One of the most powerful makeup techniques available to make a change to enhance and define is contouring. When one contours well, the individual achieves this chiseled jawline and makes sure cheekbones look highlighted, as if drawing out all dimensions to show the actual features. However, each face cannot be identical; the trick will be what it's missing, because that will require a unique contouring application. The shapes are a little different, and the understanding of how to shape them all varies, which is what determines how your makeup is done.
In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through the best contouring techniques for different face shapes. So if you have a round face shape, square face shape, oval face shape, or perhaps heart-shaped face, read on to discover some amazing tips and techniques to ensure your sculpted look. Now let's sprinkle some great Beauty Tips and Tricks and some good old insights from myfacehunter into your contouring routine.
1. Face Shape Identification
The first step to face designing would require determination of face shapes, given that no one exactly has one face shape with some strictly excluded. However most persons present character defining features of more than one face shape thus; it is in their characterization and their preponderance that accentuating techniques will find necessities for being effective.
The Six Most Characterized Face Shapes and Characteristics:
There are six shapes with their generic features:
Oval: The face is curved with a smaller jaw and cheekbones. It is longer than wide, but still well-proportioned.
Round: The cheeks are full, and the jawline is soft. The face is almost square as the length and width are almost equal. Angles are not sharp, and contours are not so defined.
Square: the facial profile in square faces are angular jaws accompanied with the forehead, cheek bones, and jaws nearly equal.
Heart: heart-shaped have the forehead and cheekbones spread very wide with a sharp pointed chin. The aims of contouring heart shapes face is to balance your forehead as well as the chin.
Diamond: The sides are defined by high cheekbones and a narrow fore-head and chin. This face shape has sharp angularities that contouring tempers.
Rectangular/Oblong: The face is longer in length than in width. Rectangular, or oblong faces, boast high cheekbones and often a square jawline-a face shape that contouring can make seem shorter.
Now that we have covered the basic face types, let's look at what contouring looks like for each:
2. Contouring for oval faces
A naturally balanced oval face has symmetry. So, when you have an oval face, contouring is more of shaping or enhancing the natural structure rather than drastically altering the shape.
Contouring technique for Oval Face
Cheeks: Apply it below the cheek on the bone and blend upwards toward the temple for definition. In defining a shape for your face, do not be hard since your face has an equivalent balance. Hints only on the curves would define the lines in the face.
Jawline: Use contour on the jawline and have it curve down this way toward your neck to draw attention to your facial structure. It would, therefore, not create a very sharp jawline but a softening effect rather.
Forehead: Slim down if you want by using some light contouring on the forehead, though one has to be careful of excessive contouring as this could quickly upset the harmony of the oval face. Simply sweep on a light dusting of bronzer along the hairline.
Nose: To shape the nose, use a light contouring effect on the sides of the nose to slightly narrow it. Blend this out very well for a smooth, soft balance of the oval face.
Beauty Tips and Tricks for round faces recommend a minimum of contouring. Highlight the need to enhance your face's natural balance. Do not forget to blend well for a seamless finish.
3. Contouring Round Faces
Round faces are full in the cheeks and softer and rounder at the jaw. The aim of contouring a round face is to create an illusion of angular, sculpted features by adding depth and extending the face.
How to Contour Round Faces
Cheeks: Sweep the contour across the sides of your face, from under the cheekbones, out towards the temple. Follow through to the hairline, bringing the eye downward with a line that's parallel to your eyebrows.
Jaw edges: Edged with a few strokes of contour and blended down to the neck. This would tend to round out some of the softness and give a more angular definition to the jaw.
Forehead: This facial style comes out basically with the wider side at forehead, but the contours would actually narrow out its width along the sides when it comes down. Blend for a non-harsh-lined feature.
Nose: A round face requires contouring the nose in the sense of bringing it back and making it narrow. One should apply some contour at the sides and then smooth it out into the center to give that sharp nose look. Take care not to over contour or make the nose appear far too narrow.
For round faces, myfacehunter usually recommends stretching the face or bringing down the fullness of the cheeks. A well-blended contour can add your face with depth and give that illusion of a longer or angular face.
4. Contouring square faces
Square faces, especially those who are characterized with a strong angle jaw line and wide cheek bones, make for bold and structured look. Contouring a square face should soften the sharp edges and give dimensions.
Square-Shaped Face Contouring Technique:
Cheek Contouring: Use contour on the sides of cheekbones to create softening angles to the facial features. Use it upwards to make temples and blend so that natural structure can be highlighted along with making the jaw line not so sharp.
Jawline: This would define softening of the strong jawline which is created through contouring along the edges of the jaw and chin. Move always downwards, always trying not to cut too hard into one line; the contouring should transition smoothly over into the neck
Forehead: Square faces hardly have protruding foreheads, so contour sides of your forehead to make the face slimmer and soften jaws.
Nose: The nose of a square face is usually very well defined. Very fine contouring on the sides can give the impression of a much slimmer nose. But heavy contouring will mar the whole picture since it will clash with the larger silhouette of the face.
Beauty Tips and Tricks advise square-faced people to soften the harsh lines when contouring. Never use heavy contouring since the features become distorted.
5. Contouring For Heart-Shaped Faces
Heart-shaped faces have wide foreheads and narrow chins. Thus, contouring for heart-shaped face would be on cheekbones and widening of the forehead.
Contouring Technic for Heart-Shaped Faces:
Cheeks: Contour at the hollow of the cheeks to give definition or to draw attention to the center. Blend upwards toward temples to define cheekbones.
Jawline: The chin can also be relatively pointed for heart-shaped faces. Soften this by contouring along the jawline and feathering it down to create a more curvaceous appearance toward the neck.
Forehead: The width of the forehead can also be decreased by contouring along the hairline on either side of the forehead. This will balance the face and make it appear less wide across the forehead.
Nose: quite subtle outlining down either side which can tend to draw the nasal contours together. Generally avoid over-contouring as this tends to highlight the irregular features and not so much the overall pleasing structure of the face.
According to myfacehunter: So in the case of diamond-shaped face, contouring from top should focus on the heart shape face and has a tendency to end up appearing overall harmonious which is just a little ovular. Balancing Light, smooth gradient effect.
6. Contour for Diamond-Shaped Faces
Diamond-Shaped faces are usually accompanied with prominent cheekbones but thin chins and foreheads as well. Contour will help to fill out edges and balance up your face.
Contour How-To for Diamond Faces
Cheeks: Apply contour down the sides of your face just below the cheekbones to really bring out the higher cheekbone. Blend up to your temples to warm and define.
Jawline: It's possible to soften the pointed chin by definition. Use contour along the jaw and down for a rounded face appearance.
Forehead: Contour a narrow forehead on diamond faces by drawing it along the sides of the forehead to create width across the lower half of the face.
Nose: Nose contouring is not needed on a diamond face, but soft contouring on the sides of the nose can be utilized for the general balancing of the face.
For diamond-shaped faces, Beauty Tips and Tricks advises applying soft curved lines to reduce pointed angles. Light contouring along the forehead and jaw would add balance and proportion to this face shape.
7. Contouring for Rectangular or Oblong Faces
Rectangular or oblong faces are longer than they are wide. Contouring makes the face look smaller and hence more balanced and proportional. It helps create width and soften the angle.
Contouring Technique for Rectangular Faces
Cheekbones: Use contour along the sides of cheekbones to give it some width and to avoid giving the face a lengthening look. Round out the sides toward the temples.
Also, check out Five Contouring Mistakes to Avoid!
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