MAKE-UP

Makeup to suit your face
People largely exhibit the following categories of faces:

Round face
Square face
Oval face
Diamond face
Rectangular face
Pear face

Round Face: A large, curved forehead with a rounded chin. The face looks full and has very few angles. Cheekbones are clearly wider than brow bone and jaw line. Widest point is at the cheeks and ears. A round face lacks dominant facial features and the principal object is to counter the roundness of the face and give it a long and elongated shape. To make the face appear longer, use makeup to create lightness from the lower lip to the chin and from the brows to the hairline.

Concealer: Begin by applying concealer to make the skin tone look equal. Apply concealer in such a way that the cheekbones are highlighted while the jaw line is lightened. Using a sponge, dab the cream under the eyes. Blend it in upon the sides of the nose and out to the upper cheeks. Highlight the centre portions of your face by applying concealer on the forehead and chin.

Foundation: For redefining a round face you need foundation of two different shades, one light and one dark, which should be just one shade deeper than your skin tone. Place the darker foundation, in the fullness of your temples, as well as in the fullness of your jaw line. Keep the chin clear - this helps to make the face look longer. Smooth the liquid into the skin using a sponge. If you find that you have fullness under your chin and your neck, apply the darker foundation down in that area. Blend the lighter foundation into the same central areas that you placed the concealer - under the eyes, on the nose, chin and forehead. Use a translucent powder to lightly cover the area.

Final Touch: After the face shape has been corrected with foundation, apply a contour powder and blush. Place the contour powder on the fullness of the temples with a makeup brush. Continue to blend the powder down along the fullness of the jaw, keeping the chin clear. Finally, apply blush directly onto the cheekbones.

Square Shaped Face: A square shaped face has a straight hairline and a square jaw line. Therefore you have to create an illusion of length. Your goal should be to soften the sharp angle of jaw line and minimize your squared-off brow. A square-shaped face has very strong features at the temples and the jaw line. Thus the main focus will be to elongate the appearance of the face by bringing lightness to the cheekbones, the centre of the forehead and the chin.

Concealer: Apply concealer to the top of the forehead, the chin and on any kind of lines that you want to minimize. Take the sponge and blend the makeup into the face. The cover up should extend from under the eyes all the way up into the temples, especially if the facial structure recedes in that area.

Foundation: Using two different colour foundations, apply the deeper shade in the areas that you want to minimize i.e., the square parts of the forehead and square parts of the jaw line. Blend the makeup into the skin, avoiding the chin. You may wish to bring a bit under the neck as well. Apply the lighter foundation to the same spots that you used the concealer - chin, forehead and cheekbones. Apply translucent powder to all areas of the face with a cosmetic sponge.

Final Touch: Apply contour powder to the same areas as you placed the warmer foundation. Cover the square areas of the temples, keeping the centre light. Apply the powder below the cheekbones and bring it forward right along the square jaw. Using a makeup brush, apply the powder to the cheekbones from the ear to the outer corner of the eye. Remember not to bring the blush too high - you'll draw attention to the square features of the face and negate the emphasis you just created for the cheekbones.

Oval Face: Oval is a perfectly balanced face; the top half balances the bottom half. Those who have oval face are extremely lucky coz they have a perfectly balanced face. The oval face is considered the most aesthetically balanced face. Accentuate your best features by applying makeup that will bring out the centre part of your face.

Concealer: Apply the concealer covering the area from underneath the eyes to the outer cheekbones. Use a bit in the centre of the forehead as well.

Foundation: Use two different shades of foundation. Apply the darker foundation to the temples. Apply more of the makeup along the outer cheek and jaw line, being sure to include the chin. Next, get your lighter foundation and place that in the centre of the face, including the areas around the eyes, nose, lower forehead and upper lip.

Final Touch: Contour powder is to be applied with a makeup brush to the fullness of the forehead. Starting from the back of the bone, blend the powder into the area below the cheekbones and down the jaw line. Apply blush to the cheekbones, moving the brush forward.

Pear Face: Pear shaped face has a wide forehead and a narrow chin line. For a pear-shaped face, the wide jaw line is the major point of focus. Thin temples just add to this effect. Through the use of contouring and softening makeup, you can bring the look of this face into balance.

Concealer: Place some cream concealer on a cosmetic sponge and apply it around the eye, on the nose and in the centre of the forehead. Stay away from any where in the jaw area.

Foundation: You will need two shades of foundation, one dark and one light. Using a cosmetic sponge, dot the darker foundation along your full jaw line (including the chin) and in the upper portion of the forehead. Blend. Take the lighter foundation and apply it to the same areas that you covered with concealer - under the eye out to the cheekbones, over the nose, across the temples.

Final Touch: Using a makeup brush, apply contour powder below the cheekbones down to the jaw and across the chin. This will help to further minimize the full jaw line. Applying blush can be a bit tricky on this shape of face. Apply blush to the cheekbones. By dividing the face in half in this manner, the emphasis remains on the cheekbones.