead of desperately trying to carve cheekbones where there are none, rather work with what you have.
 
While contouring only really took off in the lives of mere mortals like us recently, celebrities and their make up artists have been using this technique for years. It's all about artful shadowing and clever highlighting to make your best features stand out.  
 
The best bit is you don't have to be a professional to nail this Photoshop-like effect on your face; you just need to know your face shape, what subtle contouring and highlighting shades to apply and where, and have a few key products. Read on to discover which face shape you have and how to make the most of your features...

Oval Face

How do I know if I have an oval face?
Your face is pretty even, longer than it is wide, and doesn't have any particularly narrow or wide points, although its slightly wider at the top like an upside-down egg shape.
 
What areas do I want to enhance or alter?
Lucky you; you've got the most balanced face shape of them all so you'll be doing less shaping and more enhancing.
 
Your face-shape-enhancing make up routine:
  • Sweep a matte contouring powder or bronzer along the outside of your hairline to narrow the width of your forehead slightly.
  • Next use bronzer along just under your cheekbones from the middle of your cheek to your ear.
  • Make your eyes stand out with a touch of highlighter under your brow bone and dotted under your eye area.
  • Finish with highlighter in the middle of your forehead and chin, your Cupid's bow and the bridge of your nose to enhance your balanced features.
 
Our product picks:
Maybelline Master Highlight and Contour Bronze, LA Girl Velvet HiLite Contour Stick Luminous, and Cala Powder Brush.

Long Face

How do I know if I have a long face?
You're tired of hearing 'why the long face' jokes, your face is about twice as long as it is wide and is generally the same width all along. It's almost an oval shape but the difference is your face is a lot narrower, think Sarah Jessica Parker.
 
What areas do I want to enhance or alter?
You want to add a bit of definition to your bone structure and make your face appear a bit wider and less long.
 
Your face-shape-enhancing make up routine:
  • Create the illusion of your hairline starting lower down by sweeping a dark shade from your contouring palette along where your forehead meets your hair. Do the same along the underside of your jaw and chin to shorten your face.
  • Add definition to your cheekbones by contouring diagonally down from your ear to the middle of your cheeks.
  • Shade highlighter in an upside-down triangle under your eye area and under your brow to give a lift to your eyes.
  • Also highlight along the top of your cheekbones to further the illusion of depth, but avoid your forehead, as this will only increase the length of your face.
 
Our product picks:
Palladio Matte Bronzer in No Tan Lines, Essence Glow To Go Highlighter Palette in Sunkissed Glow, and Barbara Hofmann Large Silver Powder Brush.
 
Read More. Easy Tips That Will Guarantee Natural-Looking Contouring Every Time

Heart Face

How do I know if I have a heart face?
Your best quality is your amazing cheekbones and your face is widest at the top and most narrow at your chin, giving you a bit of an elfin look. Lots of heart-shaped faces usually have a widow's peak and/or a slightly pointed chin.
 
What areas do I want to enhance or alter?
You want to enhance those killer cheekbones and contour the most at your hairline, where your face is largest, to create a bit of balance.
 
Your face-shape-enhancing make up routine:
  • Use a matte bronzer or dark contouring shade along the outer corners of your forehead to subtly decrease the width of your widest area.
  • Play up your cheekbones by contouring along the hollows of your cheeks, all the way to your ear.
  • Use a dark shade just under the centre of your chin to decrease any pointiness.
  • Broaden the middle of your forehead, just above the area between your eyes, with a circle of highlighter, blended well.
  • Add a circle of highlighter to the middle of your chin too to create the illusion of it being wider.
 
Our product picks:
Rimmel Kate Sculpting & Highlighting Palette, Maybelline Master Contour V Shape Duo Stick, and Cala Angled Contour Brush.
 
Read More. Insider Secrets on Highlighting for Awesome Glowing Skin

Round Face

How do I know if I have a round face?
You often get complimented for looking young as round faces have a child-like quality to them (in a good way!). Your face doesn't have to be a perfect circle for you to qualify as a round face shape, but rather you have soft features, your face is widest in the centre and is naturally a bit narrower at your chin and hairline. It’s also generally as long as it is wide.
 
What areas do I want to enhance or alter?
You will want to add a bit of definition to keep your look on the grown-up side of cute, namely to your cheek area and jawline.
 
Your face-shape-enhancing make up routine:
  • Use a bronzer or dark contouring shade on the outer sides of your forehead and sweep all the way down the sides of your face in a C shape ending along your jawline.
  • If you still crave more cheek definition then a well-blended line of bronzer just under your cheek bones will do the trick. Remember to apply your blush in sweeping motions rather than circular.
  • Use highlighter in the middle of your chin and forehead to add width to the narrowest areas of your face.
  • Other key spots to sweep highlighter for added definition: the high points of your cheek bones, the bridge of your nose, your Cupid’s bow and just under the brow bone.
 
Our product picks:
Michelle Ori Compact Bronzer in Sunkissed, LA Girl Strobelite Strobing Powder in 50 or 110 Watt, and Barbara Hofmann Professional Angled Blusher Brush.

Read More. How to Use Bronzer (and Mistakes You May be Making)

Square Face

How do I know if I have a square face?
Your face is the same width at all major points, so your jawline, cheeks and forehead all pretty much line up. It’s similar to a round face but has a stronger jawline.
 
What areas do I want to enhance or alter?
You want to slightly soften your bold features and make your face appear slightly narrower.
 
Your face-shape-enhancing make up routine:
  • Contour your temples from just next to the centre of your forehead to the top of your ear on each side to minimise this area.
  • Narrow your jawline by contouring from just under the bottom of your ear to about the side of your chin.
  • Apply blush in a circular motion to the apple of your cheeks and bronzer in your cheeks’ hollow.
  • Sweep highlighter onto the middle of your forehead and finish off with a dot on your chin.
 
Our product picks:
LA Girl Pro Contour Cream, Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette Light To Medium, and Cala Deluxe Powder Brush.
 
Read More. The Ultimate Pro Guide on How to Do Foundation Perfectly
 
If your feel unsure about your face shape or need a little more info on how to achieve the best contouring and highlighting for your face shape, Sephora have compiled a series of great tutorials to help you along.
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Visuals. Pinterest.
 
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