Finding Your Face Shape And What Flatters It
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Have you ever followed a contouring tutorial and ended up with a muddy looking face instead of the chiseled and high cheekbones you wanted? Sooner or later, we’ve all been there with the blush placement, the contour placement, or the bronzer placement, everything plays an important role to frame your face, but not all face shapes are created equal! To get the best results from your makeup techniques, the first thing you need to do is identify your face shape, and we’ve got just the guide for you!
How can I determine my face shape?
If you want to find out your face shape, the first thing you’ll want to do is tie your hair back and look at yourself in a mirror in a well-lit room; this will help you assess your facial features quickly, including cheekbones, jawline, and forehead. In case you’re still unsure about your face shape, you can likewise take a selfie at a straight point with your hair pulled back so you can get a correct view of your face’s outline.
Investigate your forehead, cheekbones, and jawline. The length and width of each will help you decide your face shape, and keep in mind that it might appear to be a touch of overwhelming from the start; our guide will have everything made simple.
Another easy way to find out your face shape is to start using a headband to move your hair away from your face and in a well-lit room, look in the mirror at your hairline and jawline. Now draw a few dots with eyeliner or a makeup pencil around your face’s outer perimeters to help you give a rough idea of the shape. Now let’s say if you were to connect the dots, what form would you end up with? Oval? Heart? Square? Triangle? Circle? The shape you’ll get is what your face shape is like. However, this method should only be used to narrow down the form and not as a final finding.
How many types of face shapes are there?
There are eight main categories of face shapes: oval, round, square, oblong, triangular, inverted triangle, heart-shaped, and diamond-shaped.
Can my face shape fall in between a mix of two shapes?
It can, and chances are it will. With many similarities among all the face shapes, it can be possible that you’re a mix of two or more than two face shapes. For instance, the triangular shape has two very different sides to it, the inverted triangle and the simple triangle.
Similarly, the oval and round face shapes may have many similarities based on your facial structure. The same goes for a square-shaped face and an oblong face; people might end up associating themselves with a completely wrong face shape, which is why we have compiled this guide to help you confirm your analysis.
Why do different types of face shapes need different makeup placement?
We all have the same set of features, to begin with: a pair of eyes, a nose, a mouth, cheekbones, lips, jawline, and yet there are no two faces that look the same. Each face is distinctive in its way, and when we tend to apply makeup, we want to bring forward, enhance our best features and hide any imperfections. People with a round face desire for a chiseled look, people with a very angular face desire to add a little bit of roundness to their face, and so on. With the right placement of makeup, you can do wonders to your face shape and get your desired results from it.
Will I need new products to compliment the shape of my face?
Not at all; you can very well work with the products that you have in your vanity. However, you may need to invest in an item or two depending on if you already own the right formula. However, you will need to practice the techniques that will help you flatter your face shape; buying a new contour palette won’t work for you until and unless you’re applying it correctly and are blending it well, so it all comes down to technique. You may need to invest in a brush or two, given that you don’t already own it.
Do I have an oval face?
If you’ve decided to go by connecting the dots on your face and have ended up with an oval shape, the chances are that you have an oval face shape; however, here’s how you can confirm your analysis.
The oval face shape is relatively smooth around the edges and doesn’t include many features that change the shape of the edge of your face. Generally, if you were to measure your forehead’s width and the width of your chin, the width of your forehead would be only slightly larger than that of your chin. You probably don’t have a very wide jaw either.
What flatters an oval face shape?
According to most makeup artists, this face shape is the ideal one among all other forms – it is in proportion, symmetrical, and well balanced. The forehead, in most cases, maybe slightly wider, with the cheekbones are more prominent. The first objective is to cut down the length of your face and minimize the face’s oval effect. For this, you’ll need to concentrate on your less rounded features like the apples of the cheek, a round tip on the nose, jawline (if you do have any,) and make the look more rounded instead of making them look angular.
