How to Contour and Highlight for Your Face Shape

Knowing how to contour and highlight your face properly can allow you to enhance your appearance. However, various face types require you to apply these products to different areas. For this, 5-Minute Crafts has prepared a visual guide that can help everyone to achieve a perfect look.

❗ Some tips:

• Always start your routine by highlighting and then applying the contour.
• Use a damp, non-latex makeup sponge for blending the edges.
• You can use a lighter shade of foundation or even concealer to highlight.
• You can use a darker shade of foundation to contour.

1. Oblong shape

You have an oblong face shape if the length of your face is around twice as long as it is wide. Normally your chin, jaw, or hairline have no defined points.

Highlight:

• Apply some highlighter under your eyes, creating an upside-down triangle shape.

Contour:

• Apply the contour in a thin line along your hairline. This will make your forehead appear visually smaller.
• Add some to your cheekbones.
• Add contour along your chin to balance out your features.

2. Rectangular shape

You have a rectangular face shape if your forehead, cheeks, and jawline are all approximately parallel in width. Your jawline looks square, and the overall shape of your face looks rather longer than it is wide.

Highlight:

• Add some highlighter below your eyes, creating a half-moon shape.
• Add some highlighter to the center of your forehead, creating an upside-down triangle shape.
• Add some highlighter to the bridge of your nose, a tiny amount above the upper lip, and to the chin.

Contour:

• Add a small touch of the contour onto your forehead along the hairline.
• Add the contour just below your cheekbones from the top of the ear, moving in the direction of your nose.
• Add the contour on the outer angle of your jaw, moving in the direction of your chin.
• Add a small amount to the sides of the bridge of your nose and to the chin.

3. Round shape

You have a round face shape if your face is fairly symmetrical, shorter in length, and the features are softer and more rounded. Your cheekbones are usually the widest part of your face.

Highlight:

• Add some highlighter under your eyes, creating an upside-down triangle. The upper side of the triangle should go along with your lower lash line, and it should point down to the apex of your cheeks.
• Add some highlighter to the center of your forehead, to the center of your chin, and along the bridge of your nose.

Contour:

• Add the contour to the upper and outer sides of your forehead at your hairline. Start at the temples and move down to the far edges of your jawline, going just under the cheekbones (at the sideburns and ear tragus).

4. Square shape

You have a square face shape if your jawline, cheekbones, and temples have defined angles and are equidistant from the center of your face.

Highlight:

• Add some highlighter to the center of your forehead.
• Add some highlighter along the bridge of your nose.
• Add a small amount of it under your eyes.
• Apply a small amount to the center of your chin.

Contour:

• Add the contour along the outer flanks of your forehead, close to the hairline.
• Add the contour to your cheekbones onto the hollows of your cheeks in alignment with your ear.
• Add a little bit of the contour to the slides of your nose and to the outer edge of your jawline.

5. Heart shape

You have a heart-shaped face if you have a wider forehead and your face gets more pointed at the jawline.

Highlight:

• Apply some lighter-colored concealer under your eyes and draw an upside-down triangle.
• Add it to the center of your forehead and to the center of your chin.

Contour:

• Add the contour starting at your temples and moving down to the cheekbones.
• Add a little bit of contour to the outer edge of your jawline.

6. Diamond shape

You have a diamond face shape if your cheekbones are the widest part of your face, while your chin and hairline are narrower.

Highlight:

• Apply some highlighter under your eyes, drawing an upside-down triangle.
• Add some of it to the middle of your forehead and to the middle of your chin.

Contour:

• Add the contour below your cheekbones, moving only halfway.

7. Oval shape

You have an oval face shape if it’s slightly upside-down and egg-shaped and has no pointed features. Also, your face is a bit longer than wider.

Highlight:

• Apply some highlighter under your eyes, drawing an upside-down triangle.
• Add some around the outer corners of your eyes and under the brow bone.
• Add some to the middle of your forehead and to the middle of your chin.

Contour:

• Add the contour to the sides of your forehead.
• Add the contour below your cheekbones, ending halfway.

8. Inverted triangle shape

You have an inverted triangle face shape if you have a rather angular forehead that looks proportionally wider than your rounded and longer chin.

Highlight:

• Apply some highlighter to your temples and to the jawline.

Contour:

• Add the contour to your forehead along the hairline and to your chin.

9. Triangle shape

You have a triangle face shape if your forehead is narrower and more rounded than your jawline with almost no appearance of cheekbones.

Highlight:

• Apply some highlighter to your temples.

Contour:

• Add the contour to your jawline and under your cheekbones.