Makeup is all about looking and feeling your best. Everyone is designed differently, with a variety of face shapes, skin tones and features, which is what keeps beauty so interesting. It can be challenging to find what you feel works best with your specific brand of beauty, but there are some factors we can take into consideration, like the shape of your face. We asked celebrity makeup artists for tips on each face shape and insight on which makeup trends might suit each best. But when it comes down to it, “the truth is, any face can wear any trend,” says celebrity makeup artist Judi Gabbay. Don’t feel confined by the expert’s suggestions but take them as inspiration that can help guide you.
How do you find the makeup look that suits you?
“Finding makeup that suits you is all about trial and error; everybody’s face is different, and everyone has a different preference when it comes to looks,” says celebrity makeup artist Julia Dantas. “Trying out different styles and discovering what you like and feel best in is key.”
Although figuring out makeup can feel overwhelming, celebrity makeup artist Jamie Greenberg says you should have fun experimenting with new things and different looks. She notes that with all the different trends on TikTok, you can explore different vibes to get a sense of what you like best. “From there, you can choose products that work well for your face shape, skin type and skin tone to achieve your look.”
It comes down to focusing on what makes you feel beautiful, says Gabbay. “Love your eyes? Play them up using eyeliners and mascara. Love your skin? Enhance with luminizers and blushes. It’s all tailorable.” If you’re still feeling intimidated, Gabbay recommends finding a celebrity you look similar to for inspiration and bookmarking some of your favorite looks.
Makeup looks for each face shape
Makeup looks for a round face
For those with rounder faces, Greenberg says blush and contour are your friends. “Round faces tend to look more youthful—don’t be afraid to take advantage of that! However, if you want to sharpen up your features, you can use contour to add some edge and use blush to enhance your contour,” she says. Dantas agrees that focusing on contour to define your features is a good technique for a round face.
“Apply a heavily chiseled contour to the cheeks, forehead and jawline. Place blush higher on the cheekbones to create a lifted effect, avoiding the apples of the cheeks and nose, as this can accentuate roundness,” says Dantas. Pulling blush outward towards the temples gives the illusion of a higher cheekbone and a more chiseled face, explains Gabbay.
Greenberg says the strawberry girl makeup trend would work well with a round face, “giving you a gorgeous flush and enhancing your natural features to your advantage. A pink or red blush from Rare Beauty ($23) would be the perfect product to achieve this.”
Makeup looks for a square face
“If you have a square or rectangular face, I’d recommend going for a lighter, cleaner look. Go for a subtle highlight and pink or nude tones to achieve a natural look,” suggests Greenberg. “I love the Ilia Liquid Light Highlighter Serum ($42). This can be used to achieve a glowy clean girl look complete with glazed doughnut skin.”
People with square faces often want to soften their features. Dantas says you can do this with blush by applying it generously to the nose, apples of the cheeks and cheekbones. “You can even create a monochromatic look by using the same blush shade on your eyes and lips for a cohesive appearance.” To achieve a softer look, Gabbay recommends avoiding over-contouring and instead using the underpainting technique with highlights to enhance natural features softly.
Makeup looks for a heart-shaped face
For “top-heavy face shapes with a slimmer jaw and chin,” like heart, diamond and triangle face shapes, Dantas recommends emphasizing the lips to balance the overall appearance. “Opt for bold lip colors to draw attention to the lower half of the face, complemented by softer eye makeup and a heavier contour around the hairline,” she suggests.
Greenberg recommends going for a sunkissed girl or latte girl look for those with a heart-shaped face. “Heart-shaped faces usually feature prominent cheekbones so you don’t need heavy contouring. Simply add a bit of bronzer to your forehead to balance out the natural contour of your cheeks and add a warm blush to achieve the perfect sun-kissed look.” She loves using Kosas Sun Show Bronzer ($35) for this.
Makeup looks for an oblong face shape
“With an oblong face shape, warm up the chin and forehead with bronzer. Skip cheek contouring to avoid further elongating the face,” advises Dantas. “Instead, apply bronzer and blush to the chin and forehead to balance the face shape.” She recommends people with an oblong face shape experiment “with eye makeup techniques like graphic eyeliner, or a bolder winged out eyeshadow to widen the eyes and create the illusion of a wider face.”
Makeup looks for an oval face shape
“Oval faces are considered ideal, allowing for versatility in makeup choices,” says Dantas, and we’ve heard the same is true when it comes to haircuts. With an oval face, you can experiment with any makeup trend, from glazed doughnut to latte girl. Dantas notes that adding subtle freckles could level up the look.
