Analyzing Your Face Shape

To use makeup effectively, you need to be aware of the exact shape of your face. Unfortunately, few of us are blessed with the perfect oval and instead fall into the categories of square, heart, round, or long, as well as oblong or triangle, and some of us may be mixtures of these shapes. To analyze your face shape, pull your hair back from your forehead so you can get an overall picture and examine your bone structure carefully in a mirror. Look at your cheekbones, the shape of your jawline and forehead, and the fullness of your cheeks. Pick out your key features and then compare your analysis with the five different face shapes shown here. Once you are aware of the true shape of your face, you can learn how to apply foundation and blusher to create more of an oval outline. If you think that your face is a mixture of different shapes, take the key features you can recognize and correct them accordingly.

Basic Face Shapes

Square
This shape is easily identified by its solid bone structure and square jawline. The forehead is wide and angled, while the cheekbones tend to be flat and unnoticeable. Cheeks often look plump.

Heart
This face is marked by being broad at the top and narrow at the bottom. It can appear long, too. and the chin pointed and prominent. Cheekbones may be high, but often do not show because of the width of the face.

Round
Here, the forehead, cheeks, and chin practically form a circle, which can make features look flat and uninteresting. The cheeks are often plump and full, obscuring the cheekbones.

Long
This shape can have cither a long forehead or a long chin; features may look drawn and rather raw-boned, creating a tired effect. Cheekbones lack lift becausc of the length of the face.

Oval
The oval face shape has high, sculpted cheekbones with a softly curved jawline that finishes in a delicate chin. The length of the forehead balances the lower part of the face and features look even and neat.