A Guide On How To Apply Makeup By Face Shape (2024)

Let’s face it (pun intended): makeup isn’t one-size-fits-all. Makeup is different for everyone. Sure, there are trends like dolphin skin and graphic liners that everyone wants to try, but the real tea? The placement of your blush, contour, and highlight should depend on your face shape. Some things about makeup are not as fluid as everything else — different faces require different techniques to make sure you flatter your natural features.

From your contouring to your blush placement, highlighter placement to your eye look, all of these depend on your face shape. Whether you have a square face or a heart-shaped one, oblong or round face, makeup placements vary for each. And if you’re still doing your makeup like every other person, it’s time to ditch the cookie-cutter techniques and personalise your routine like the queen you are.

But before we dive into the face shape makeup guide, grab a mirror (or your front camera—hello, selfies!) and figure out your face shape. Pull your hair back, snap a straight-on pic, and outline your face. Round? Oval? Square? To figure this out, draw dots across the line of your face, starting from the centre of your hairline on your forehead, and connect them from across the cheeks, jaw, and chin. There you go, you have the answer to the question! Whatever the shape, we’ve got you covered with this guide to nailing makeup for your unique canvas. Now onto the face shape makeup guide:

Round Face

Soft, curvy, and oh-so-cute, a round face is all about creating dimension. That’s the key to doing makeup for a round face shape. To contour like a pro, grab your bronzer and apply it to the top of your forehead, under your cheekbones, and along your jawline—blend, blend, blend!

Use the Simply Nam Cosmic Glow Highlighter Duo to hit the high points: the bridge of your nose, brow bones, and the apples of your cheeks. Pro tip: a little dab on your cupid’s bow and chin is the cherry on top.

When doing makeup for round face shape your blush placement also makes a difference. Just keep it two fingers away from your nose and swipe it upwards toward your ears. This placement elongates your face and gives you that snatched effect we’re all obsessed with.

Square Face

When the question of how to apply makeup by face shape arises for a square-faced person, the answer is — contrary to how it's done for a round face! A square face is all about softening those bold, edgy angles.

The best contouring for this face shape is to apply it on the temples of your forehead and the jawline. Use a fluffy brush or the Simply Nam NEW Pro Microfibre Makeup Sponge to blend the product and add softness to your otherwise sharp features.

Blush placement? Focus on the apples of your cheeks to round things out, and throw in some bronzer along the hollows of your cheeks for extra dimension. Finish with a highlighter in a C-shape, sweeping it from your cheekbones to your temples. This will give your square face a well-rounded look.

Oval Face

Congrats! You’ve got the face shape everyone low-key envies. Makeup for oval face shape is easier as an oval face is balanced, so your focus is just enhancing the symmetry.

Keep it simple with bronzer on your forehead and a light blend downward. For blush, the classic C-shape technique is your bestie — start at the temples and sweep down to the apples of your cheeks.

Highlight the high points of your face (cheekbones, nose, cupid’s bow) and go ham on your eye makeup, using the Simply Nam NEW Dawn To Dusk Eyeshadow Palette by Namrata Soni. Play around with bold colours and shimmers because, let’s be real, an oval face can pull off anything.

Oblong Face

If your face is giving tall latte vibes (longer than it is wide), the trick is to balance proportions. In this section for how to apply makeup by face shape, we’re tackling the oblong face.

This face shape has more length than width, so the focus is on adding width and reducing the length of the face. For this, contour along your hairline, under your cheekbones, and along your jawline to reduce the length visually. Blend upward toward the temples for a lifted look.

When it comes to blush, the Simply Nam Radiant Powder Magic Blush is your BFF. Apply it to the apples of your cheeks and blend outward to create width. For highlighter, keep it to the cheekbones, cupid’s bow, and brow bones — skip the forehead and chin, so it doesn’t make your face look longer.

Heart-Shaped Face

The heart-shaped face is the ultimate romantic—a wide forehead, prominent cheekbones, and a dainty chin. The key is to keep the focus on your eyes and cheekbones while softening out the forehead and chin. The best contouring for this face shape starts with the forehead and underneath the cheeks, blending the product downward in both places.

Blush placement should enhance your cheekbones, so apply two fingers away from the nose and swipe upward toward the ears. Highlight the high points like your cheekbones and the tip of your nose, but keep it minimal on the forehead.

To keep the attention at the centre of your face, you can also opt for a proper lip look to make your pout stand out. Pick your fave shade (or two) from the Simply Nam Lip Range which has a variety of options of colours for every Indian skin tone, and finishes for every type of look.

A Guide On How To Apply Makeup By Face Shape (1)

Final Touches

Understanding your face shape isn’t just a party trick; it’s the secret to levelling up your makeup game. It not only helps you understand how to apply makeup by face shape, but it also helps you flatter the best features of your face while getting the right balance.

To get the best results every time, the key is to know the best way of highlighting and contouring by face shape to get the desired look. Of course, rules are meant to be broken — if you want to apply your highlighter like you’re auditioning for Euphoria, you do you! Makeup is all about having fun, expressing your style, and owning your glow. So grab your brushes, your Simply Nam favourites, and get ready to serve looks, face shape and all.

A Guide On How To Apply Makeup By Face Shape (2024)
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