Makeup for a round face

The approach

A round face has soft, even proportions and no straight lines. Makeup for it uses shadow along the sides to narrow the outline, light down the centre to lengthen it, blush placed high and diagonal to lift, and a brow with a defined arch to add an angle. None of this is heavy; the effect comes from placement, not quantity.

Contour placement for a round face

• Sides of the face: a soft shadow from the temples, down the outer edge of the cheekbones toward the corner of the jaw. This is the main contour for a round face and it narrows the outline.
• Under the cheekbones: a diagonal sweep starting at the ear and angled toward the corner of the mouth, stopping below the outer corner of the eye. The diagonal adds an angle; keep it above the level of the nostrils so it lifts rather than drags.
• Jaw: a little contour under the jawline from ear to chin sharpens the edge and separates the face from the neck.
• Hairline: optional, and only at the outer corners; contouring across the whole forehead shortens the face, which a round face does not need.

Use a cool-toned matte contour a couple of shades deeper than the skin, and blend until the edges disappear.

Highlight

Highlight runs down the centre: bridge of the nose, centre of the forehead, cupid's bow and the centre of the chin. This vertical line of light lengthens the face. Add a touch on the tops of the cheekbones, kept high and toward the temple. Avoid highlighting the apples of the cheeks, which widens.

Blush

Blush placement matters more on a round face than on any other. Apply it above the apples, on the cheekbone, and blend diagonally upward toward the temple. This lifts the face. Blush on the apples themselves, blended outward horizontally, adds width at the widest point and makes the face rounder.

Pick colour by undertone; the face shape test reports it. Warm undertones suit peach and warm coral, cool undertones suit rose and berry.

Brow shape for a round face

A brow with a clear arch is one of the few ways to put an angle on a round face. Aim for a peak about two-thirds of the way along the brow, above the outer edge of the iris, with a defined tail that tapers toward the temple. Keep the brows a little longer than feels natural; a short brow makes the face look wider.

Avoid a flat, straight brow, which draws a horizontal line, and a very rounded brow that repeats the outline.

Eyes and lips

On the eyes, emphasis that extends outward and slightly upward, such as a winged liner and outer-corner lashes, lifts the face. On the lips, a defined cupid's bow adds a little vertical; overlining the sides of the mouth adds width, so keep any overlining to the bow and the centre of the lower lip.

A simple routine

1. Base as usual.
2. Contour the sides of the face from temple to jaw, and a diagonal under the cheekbones.
3. Highlight down the centre: forehead, nose, cupid's bow, chin.
4. Blush high on the cheekbone, blended toward the temple.
5. Brows with a defined arch and a long tail.

The round face overview explains the proportions this routine is working with.