Contouring, a phobia for most of the DIY makeup at home. In reality, it is very simple art, which takes just 60 seconds with the right tools. Facial contouring is a method of using a matte powder, cream, or pencil product that’s two shades darker than your skin tone to shade areas you’d like to define or reshape, like your nose, forehead, chin, and cheekbones. It is a great means to enhance your natural features.

4 Basic Steps of Facial Contouring:

• Ascertain the shape of your face.
• Add light to the center of the face.
• Highlight the areas you wish to enhance and contour the ones which you don’t want to.
• Blend the highlighted and contoured areas of makeup together.

When it comes to contouring, there is no one-size-fits-all technique. The best way to contour is according to your facial shape and to make this easier for you, we’ve got just the guides you need.

Square Face Shape: If your face is about as long as it is wide, with an even width of jawline and hairline, you have a perfect square shaped face. Contour along the side of your forehead, jawbone and below the cheekbones to make your hairline look narrow. This will really enhance your notched features. Darker shades decrease volume and lighter shades increase it. Choose wisely!

Round Face Shape: A full face with a soft, rounded chin, jawline, and cheeks. Contouring the cheekbones will provide an angular appearance. Incorporating dimension to the jawline and chin will lengthen the silhouette. Must use an angled brush with a darker skin tone matter powder. Stroke the darker shade under the cheekbones towards the ear, then along the jawline and under the chin. Also dust the color across the forehead close to the hairline.

Rectangle Face Shape: The width of the hairline and jawline is uneven, certainly the face is longer than it is wide. To contour such types of faces, brush it along with the hairline to create a deception of lower hairline, along with the sides of the forehead to ensure the hairline appears narrow. Do not forget to contour the area below the cheekbones starting from the ears to the middle of the cheeks.

Oval Face Shape: A face which is one and half times longer than its width, with no catchy features in jawlines, cheeks or hairline, is absolutely an oval shaped face. It resembles an upside down egg. Besides the natural contouring, you can do it at the sides of the forehead and near the cheekbones to make it appear narrower. A cheat sheet for long oval face – contour the top of the forehead and under the chin to cheat a shorter length.

Oblong Face Shape: When the face is twice as long as it is wide, it is an oblong face. Contouring will have an effect if done along the hairline, under the chin and areas near the ears and cheekbones. This will ensure the face has a lower hairline and looks a little rounder, with a prominent forehead and chin.

Heart Shape Face: With a wider cheek than the hairline, with a chin, narrow and pointed, a true heart shaped face appears. For such faces, contouring along the sides of the forehead and temples to build a balance between wider upper half and narrow lower half. Starting from the ears till the middle of cheeks must also be contoured.

Diamond Shape: When you possess a hairline narrower than the cheeks, a pointed chin and a long face, you are likely to have a diamond shaped face. To contour such faces – brush it below the cheekbones from ears till the middle of the cheeks and mildly under the area of the cheekbones. Contour under the cheekbones creates the illusion of a forehead that is as wide as the cheekbones.

ADD ONS:

• In a diamond shaped face, use a contour and highlight to balance a chin and hairline.
• To contour a heart shaped face, do it in the shape of a “3” along the top of the forehead, below the cheekbones and on the tip of the chin.
• The oval face is widely considered to be the optimal shape because of its symmetry, so when contouring, just enhance the existing shape. Define the oval appearance with a slight contour around the perimeter of your face.
• In a square shaped face, one must wish to add a darker shade to the left and right sides of the jawline, which creates the illusion of overall length.