Face The Facts – How to enhance your face shape

An insight into how to distinguish what face shape you have and what to do to enhance or distract away from certain areas. This article is the first in a series, today we are concentrating on round and square face shapes.

You can enhance and draw attention to an area, using Highlighter. While, a darker colour, contouring or corrective make-up can help cover up an area you do not want others to see at first glance. For instance, a double chin or excessively square jaw line.

Round face

A round face is the most youthful face-shape. Full cheeks with the chin very noticeably rounded. Do not presume this is only selective to people holding weight! When enhancing a round face, focus the attention to the centre of the face. Highlight the forehead, down the centre of the nose and on the middle of the chin. Contour the jaw line, cheeks, temples and the side of the forehead with a foundation or powder that is a shade or two darker than your skin tone.  Celebrities with round faces including, Christina Ricci, Kate Moss, Cameron Diaz and also Drew Barrymore.

Square face

Have a parallel width at the jaw, cheeks and forehead. Broad forehead with square jaw line. The best way to enhance a square-shaped face is to highlight the centre of the forehead, just above your cheekbones, down the centre of the nose and on the centre of the chin.  Contour the corners of the hairline and temples which will divert attention from harsh corners of the face. Highlight the apples of the cheeks to complete the look. Celebrities with square faces, Demi Moore Gwyneth Paltrow and Sandra Bullock.

Long face

Heart-shape

Oval face shape

Oval shaped faces have rounded edges and balanced vertical proportions. Said to be the perfect, ideal shape for hair and make-up styles due to the proportions being in perfect balance.

The shape is a make-up artists dream down to the sheer fact that the time can be spent on creating a masterpiece instead of spending time contouring and highlighting the face so it appears as oval as possible.

One of the characteristics is that the jawline is often a bit more narrow than the temple line. Oval face shapes also tend to have very prominent cheekbones. Celebrities lucky enough to have not only fame and fortune but also have an oval shaped face includes Rihanna, Mariah Carey and also Beyoncé Knowles.