When you want to look good, you can always rely on makeup to help you achieve a flawless look. From hiding that unsightly zit to covering up the dark circles under your eyes, makeup is a powerful tool that can do wonders for your face. Makeup can be used not just to conceal flaws, but also to sculpt and highlight your facial features. When applied the right way, makeup can even slim your face, giving the illusion of a slender, delicate bone structure and facial features.
Here are ten cool makeup tricks to help you slim your face. There’s something for everyone here. Whether you’re an expert at applying makeup or a total novice, you can find something in here that matches your skill level. So go head and find out what you can do to tone your face and make it look thin.
1. Apply Blush the Right Way
One of the easiest ways to make your face look slender is to create an illusion of high cheekbones. And to do that, you need to master the art of applying blush. When it comes to blush, always remember that less is more. Use a powder blush with brown/bronze tones, applying it just under your cheekbone and blending it from the bone to the middle of the ear. Blend well to ensure that the blush looks as natural as possible. Doing this will help give you high cheekbones as opposed to applying the blush on the apple of your cheeks (which can actually make your face look fuller and more rounded). Use powder blush rather than cream ones as powder blushes are much more easier to apply and blend. Creams can be a little difficult to blend and might not offer the same seamless result as a powder blush.
2. Conceal Dark Circles
While this one should go without saying, it is amazing how many people neglect this crucial step. No matter what you do, unless you cover up and conceal the dark circles or bags under your eyes, your face will just not look slim. Dark circles and bags under the eyes weigh down the face, making it look aged and tired. So use a good concealer to cover them up, before concentrating on other parts of your face. Remember, looking like a racoon has never been in style!
3. Define Your Eyebrows
If there’s one thing that all makeup artists agree on, it is that your eyebrows can make or break your look. The next time you flip through a fashion magazine, take a minute to notice the eyebrows of the models featured in it. Notice how they all have bold eyebrows that are perfectly shaped? Now image the same person with a thin, barely-there eyebrow? Not so gorgeous then, right? See what a big difference a pair of seemingly innocuous brows can make? If you have thin, scant eyebrows, then go ahead and use an eyebrow powder or pencil to shape it and make it look fuller. Angular, well-defined brows help make your face look slimmer and more attractive. And while you’re at it, apply a highlighter or a pale eyeshadow, with a subtle shimmer, on the arch of your brows. Doing this will help further highlight your brows and give them a defined and clean look.
4. Wear a Light Pink or Peach Color Lipstick
Did you know that dark lip colors can actually make your face look wide? To avoid this scenario, opt for light shades of pink or peach instead. Not only will these colors help make your face look slender, they will also help in making you look younger. Talk about an added bonus! So say no to gothic-purples and blood-reds and stick to light, soft hues. You can also wear nude lipsticks, but a problem with them is that they can make you look washed out if the shade is not exactly right.
5. Make Bronzer Your Best Friend
When it comes to your face, there is nothing more horrifying than the dreaded double chin. Ever taken a low angle photo of yourself, only to see the double chin glaring back at you? Even celebrities who usually appear well put together have fallen prey to this phenomenon on many occasions. Sagging skin right under your face is just not an attractive look to sport, no matter who you are. So what can you do to get rid of your chin’s evil twin? Well, apart from a healthy diet and exercise, nothing short of going under the knife can get rid of the stubborn double chin. But there’s hope yet, ladies! While you may not be able to get rid of it, you can definitely camouflage the ugly double chin, taking years off of your face. Turn to your trusty BFF, the bronzer, to help you out. Using a contouring brush, define your jaw line (with a bronzer that suits your skin tone). Make sure you go all the way from the middle of your chin to the bottom of your ears on both sides. Blend well to ensure that there are no harsh lines visible. Next, take a buffering blush, pick up a little bronzer on it and applying under your chin, blending it onto your neck. The result? The bronzer effectively hides the double chin, taking ages off your look. Bring on the low angle shots now!
The bronzer can also be used to make your neck look thinner. You don’t want to end up with a slim face and a stocky neck! That will look so wrong and weird. So to thin out your neck, apply the bronzer in a vertical line to the outer sides of your neck and blend it inwards. Make sure to also apply some bronzer to the underside of your chin to add some depth and definition. To take things a step further, apply bronzer to your decollage to highlight your breast bone and cleavage.
6. Let Your Eyes Do The Talking
Make your eyes dramatic with the cat-eye look. While a smoky-eyed look will work as well, the cat-eye look is particularly effective at slimming down the face, thanks to its clean, sharp lines. It will help play up your eyes, taking attention away from the rest of your face. Also, when you use an eyeliner to elongate your lash line, thereby making your eyes look bigger, the rest of your face ends up looking much more slender than it really is. Do you need any more reasons to go feline with your peepers? Finish the look with a set of false lashes, or two or more generous coatings of mascara, and let your eyes do all the talking!
7. Shape Your Nose
If you have a broad nose, then you know that that’s the area you need to fix to attain a slimmer look. Using a powder than it’s a couple of shades darker than your skin tone, draw thin lines on the sides of your nose. Blend well it there are no stark lines. Then using a concealer or a highlighter that’s a couple of shades lighter than your skin tone, draw a straight line down the bridge of your nose. Again, blend well. The end result is a slimmer looking nose! Who needs a nose job when there’s makeup to help us out, right? This trick works just as well for those who have a flat nose that needs a little definition to stand out.
