Contouring to Achieve Symmetry

The concept of "ideal beauty" has changed constantly throughout time. However, one belief has remained constant- woman and men who are considered the most beautiful, have been found to have significantly symmetrical facial features.

There are six different face shapes: oval, round, pear, heart, square and long. The oval face shape is considered the perfect shape because of its symmetry.

For those women who do not have an oval face shape, there are many ways that you can create the illusion of a more symmetrical shape- the key is contouring and it's not difficult at all once you get the hang of it.

There are many ways that you can contour your face- using powders, foundations and bronzers. If you want to achieve a more natural look, then use a foundation. However, it's important to know that powder is easier to use. You can always layer powder with MAC's Fix + to achieve a radiant natural look.

Here is a look to try using powders. I will also create a list of beauty products to try in order to achieve this look.

Products Needed:

* Use a foundation and powder that are true to your natural skin colour

* A highlighter powder (or a powder one to two shades lighter than your original skin colour)
such as MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish Powder in Soft and Gentle.

* A bronzing powder without any shimmer (or a powder two shades darker than your original

skin colour) such as Nars Laguna Bronzer (for medium to darker skin tones) and Nars

blush in Deep Throat if you are lighter.

Steps to Contouring Your Face:

1. The easiest way to understand how to contour for any face shape is to imagine an oval shape inside your face.

2. Once you have identified the oval shape, apply bronzer to darken any area "outside" the

oval. Use circular motions to create a natural, streak-free application.

3. Highlight parts of the face that are "inside" the oval (I.e., parts of your cheekbones,

forehead, nose, chin, above the upper lip).

Kareena Kapoor's Contouring:

Notice the contouring to Kareena Kapoor's face. Although Kareena Kapoor does not have an oval face (it's more of a square with a strong jaw line), she is still quite stunning. Therefore, Kareeena has darkened the area outside of her oval. If you notice, she has applied bronzer to the outside perimeter of her face and has highlighted the inside portion to create the illusion of a perfectly symmetrical oval face.

So don't fret about not having model-worthy bone structure. You're beautiful and unique- there's nothing wrong with enhancing your natural beauty with makeup. So have fun with this and I'll try to add a post about face shapes later on this week.

Left: Nars Blush in Deep Throat

Right: Nars Bronzer in Laguna