How to Make Your Face Appear Thinner

Round, square and heart-shaped faces benefit from long bangs and layers.

When diet and exercise don't give you fast enough results, use hair styling and makeup-application tricks to elongate your face and make it look thinner. Haircuts with blunt edges, bangs and unflattering lengths add bulk to your face, as does makeup that causes your eyes and lips to look small. Streamline your look with a midlength, layered cut, groomed eyebrows and makeup that emphasizes your cheek and brow bones.

Things You'll Need

• Bobby pins
• Hair dryer with diffuser
• Curling iron
• Hairspray
• Two bottles of foundation, one a shade darker than your natural skin tone and the other a shade lighter
• Cosmetic sponges
• Translucent loose powder
• Powder brush
• Light-colored highlighter or blush
• Bronzer
• Blush brush
• Light-colored eyeshadow
• Eyeshadow applicator
• Lip-toned shimmery gloss

Instructions

Hair

1. Schedule an appointment with an experienced professional hairstylist.

2. Request long hair be cut so the longest part falls no longer than just below your collarbone. Avoid having hair cut shorter than shoulder length.

3. Ask your stylist to cut long layers in your hair, avoiding any blunt cuts. Keep bangs grown out or long and swept to the side.

4. Discuss with your stylist how your hair color and texture will respond to highlights. Lighter coloring on your top layers can add slimming depth to your look.

5. Ask your stylist to groom and shape your eyebrows. Your face will look slimmer when your brows are proportionate with your face shape.

6. Style your hair in a half-updo or pull it back lightly, allowing wisps to frame your face. You may also curl or diffuse it to create waves, or back-comb it at the crown for added height.

Makeup

1. Contour your face with two shades of foundation: one that is a shade darker than your natural skin tone and another that is a shade lighter. Blend the darker shade onto your temples and jawline with a cosmetic sponge. Dot small dabs of the lighter foundation under your eyes and on your nose, chin and forehead, then blend it in with a cosmetic sponge. Sweep translucent loose powder over your entire face with a large powder brush. The countered foundation produces the illusion of a slimmer face, according to Laura Miller, beauty writer for DivaVillage.com.

2. Dust a light-colored, shimmery highlighter or blush onto your cheek and brow bones with a blush brush to make them appear more prominent. Suck your cheeks in and dust medium-toned bronzer into the hollows under your cheeks to make your cheekbones pop.

3. Apply light-colored eyeshadow, blending it up and outward toward your temples with an eyeshadow applicator. You may use eyeliner and mascara, but avoid using any dark makeup on your lower eyelids, since this can make your eyes look smaller and your face look bigger. For dramatic flair on a big night out, adhere false eyelashes onto your upper eyelids.

4. Spread shimmery gloss with a hint of lip-toned color onto your upper and lower lips. Avoid dark lip color and lip liner, since these make your mouth appear small, and your face appear large in comparison.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear long, narrow earrings to make your face look more elongated. Shirts with V-necklines streamline your face, and large sunglasses make your face look small in comparison.

References

• "Elle"; Hair Slim-Down; Alene Dawson; April 2010
• Diva Village; Slim Your Face with Makeup; Laura Miller
• "Marie Claire"; Does Your Makeup Make You Look Fat?; Didi Gluck; October 2007

Resources

• "Weight Watchers"; 5 Slimming Haircuts; Erinn Bucklan