To give your face a more rounded look, reach for a bronzy or a rose-toned blush to add dimension and depth to your face. Brush on your favorite blush onto the apples of your cheekbones that go horizontal across the cheeks and a little wash of color just below your chin to achieve a well-rounded look that brings your best features forward.
Since an oval face shape is perfectly symmetrical in most cases, you can focus on contouring under cheekbones to emphasize them.
Most people with an oval face want a more pointed nose if they don’t have one; the sharp nose is what flatters the oval face shapes the most. To achieve that effect, apply your foundation like you usually would and with a precise brush, apply a contour shade or a mid to neutral toned bronzer to the sides of your nose making sure you don’t put any product on the bridge of your nose. Apply a sheer amount of highlight to bring the bridge of your nose with a matte or a shimmery highlighter for finishing touches.
You can also take makeup inspiration from celebrities who have an oval face, including Bella Hadid, Beyonce, Jessica Alba, and Dakota Johnson.
Do I have a round face?
If the dots on your face connect to form a circle, you’ve got a round face, and here’s how you can confirm if you have a round face shape.
Easier to confuse with the oval shape, the round face shape is softer in places like the jawline. Round faces are most often shorter in length and relatively symmetrical, with your cheekbones being the widest part of your face.
What flatters a round face shape?
Since your features are already more softened and rounded, you can lose definition after putting on your foundation and tend to look flat. So the goal is to contour your round face to create shadows and add some definition to bring those angles back to life!
Brows are extremely important when it comes to framing your face; the right shape of the brow can take your look from 5 to a solid 10 in minutes. When you have a round face, you should try opting for angular and high arched brows to tone down your face’s round shape.
To accentuate and define your cheekbones, the key is to contour just below them. This will give the illusion of sucking in your cheeks to make the (famous and iconic) duck face in the mirror. Find the correct spot to start placing the product onto your face; you can opt for a cream or a powder formula as long as it is not shimmery once you have the product placed onto your face evenly on both sides and blend it to perfection!
You will also want to contour along your forehead and bring it down to the temples – think of it as the letter “C” on each side of your face and blend it all away.
Once you’ve gotten your cheekbones all chiseled up, highlight the tops of your cheekbones to bring them forward.
With a round face, you can carry your blush in different ways for different purposes. If you want a more youthful look with high cheekbones and round cheeks, apply your favorite blush to the cheeks’ apples and then blend. You can also use your blush just beneath the cheekbones to define them by toning down on the roundness so that the ideal placement would be right between the highlight shade and the contour shade.
You can also take makeup inspiration from celebrities who have a round face like Priyanka Chopra, Emma Stone, Chrissy Teigen, and Selena Gomez.
Do I have a square-shaped face?
If the dots you connected to form a rectangular or a square shape, here’s how you can confirm your findings.
A square-shaped face usually has strong angles; many models are square-shaped. It is typical of an angular jaw, but it also tends to be angular on the forehead. It is probably a straight, vertical line that goes all the way up to your hairline with minimal curves in the cheeks from your jawline. Chances are, your hairline also follows a straight line and probably squares off at the edges.
What flatters a square-shaped face?
When you have a square face, your temples, cheekbones, and jawlines have defined angles that are practically equidistant from the center of the face, so the goal is to soften defined edges and round out your angular features.
Being blessed with already chiseled cheekbones and jawline, there’s not much you’ll need to contour; just warming up the outer perimeters of your face with a bronzer will do the job and soften the angles.
To elongate the face, highlight your forehead, chin, and the bridge of your nose. Don’t forget to add a bright highlighting concealer under your eyes and just around the corners of your mouth to help add some height to your face. Add some glow to the highpoints by adding a shimmery highlighter in a “C” shape on the elevated points of your cheeks and temples.
To cut down on the angles, follow your brows’ natural shape and try going up for a rounder and softer brow.
