There's no denying that the art of contouring calls for a fair amount of dexterity with makeup brushes and palettes, but the secret to cracking this long-revered trend is to take a closer look at the shape of your face and the specific features you'd like to bring to attention. Sculpting the angles of your visage is a task easier done when you're completely aware of the roadmap you're working with. Since not all of us have a beauty squad on speed dial, we brought in the next best thing with this handy cheatsheet from the experts, to help you work your face shape to maximum effect.

The importance of figuring out your face type before contouring

Celebrity makeup artist, Mitali Vakil, believes that the true art of contouring involves paying homage to your facial structure. “In theory, the objective of contouring is to achieve a perfect oval face. However, this translates differently across varied face shapes. It is essential to celebrate the uniqueness of each face, and accordingly decide where the highlights and contour need to be placed. Many people make what I call the copy-paste mistake, wherein they believe that one type of contour of works for everyone. However, the main purpose [of contouring] is to enhance the special features of your own face.”

How to contour for different face shapes

Tips for contouring a heart-shaped face

A delicate jawline, and a prominent forehead and cheekbones serve as the defining features of this highly-coveted face type. Sonic Sarwate, global senior artist at M.A.C Cosmetics, explains, “To enhance this facial structure with contouring, it is essential to work your way along the temples and taper off towards the jawline.”

Tips for contouring a square-shaped face

If the outer silhouette of your face—made up of your forehead, cheekbones and jawline—appears to be equal in width, you've got a square-shaped face. “Since this face type involves a wider jawline and forehead, contour more towards the end of your ears, jawline and cheekbones,” he says.

Tips for contouring an oval face

The easiest to decode, a circular visage is the widest in diameter at the cheekbones, and calls for some nifty contouring to create a more angular structure. “Round faces can contour all the way around by creating angles from all sides to add structure. Start by contouring your temples, and then move towards your jawline,” Sarwate says.

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