Easy Contouring Techniques for Every Face Shape

Celebrity makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury breaks it down for us all.

The magic of  contouring — OK, it’s not really magic — can completely change up your look. With the right application of bronzer and highlighter, you can slim your nose, make cheekbones more prominent and even gain a more slender neckline. Contouring is an incredible way to highlight features you love (or fake features that you wish you had).

It might seem like the “Queen of Contouring” Kim Kardashian singlehandedly put this makeup trick on the map. Alas, contouring is actually a secret from the pros. Says celebrity makeup artist/beauty guru Charlotte Tilbury:

“You can cheat a slimmer, more sculpted and defined facial framework using bronzer in a targeted way. While blush gives you that healthy, happy flush of colour that you used to have when you were younger.”

And who doesn’t want that? But this magic can be a little tricky to achieve, especially since we all have different face shapes — and let’s be honest, all those pictures of Kim K with stripes all over her face are a little scary. So we turned to Tilbury — she’s Kate Moss’ makeup artist, didn’t you know? — for a cheat sheet on how to contour each shape face for a flawless finish. Click through to find out the best way to contour an oval-, round-, square- and heart-shaped face!

1Oval-Shaped Face:

“Apply a healthy flush of bronzer on cheekbones and lightly dusted on the forehead, ensuring it’s blended so it looks very natural,” Tilbury explained. “Apply blush directly to the apples of your cheeks with a medium sized, dome-shaped brush.”

2Round-Shaped Face:

“Focus your bronzer on the hollows of the cheekbones, jawline and chine to define and enhance the face. Place blush along the top of the cheekbones,” Tilbury advised.

3Square-Shaped Face:

“Apply bronzer along the jawline and in the hollow of the cheekbones. Also, I dust lightly at the temples. Then, dust blush across the cheekbones and apples of the cheeks.”

Charlotte’s top tip? “Use a large bronzing brush for an all-over sun-kissed glow and a smaller, tapered precision brush for contouring.’

4Heart-Shaped Face:

“Focus bronzer on the cheekbones and chin to even the face out. Then add a little onto the temples. For blush, focus it slightly lower on the cheekbones,” Tilbury advised.

READ MORE: The Jet Black Eyeliner You Need For A Kate Moss Cat-Eye