How to Analyze Your Face for Makeup Application

In order for makeup to be applied so that you will look your most beautiful, you must first understand your facial structure; your best facial features; the features you want to accent; and the features you want to downplay. All of that begins with a thorough analysis of your face.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A lighted mirror;
• A list of colors that you normally wear;
• Paper;
• Pencils or pens;
• Contour powder one shade lighter than your skin tone;
• Contour powder one shade darker than your skin tone;
• Various eyeliner shades (brown, black, navy);
• Highlighter (pen, powder, foundation; whatever form you prefer);
• Various eyeshadow colors;
• Eyebrow pencil to match your natural color; and
• Various shades of lipstick.

How to Analyze Your Face for Makeup Application

1. Begin by considering your facial features as a whole. This will enable you to move forward in the analysis with your eyes open.

2. Determine the shape of your face. A round face is nearly as wide as it is long with a small, short forehead, full cheeks, and roundness at the jaw line. A square face is about as wide at the jaw as it is the forehead. It has a prominent jaw line and an angular look. A rectangle face is basically the same except that it is longer that is wide. A diamond shaped face has a narrow forehead and chin with wider cheeks than at the jaw. A heart shaped face is widest at the forehead and then tapers down to the cheeks ending in a pointed chin. The jaw isn't prominent. An oval face is equal distance from the hairline to the eyebrows to the tip of the nose to the jaw line. The forehead is wider with prominent cheekbones and a narrow chin.
   
   In order to contour your facial structure properly, you must first know what the structure is.

3. Determine your eye structure, shape, and color. Structure refers to the distance between the eyes; whether they are wide-set or close together. Shape refers to just that. Eyes can be round, narrow, cat-shaped, or wide. Color is also important and should be described throughly; light blue instead of just blue or cocoa brown instead of dark brown.

4. Don't forget to analyze your eyebrows as well. Are they shaped well or do they need shaping? Are they thin and sparse or thick and course. Do they accent the eyes or draw attention away from them?

5. Consider your nose. Is it small or large? It is pug or too long? Is it too thin or too wide?
   
   Flaws can be downplayed once you know exactly what they are.

6. Consider your mouth. Is it large or small or just right? Are your lips tiny, perfect, or overly large? Is the color pale, perfect, or dark?
   
   The mouth is one area that most women generally want to play up. However, in order to do that, you have to begin with the basics and determine what is there already and what needs to be developed.

7. Analyze your skin. Skin can be an indicator of your age as well as the status of your health. If it doesn't look the best that it can be, all of the perfect makeup in the world won't have the effect you desire.
   
   Determine if you skin is oily, dry, or combination. What is your tone color? Is it fair, light, medium, dark, or olive? Is it too pale; too ruddy; or sallow? Does your skin look soft and dewy or parched and rough when you are not wearing makeup? Do you have skin conditions like roscea or psoriasis or do you have spots, blemishes, or enlarged pores? Are there bags under your eyes?
   
   Examine your wrinkles if you have any. Are they small and light or severe and deep?
   
   If you don't understand how to analyze your skin thoroughly, refer to my article "How to Decide on a Skin Care System." It will give you step by step pointers on how to analyze your skin.

8. Analyze your natural coloring - - skin tone, hair, and eye color. Also take into consideration those colors that you most often wear. Remember that your colors probably differ between day and night and between seasons. Take all of them into consideration in your analysis.
   
   In choosing makeup colors and shades you have to keep your personal preferences in mind. That will prevent you from choosing colors and shades that will clash with your natural coloring or the colors that you like to wear. The purpose of makeup is to make you look your best. It cannot do that if you don't take everything into consideration.

9. Once your analysis is complete, make a list of the various features you hate and want to downplay as well as a list of those that you like and want to play up.

10. Now it is time to use makeup to accent your face. If you have a round or square face, you will want to create facial definition that downplays the width. This can be done by using a contour powder on either side of the forehead as well as on either side of the jaw.
    
    Women with an oval shaped face really don't have to do much. That is pretty much the ideal structure.
    
    If you have a diamond shaped face, you will want to balance the forehead while making the jaw look wider. This can be done by applying a lighter contour powder on either side of the forehead and from the middle of the face to the lower jaw line.
    
    If you have a heart shaped face, you will want to make the forehead look narrow and expand the width of the lower part of the face. This can be done by applying a darker contour powder on either side of the forehead and a lighter contour powder on either side of the jaw line.

11. Big eyes don't require any special type of accent. To make small eyes look larger, be sure to pluck eyebrows to give the eyes as much space as possible. Use eyeliner on your upper lash line. Expand the line past the outside corner of the eye. Also line your lower lashes. You can use the same eyeliner color or go one shade lighter but be certain the line is as close to the eye as possible and isn't overly thick. Better yet, smudge the lower liner with a rubber tipped eyeshadow tool or Q-tip. Be sure to curl your eyelashes before applying mascara. It will help to open up the eye.
    