8. Highlight Like a Pro
The trick to make a wide face look slimmer is to focus the attention on the centre of the face. And to do that, you need to learn to highlight like a pro. Highlighting is a pretty easy makeup technique. Basically, when you highlight an area, you are encouraging light to reflect off of it, thereby bringing attention to the highlighted spot. So which areas of the face should be highlighted? Ideally, the center of the forehead, under the eyes, on the bridge of the nose, on the cupid’s bow and the center of the chin are all areas that should be highlighted. You can either use a highlighting pen or a concealer to do this. Just use a highlighter sparingly or you might end up looking like a shiny disco ball! And always, always use the right makeup brush. You cannot use a brush that is too broad or too narrow. Find out that works well at dispensing just enough product and buffing out and blending it well. While you can use your fingers or a beauty blender to contour and conceal, when it comes to highlighting, brushes are the one and only way to go. Don’t even think about using your fingers for this!
9. Tackle Contouring
It’s time to bring out the big guns! Contouring has taken the makeup world by storm. From amateur makeup enthusiasts to professional makeup artists, everyone seems to be raving about this makeup technique. If you’re one of those women who’s managed to stay away from contouring up till now, it’s time to take the plunge and jump on the contouring bandwagon, sister! The reason contouring has become so popular is because it delivers fantastic results. Contouring is, in simple terms, the process of manipulating the facial features with dark and light shades to create a defined, aesthetically pleasing facial structure. So this means that you need to figure out what you wish to achieve with contouring. If you have a wide forehead, then applying a darker shade of foundation to the outer corners of your forehead, and applying a highlighter to the center, will help create an illusion of a narrow forehead. Similarly, if you have a square jaw line, then contour using a darker shade on the outer corners of your jaw and blend it in to make your jaws appear more rounded and narrow. Once you get the hang of it, contouring can be a really fun way to enhance your looks and create some interesting variations.
If you’re new to contouring, before you go ahead and buy one of those super expensive contouring kits, try some basic contouring using a bronzer or a brown eyeshadow. Why waste money on something unless you know for sure you’ll be using it extensively. Also, another thing to remember is that contouring is a pretty time-consuming process. So if you don’t have the patience for it or can’t afford to spend a minimum of thirty minutes on makeup, then it’s definitely not for you. Contouring, when done right, can make you look like you just got off the runway. But if done wrong, it will look like you stayed out in the sun for too long and have a bad case of sunburn! So be careful and blend your contours well! Blending is what give you that flawless, smooth look.
10. Use Neutral Shades
Using neutral shades, as opposed to bright colors, is a good idea when aiming for a slimmer look. So be sure to use shades that complete your natural skin tone. The aim is to subtly enhance your features without being too obvious about it. If you don’t already own one, then you should seriously consider investing in a good nude shades palette. After all, a girl can never have too many nudes!
Other Clever Ways to Slim Your Face
Apart from makeup, there are a couple of other tricks that you can do to make your face look thin.
Wear Long Earrings
Wearing long earrings helps make your face look longer (and therefore, thinner). So when you’re pressed for time and can’t afford to put on a face full of makeup, just grab a pair of long earrings to help your cause. Doing this also helps your neck look delicate and slender. Now who would say no to that?
Get a Tan
Another cool trick to make your face appear slim is to get a tan. A nice tan gives your skin a healthy glow, making you look thin and toned. If roasting out in the sun is just not your thing, there are some really good tan sprays and creams available in the market. Find one that suits your skin and your lifestyle and have fun flaunting a tanned, toned-looking body and face! If you’re planning on getting tanned naturally, you might need to invest in a new shade of foundation as your regular shade might be too light for you post the tan.
Get Your Hair to Help You Out
Your hair is the perfect accomplice and can really help you out in your mission to look slim. If you have a wide forehead, then getting wispy bangs will help cover it up and make your face look slim. If you feel your jawline is too broad, then you can get bangs where the fringe is shorter in the middle and longer at the sides. Doing this will help soften the jawline and make your face look less square and more angular. You can also ask your hair stylist about getting highlights or a balyage done to help make you look thin. Hair colors and highlights can work wonders to create an illusion of a more toned, younger-looking face. Teasing the roots to create volume at the top of your head is another quick trick to help make your face look slim. And here’s what you need to avoid: big curls that make you look like you time-travelled from the 60s. Also avoid short haircuts if you can as bobs and other short haircuts tend to make you look fuller and more round.
Use A Photo Editor App
Feeling lazy and don’t want to bother with makeup? Well, then, just cheat. While you can click a button and have your face magically transform, what you can do is make your face look absolutely flawless with the help of a good photo editing app. Simply click a selfie, edit it and post it for likes and compliments. Sure, it’s not the real thing, but every girl needs some digital makeover magic to help her out every now and then!
Makeup has evolved in leaps and bounds over the years. But one thing remains constant, and that is the purpose of makeup. Makeup has always been used to enhance one’s facial features, add dimension and depth to create a piece of art. There is a reason why the makeup industry is one of the fastest growing, multibillion-dollar industry. While there are other permanent solutions like cosmetic surgery to ‘’fix’’ flaws, makeup is a much cheaper and flexible alternative. We’ve seen too many horror stories of women who spent a fortune to go under the knife, only to end up looking worse than they did before the surgery. So no thanks, we’ll just experiment with makeup. It’s so much more fun, with little to no lasting repercussions.
