Makeup and Face Shape: What Works for You?
It seems there are hundreds of makeup styles available, from the smoky-eye to bit-of-blush and everything in between.
Your best friend’s great look may leave you looking too clownish, but when she tries yours, she might look like a ghost
What works for you depends mostly on your face shape.
Faces come in just as many varieties as bodies, and it’s important to dress your face in a way that works for you, not in some one-size-fits-all paint. Your friends at Health and Style Institute want you to have the tools you need to work with your face, starting with an understanding of what your shape demands.
Heart-Shaped
This shape tends to give a narrow chin and a wide forehead. Because there’s enough emphasis on your chin already, we need to draw the focus towards other parts of your face. Use sheer pinks and reds on your lips to play up the gorgeous frame your chin and cheeks already give them.
For the other colors, use soft, feminine tones to downplay the sharpness of the bone structure. Avoid highlighting your cheeks with shimmer or sheen, and instead use a matte textured blush to give a touch of color. Also, stay away from harsh liners, and instead use gels and pencils for a softer look.
Round
Here, your cheeks and forehead are about the same width, making your cheeks prominent. To add a little definition to your cheekbones, put some bronzer underneath them and highlighter on top. It creates a shadow illusion that emphasizes that area. You can also create angles in your face using your eyebrows. Don’t necessarily go for a sharp look, but add some color to highlight the natural angle your brows have.
Because the shape of the face focuses on the cheeks and foreheads, use makeup to bring the focus to your eyes. A round face shape is perfect for pulling off a smoky-eye, and you can add more drama by using liquid eyeliners.
Square
This face shape has a very angular jawbone and hairline. Because the angles are so definite, the goal of makeup is to soften the look using natural, feminine tones. Opt for rosy tones and avoid bright and harsh lip colors and eyeliners. For your lips, use corals and sheer lip gloss.
One easy way to enhance the girly look of your face is to play up your eyelashes. Apply two coats of mascara to really make them stand out and seem a bit more flirty.
Oval
If your forehead and lower face are the same shape, with very long sides, you have an oval face shape. Here, we want to add some angles, so use a rosy or bronze blush in a vertical line across your cheeks to really emphasize the cheekbone. The more you play up your cheeks and eyes, the more definition you’ll give your face.
For your lips, use a lip liner to add some extra definition. You can achieve a similar effect in your eyes by using a soft primary eye shadow, then applying a darker shade to the creases. Anything that will bring focus to a particular part of your face will be useful because it creates depth and shape that wasn’t previously there.
And no matter your face shape, the most beautiful look? A genuine smiling face!
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