Place a warm, satin, or shimmery finish blush to the apples of your cheek. You can even opt for a matte blush and brush a small amount of your shimmery highlighter on just the apples of your cheek to bring them forward and give them a youthful and round appearance.
Ensure you’re not over-drawing your lip line and opt for a rounder outline at the cupid’s bow to frame the face.
You can also take makeup inspiration from celebrities with a square-shaped face like Jennifer Garner, Natalie Portman, and Angelina Jolie.
Do I have an oblong face?
If the dots that you connected join to form a rectangle, chances are that you’re either a square shape or an oblong face. While this may confuse you, we’ll tell you how to differentiate between the two types.
Similar to a square face shape, an oblong one often features a prominent jawline and straight hairline. Much like the differences between a round and oval face shape, the differences between square and oblong faces will be longer in comparison to their width. While square faces are more wider than long.
What flatters an oblong face shape?
Since its length characterizes an oblong face, the idea is to broaden the width, giving a shorter face that draws attention to the center.
Try contouring by focusing on the jawline, cheekbones, and the top of your hairline are critical for shortening an oblong face. Contouring your cheekbones’ hollows will result in adding width to the face and drawing the eye to the center of the face. You can also bronzer just under the jawbone to create the illusion of a less pronounced jaw.
Add a shimmery highlighter to the tops of the cheekbones, blending it back toward the temples, on the brow bone, the tip of the nose, and the cupid’s bow. Avoid highlighting the forehead and chin, as it will add height.
Adding a natural but pigmented color to your cheeks’ apples will also add the much-needed width to the face. Finish by applying a bit of highlighter slightly above the cheeks to draw attention to the face’s center.
Follow the natural shape of your brows, drawing them outward towards the temples using short strokes to mimic the look of brow hair. This trick will also add width to the face.
You can also take makeup inspiration from celebrities who have an oblong face like Victoria Beckham, Courteney Cox, and Jennifer Aniston.
Do I have a heart-shaped face?
If the dots you penned out form into something that resembles a heart shape, here’s how you can confirm your analysis.
The heart face shape features many delicate structures, making the heart face a more complex structure than others. A heart shape face is more oval than it is round. You probably have a narrower jawline and pointed chin. People with heart-shaped faces also tend to have accentuated cheekbones.
What flatters a heart-shaped face?
If your face falls into the category of being heart-shaped, your aim should be to make your forehead appear narrower and making your pointy chin look rounder.
Contour and bronze the forehead and temples to trim down the forehead in proportion to your chin. Blend it well and create shadows that look natural.
Highlight your cheekbones and your eyes by applying a brightening concealer or a shimmery highlighter bringing the cheekbones in focus and divert attention from the forehead. Brighten under your eyes too so that all attention is focused on the center of your face.
Apply a brightening concealer on your chin and the jawline to make that area look broader and balance the face nicely.
Groom your eyebrows and shape them into a beautiful arch to divert attention from your forehead.
For blush, apply the pigment at least two fingers away from the nose and sweep across the apples’ top towards the ear. Blend it in the same motion to prevent it from appearing striped. This technique of careful application will bring out the high cheekbones.
Wearing bold, feminine tones like pinks or reds on lips and cheeks help soften your face’s shape and result in the chin looking wider than it is.
You can also take makeup inspiration from celebrities who have a heart-shaped face like Ariana Grande, Rihanna, and Kourtney Kardashian.
Do I have a triangle-shaped face?
If your connected dots add up to form a triangle, you’re going to want to know the two types of triangles that characterize this face shape: triangle and an inverted triangle.
This triangular face shape is also known and recognized as ‘the pear.’ It’s probably the most unusual of all of the face shapes. Still, it is usually a longer-shaped face, and you’ll generally have a chin and jawline similar to a square-shaped face; the only difference is that your face will probably curve from your cheekbones to your hairline and make a diamond shape, so its a mix!
What flatters a triangle-shaped face?
When working with a triangle-shaped face, the goal is to narrow down your forehead and make your cheekbones and jawline look wider.