    Also apply a little white or pale pink shadow or highlighter just under the brow bone and blend carefully. You can even add a touch of the same highlighter to the center of your eyelid.
    
    To make close-set eyes appear further apart, make sure your eyebrows are plucked to begin further inside the eye. This will make the eyes appear further apart. You want to add as much light and space as possible to the eye area. Apply a lighter shade of your eye shadow to the inside corner of each eye. Use a darker shade on the outside section of your eyes. Do not use dark shades of eyeshadow on the inner half of the eye. Also end eyeliner the same way.
    
    To make wide-set eyes look more normal, pencil eyebrows in further to balance out the eye area. Use contour shadow on the inside of each eye, close to the nose. Also end your eye shadow and eyeliner just inside the outside corner of the eye.
    
    For deep-set eyes, use light to medium shades to open up the look of the eye. Use white liner on the inside of the eye rim.
    
    If your eyes point downward at the outer corners, use darker eyeshadow shades to draw the attention up. Stay away from heavy liner on your lower eyelid.
    
    If your eyes droop, stay away from frosted and shimmery eyeshadows. They will exaggerate the look. To life the eye, apply a deeper contour eyeshadow just above the crease of the eye and blend it in.
    
    If your eyes are round, pluck your eyebrows to look more angular. Blend lighter eyeshadow from the centre of the eyelid deepening it in color to the outer edge of the eye. You may wan to extend it a beyond the outer corner of the eye to give it even more length. Apply eyeliner only to the upper eyelid, starting from the inner corner. Extend it out and up in a cats eye effect to make the eye appear even longer.

12. See my separate article on eyebrows to learn how to make the perfect brow if yours aren't what you want them to be.

13. See my separate article on determining the right color of eyeshadows to accent your eye color for ideas on shadow colors.

14. If your nose is wide, to narrow it, apply a darker contour powder on each side of the nose and blend it into your foundation. To widen it, do the same in reverse; applying a highlighter on each side of the nose.
    
    To make a long nose look shorter, apply a slightly darker foundation on the tip of it. To make a short nose look longer, apply a lighter foundation down the center of the nose.
    
    For a crooked nose, cover the crooked side with a darker foundation. Apply a lighter foundation shade on the other side.

15. If your mouth is too small, apply your lip liner outside of the natural lip line. Use the same pencil color to fill in the lips before applying your lipstick. Use a frosty lip color in a lighter shade or in gold or silver in the center of both lips. This will make them appear fuller.
    
    If your lips are too large, use a lighter, more subdued shade matte lipsticks. Frosts and glitters, excessively bright shades, electric colors and overly dark shades will only make the lips every bigger.
    
    If your upper lip is fuller than your bottom lip, outline only the bottom lip before applying lipstick. Also use a slightly lighter shade of color on the bottom.
    
    If your lower lip is fuller than your bottom lip, outline only the upper lip before applying lipstick. Also use a slightly lighter shade of color on the top.

16. If the above tips give you the balanced shape that you want and make you feel more beautiful, then you are set. You now know how to accent the positive and downplay the flaws. If, however, they don't work for you, it is possible that you were not honest in your analysis of your face. In that instance, you may have to back up and start over to see where your analysis went askew.
    
    If the ending result the second time around is still unsatisfactory, then look for additional makeup tips on the Internet or through beauty books that can be checked out at the library or purchased in book stores.

Tips & Warnings

• Be totally honest with yourself. If you "fudge" on your analysis, your results won't be what you hope for.
• Try different types of contour products to find the one that you like best. While most women prefer contour powders, others like contour sticks or liquids.
• Try different types of highlighters. There are powders, sticks, pens, and liquids to choose from. Find the one that works best for you and your type of skin.
• Try different types of eyeshadows. While powders work on almost everyone, it is possible that a cream, stick, or liquid will work better for you. Also keep in mind that some shadows can be used for eyeliners as well; saving you money because you don't have to purchase separate items.
• Try different types of lipsticks. There are lots of things to choose from today including standard sticks, creams, stains, and glosses.
• Try different types of eyeliners. Some pencils can be too harsh on the skin. Some liquids can be too deep in color. Cakes and powders sometimes work best of all but you won't know what works for you unless you try various types.
• For a daytime look, stick with matte colors in blushes, eyeshadows, and lipsticks. Frosts, glitters, and gleams are better suited for night time.
• Take care of your skin. The best makeup on the market won't work right if the canvas is flawed.
• Don't jump aboard the "fad" train. Just because a certain kind of makeup is hot at the moment, doesn't mean you have to use. Stick with what works for you personally. That should be your only prerequisite.
• Don't forget to moisturize. The better condition your skin is in, the better your makeup will work.
• Don't use skin care products that aren't specifically geared for your type of skin. At the least, they will be ineffective. At worst, they can actually make your skin more difficult to deal with.

[Eimen12]

on 1/8/2009 Oh my good your my how to make up goddess. Teach me what you know lol