Contouring is essentially the art of sculpting the illusion of depth to enhance our natural features. Contour products tend to be cool toned to mimic the appearance of shadow – things in shadow tend to look smaller, so it is a great tool to make certain features disappear while emphasising features you want to highlight.
While all our face shapes are different and you can contour wherever makes you feel the best, we have put together a general guide to contouring for different face shapes.
Round faces tend to have soft edges, with the cheeks being the widest points of the face. Celebrities like Ginnifer Goodwin, Gemma Chan and Selena Gomez are notable examples of this shape.
Generally, the goal of contouring a round face is to add angular dimension.
Using our Instant Contour Beauty Wand, dab dots from your forehead, to cheekbones, to jawline in an unbroken 3-shaped blend. Continue to apply it along the natural angle of your jawline to your chin, blending with our Dual-Sided Blender Sponge or Pro Foundation & Buffing Brush.
Oval faces are balanced, with a soft taper at the jawline. Celebrities like Beyonce, Emily Blunt and Rihanna embody this shape.
As the proportions of the face are balanced, contour is simply there to add definition.
Dab our Instant Contour Beauty Wand around the hairline and underneath the cheekbones, and along the jawline if desired, before blending with our Highlight & Contour Makeup Blender or Pro Foundation & Buffing Brush.
Diamond faces are indicated by angular definition, with cheekbones being the widest part of the face. Christina Ricci, Halle Berry and Angela Bassett are a few examples of this face type.
Often contour is focused on the cheeks with the diamond shape to add softness while flattering the natural angles of the face.
Dab the Instant Contour Beauty Wand from the top of your ear towards your mouth, before blending upwards using our Highlight & Contour Makeup Blender or Pro Foundation & Buffing Brush.
Those with heart shaped faces tend to have a tapered chin with a broader forehead – think of actresses like Chloe Grace Moretz, Reese Witherspoon and Scarlett Johannson.
Balance is key when contouring a heart shaped face.
Focus on adding shadow and dimension to the hairline and forehead with our Instant Contour Beauty Wand, adding a sculpted wash on the cheekbones blended seamlessly with our Angled Blender Sponge or Pro Foundation & Buffing Brush.
People with square shaped faces tend to have a strong and defined jawline that is balanced with their hairline – Lucy Liu, Olivia Wilde and Paris Hilton are examples of this shape.
When contouring a square shaped face, often the goal is to add softness to counteract any hard angles.
A wash of our Instant Contour Beauty Wand dabbed along the edges of your jawline matched with subtle contouring to your temples and hairline will add softness and dimension in all the right places. As always, a contour swept at the cheekbones will add flattering depth. Blend with our Magic Makeup Blender.
At the end of the day, all faces are beautiful and unique, and we deserve to use makeup however it makes us feel the best. Play around with placement, after all makeup is not permanent and we are free to practice and try again!
So, are you ready to get started?
Shop our collection of contouring products and accessories now!