Play it soft by blending a neutral-toned contouring powder or a bronzer along your jawline to help shift the attention from your cheekbones. Instead of contouring the cheeks, opt for contouring around the mouth to help take the attention away from sharp angles.
Place a bronzing shade around the temples; opt for a stain finish or a luminous finish bronzer because a matte one will add unnecessary depth.
Highlight the apples of your cheeks, the center of your forehead, and chin since it’s more about rounding it all out than accentuating the bone structure.
Make sure your eyes are the center of attention; go for dramatic eye makeup and long lashes to draw in all the attention. Kohl-ed eyes, smoky eyes work well to draw in attention as well. You can opt for colored eyeliners and mascara to make the eyes pop!
Stick with subtle and nude lip colors, as they will take away the chin’s attention.
You can also take makeup inspiration from celebrities with a triangular face like Kelly Osborne, Lucy Hale, and Minnie Driver.
Do I have an inverted triangle face shape?
If the dots you connected add up to form an inverted triangle, here’s how you can confirm your guess.
Those with an inverted triangle face shape often have a larger forehead than their jawline and chin. People often say that the inverted triangle shape is quite similar to a heart shape. It is partially true, but the differentiating attribute is quite evident. Heart-shaped faces tend to have a pointy chin, while inverted triangle faces tend to have a wider jawline.
What flatters an inverted triangle face?
With this kind of a face shape, the idea is to make the jawline appear narrower and the forehead to look wider.
For the brows, go all out: heavy and bushy brows filled in with hair-like strokes suit this face shape well and add to the forehead’s fullness.
For the eyes, focus on the lashes with generous mascara coats and tight-lining the upper waterline for an illusion of thicker and fuller lashes.
Since the jawline is wider and you’re trying to make it appear narrower, go in with a cool-toned contour shade on the jawline and under the cheekbones to frame and chisel out the face. You should entirely skip on contouring the temples as that will make your forehead look smaller compared to the jawline, opt for a luminous and dewy bronzer amp up the warmth in your face.
You can also take makeup inspiration from celebrities who have an inverted triangular face like Reese Witherspoon, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Kerry Washington.
Do I have a diamond-shaped face?
If the dots that you connected add up to form a diamond or a kite shape, here’s how you can confirm if you have a diamond face shape.
A thinner forehead and chin characterize a diamond-shaped face, but a wider face around the jawline and cheekbones, just like a diamond shape. It often features accentuated cheekbones, and the structures of the face, like cheekbones and jawline, are quite visible in general.
What flatters a diamond faced shape?
A broad center characterizes a diamond-shaped face, and therefore your goal should be to add fullness to your forehead and jaw and minimize the center.
Use a bronzing powder or a cool-toned contour powder, contour the forehead’s pinnacle, the tip of the chin, and bottom of the cheekbones for limiting the width and giving the face a more proportionate look.
Apply a shimmery highlighter to your forehead, bridge of the nose, and center of the chin to draw attention to the center part of the face.
Apply a neutral brownish blush on the apples of your cheek only, do not take the blush any farther. Avoid shiny blushes because they will make your cheeks look fuller.
Groom and separate your brows with natural hair-like strokes to make your forehead and eyes look wider.
Opt for a matte or a velvet matte lipstick formula to enhance your lips. Avoid cream sheen lipsticks and glosses at all costs because they will make your lips appear a lot wider.
You can also take makeup inspiration from celebrities who have a diamond-faced shape like Megan Fox, Jennifer Lopez, and Scarlet Johansson.
Conclusion:
There is no perfect face shape. Even though the oval face shape is considered to be the most even, there’s practically nothing that cosmetics can’t help accomplish for you. Besides making you look pretty and all dressed up, cosmetics are additionally about giving the face balance and definition, which can only be achieved once you know your face shape and what compliments it.
Iqra
As the head artist of Farishta Beauty I was inspired by many young individuals who were just like me passionate about makeup.
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