Face Shapes, What to Highlight and Contour

Knowing how to do makeup doesn't mean you get to apply the same formula to all clients. Getting acquainted with the different face shapes will guide you how to deal with your client's features and know which areas to contour and highlight.

These are the general categories of face shapes:

1. Round

Drew Barrymore

A round face is nearly as wide as it is long. The cheeks are full, which is the widest area of the face. The forehead and chin are rounded.

What To contour:

• temples


• cheeks: suck in the cheeks and find the hollows. sweep a darker shade into the hollows and down to the chin line


• jawline What to highlight: - forehead - underneath the eyes above the cheekbones, blend upwards


• center of the chin

2. Square


Isabella Rosellini

The forehead, cheeks and jaw have the same width.

What to contour:
- temples
- apples of the cheeks to help draw away attention from the corners of the square and make it appear more oval
- jawline

What to highlight:
- forehead
- underneath the eyes
- tip of the chin


3. Heart- Shaped

Jennifer Love Hewitt

Forehead is wide which tapers to a pointed or narrow chin, like an inverted triangle

What to contour:
- temples
- cheeks

What to highlight:
- chin, to broaden it
- jawline
- underneath the eyes, just above the cheekbones to draw attention to the center of the face

4. Oval

Tyra Banks

The forehead is wider than the chin . The cheeekbones are prominent and face narrows gently downwards from the cheeks. The length of the face is greater than its width, around 1 and 1/2 times. It usually needs no contouring and highlighting as this is considered to be the ideal shape, but you can play with it.

What to contour:

• apples of the cheeks and along the cheekbones


• temples

What to highlight:

• above the cheekbones near the outer corner of the eye

5. Long



Leelee Sobieski
This face is long and thin with a more pointed chin. Similar to an oval face but with higher cheekbones and high forehead.

What to contour:
- hairline
- lower cheeks
- chin

What to highlight:
- temples
- above the cheekbones