How to Contour According to Your Face Shape

While contouring has revolutionised the world of beauty, it's often hard to get right. Besides makeup artists and beauty moguls who have mastered the art of sculpting, the common woman (and man) struggle to add dimension to their face the correct way. 

"Where to apply the bronzer?", "How do I highlight?", "Do I pick a shade lighter or darker?" are a few of the many common concerns faced by most of us.

If you've finally decided to brush up on your contouring skills (pun intended), the first step requires you to identify the shape of your face; round, square, oblong, diamond or heart-shaped. Since it can be a rather tricky task—especially if you're an amateur—we got celebrity makeup artist Ashima Kapoor to share some pro-tips and breakdown the ideal way to contour your face.

 

Round Face

With the cheekbones being the widest part of the round-shaped face, the face tends to be fuller, with fewer angles. To contour your round face, use a contour shadow in a darker shade on your temples, cheekbones and on the sides of the jawline, to give your face dimension.

 

Square Face

In the square-shaped face, the jaw has sharp angles and the forehead, cheekbones and jawline will be around the same width. To contour your square face, use a contour shadow in a darker shade on the sides of your forehead and the jawline, to make it look less prominent.

 

Oblong Face

The oblong-shaped face is an elongated version of the oval face—the lower half of your face is longer than the top. To contour your oblong face, contour the forehead area into the hairline, and the tip of your chin. 

 

Heart Face

The heart-shaped face has a larger forehead angled towards the chin, finishing into a point. To contour your heart face, contour the sides of your forehead and soften your strong jawline. 

 

Diamond Face

With the cheekbones sitting nice and high, the diamond-shaped face features a narrow forehead and a small chin. To contour your diamond face, contour below the cheekbones, starting at your ears and ending in the middle of the cheeks.