Contouring and highlighting can completely transform the way your face looks in photos and in person. When done correctly, these techniques create the illusion of higher cheekbones, a slimmer jawline, and a more balanced facial structure. But when done poorly, contouring leaves obvious brown stripes on the cheeks and highlight makes the face look shiny rather than glowy.
The key to natural-looking contour and highlight is placement that suits your unique face shape. A contour placement that flatters a round face will look unnatural on a square face, and highlight that works for an oval face may not suit a heart-shaped face. This guide provides placement maps for the five most common face shapes, along with product and blending recommendations.
Identifying Your Face Shape
Before you can contour effectively, you need to know your face shape. Pull your hair back away from your face and look straight into a mirror. Use a lip liner or dry erase marker to trace the outline of your face on the mirror. Step back and look at the shape you drew.
Round faces have nearly equal width and length with full cheeks and a rounded chin. The widest part is the cheeks. Oval faces are longer than they are wide with a gently rounded jawline and forehead that is slightly wider than the chin. Square faces have a strong jawline with sharp angles, and the forehead, cheeks, and jaw are approximately the same width. Heart-shaped faces are wide at the forehead and temples and narrow to a pointed chin. Diamond faces are widest at the cheekbones with a narrow forehead and narrow chin, creating angular cheekbones.
If your face does not fit neatly into one category, you likely have a combination shape. For example, many people have an oval face with square jaw elements or a heart shape with round cheeks. In those cases, follow the dominant shape for overall contour placement and adjust specific areas as needed.
"The most common contouring mistake is applying product too low on the cheeks. Contour belongs under the cheekbone, not on the apples of the cheeks. Feel for the hollow of your cheekbone with your finger — that dip is exactly where contour should go. Anything lower drags the face down visually."
Contour Placement by Face Shape
Contour products are meant to create shadows that make certain areas of the face recede, creating the illusion of depth and structure. The general principle is that contour goes where shadows naturally fall — under the cheekbones, along the jawline, at the temples, and down the sides of the nose.
For round faces, contour along the outer edges of the face from the temples down to the jawline, creating a more oval appearance. Focus contour under the cheekbones in a diagonal line from the ear toward the corner of the mouth. For oval faces, the goal is to shorten the appearance of the face. Contour across the top of the forehead near the hairline and under the chin, with light contour under the cheekbones to add definition.
Square faces benefit from softening the angular jawline. Apply contour along the jawline from the ears to the chin, blending downward. Add contour at the corners of the forehead to soften the hairline. Heart-shaped faces need contour at the temples to reduce the width of the forehead and along the jawline below the cheekbones to add width to the lower face. Diamond faces should contour at the temples and along the jawline to balance the wide cheekbones, with minimal contour on the cheekbones themselves.
Highlight Placement by Face Shape
Highlight brings light forward to emphasize the high points of your face. The general rule is that highlight goes where light naturally hits — the tops of the cheekbones, the bridge of the nose, the cupid’s bow, the center of the forehead, and the center of the chin.
For round faces, focus highlight on the center of the forehead and the center of the chin to add length to the face, plus the tops of the cheekbones to lift the center of the face. Oval faces can apply highlight broadly — the tops of the cheekbones, center of the forehead, bridge of the nose, and cupid’s bow all benefit from highlighting. Square faces should concentrate highlight on the center of the forehead and center of the chin to draw attention inward, with subtle highlight on the cheekbones.
Heart-shaped faces benefit from highlight on the cheekbones and cupid’s bow, with minimal highlight on the forehead to avoid drawing attention to the wide upper face. Diamond faces look best with highlight on the center of the forehead and chin to add width where it is needed, plus the cheekbones to enhance the natural angular structure.
Cream vs Powder: Choosing Your Formula
Contour and highlight products come in cream and powder formulations, and each has advantages depending on your skin type, the look you want to achieve, and your experience level.
Cream contour and highlight blend into the skin more naturally than powders and are ideal for dry and mature skin because they do not settle into fine lines or dry patches. Cream formulas create a more believable, skin-like finish because they melt into foundation rather than sitting on top of it. The trade-off is that creams require more blending time and a lighter hand to avoid removing the foundation underneath. Apply cream products after foundation and before setting powder.
Powder contour and highlight are easier to apply and blend, making them the better choice for beginners. They work best on oily and combination skin because they add longevity and control shine. Powders are applied after setting powder and are easier to build or sheer out. The finish is generally less natural than creams but the application is more forgiving. Many makeup enthusiasts own both formulas — cream for natural daytime looks and powder for long-wear evening looks.
Tools and Blending Techniques
The tool you use to apply and blend contour and highlight matters as much as the product itself. The wrong brush can muddy your carefully placed product, while the right one creates a seamless finish in seconds.
For cream contour, use a flat, angled brush to apply the product in precise lines, then blend with a damp makeup sponge. The sponge should be damp, not wet — squeeze out all excess water until it expands slightly. Bounce the sponge over the contour lines rather than swiping, which pushes the product into the skin instead of moving it around. For cream highlight, use your ring finger to pat the product onto the high points of the face. Finger warmth helps cream products melt into the skin.
For powder contour, use an angled contour brush with firm but fluffy bristles. Tap off excess powder before applying to avoid harsh lines. Blend using circular motions at the edges of the contour line. For powder highlight, use a fan brush or a tapered highlighting brush for precise application on the cheekbones and a fluffy eyeshadow blending brush for the nose and cupid’s bow area.
The most important technique for both formulas is blending edges until no lines are visible. The difference between natural contouring and obvious contouring is entirely in the blending. Take an extra thirty seconds to blend the edges of every product, and your contour and highlight will look like natural shadows and light rather than makeup.