Have you ever followed a makeup tutorial step by step, only to look in the mirror and feel like something still wasn’t quite right? According to professional makeup artist Smitha Deepak, the issue often comes down to one thing: your face shape.
“Every face shape is unique, beautiful, and different,” Smitha explains. “The right placement of contour, blush, and highlight can beautifully enhance your natural features. Think of makeup like fashion—what flatters one body type may not suit another. The same goes for your face.”
To illustrate this, Smitha used AI to transform her own face into six of the most common face shapes—round, oval, square, heart, diamond, and rectangular—and then demonstrated how makeup techniques should adapt to each. Here’s her breakdown:
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Round Face
With fuller cheeks and softer angles, the goal is to elongate and add dimension.
- Contour: Along the temples, under the cheekbones, and jawline to sculpt and slim.
- Blush: Place above the apples of the cheeks, not directly on them, for a lifted effect.
- Highlight: Keep it centered—forehead, nose bridge, under eyes, and chin—for brightness and height.
“This creates so much lift and definition without exaggerating the roundness,” Smitha says.
Oval Face
Oval faces are naturally balanced, so the key is subtle enhancement.
- Contour: Lightly under the cheekbones and sides of the nose.
- Blush: Sweep from the center of the cheeks upward for a youthful lift.
- Highlight: Tops of cheekbones, brow bone, and cupid’s bow for a radiant glow.
“Oval faces are versatile,” Smitha notes. “You don’t need to overdo it—just enhance the symmetry.”
Square Face
Strong jawlines and broad foreheads benefit from softening techniques.
- Contour: Temples, jawline corners, and lightly under the cheekbones.
- Blush: Apply higher on the cheekbones in circular motions for balance.
- Highlight: Focus on the forehead center, chin, and cheekbones to draw the eye inward.
“Soft rounded brows and a gentle blush placement can really harmonize angular features,” she shares.
Heart-Shaped Face
Wider at the temples and narrow at the chin, the aim is balance.
- Contour: Temples and directly under the chin (avoid sides of the jaw).
- Blush: Just below the apples of the cheeks, blending outward.
- Highlight: Forehead center, under eyes, and nose bridge for a natural lift.
“Creamy products blend beautifully with this face shape, creating softness,” says Smitha.
Diamond Face
Defined cheekbones are already the star here—less is more.
- Contour: Gentle shadow under the cheekbones only.
- Blush: Below cheekbones, blended outward but not too high.
- Highlight: Center of the face and cheekbones for balance.
“With a diamond face, the goal is soft sculpting, not harsh lines,” she emphasizes.
Rectangular (Oblong) Face
Longer proportions benefit from creating width.
- Contour: Along the hairline and chin to shorten length visually.
- Blush: Sweep horizontally from apples of cheeks outward.
- Highlight: Keep it centered—forehead, nose, chin, and mid-cheek.
“This technique helps balance the length and creates the illusion of width,” Smitha explains.
The bottom line
At the end of the day, Smitha reminds us that makeup is never about changing who you are. “Your face shape is your unique canvas,” she says. “Makeup isn’t about transformation—it’s about enhancing what you already have.”
