Cheekbones and Blush: Make Your Face Look Thinner with Makeup

By: Marie Lorraine

Creating the illusion of a thinner face with makeup is one of the oldest tricks in the book. Whether you have a big date coming up, or any occasion where you will want to look your best, enhancing your cheekbones is a great way to put your best face forward. With just a few tools and some simple tips, you can learn to easily contour your face and make it look thinner using blush.

Learn the three-shade rule

You will need three different shades of blush in order to bring out your cheekbones. You can purchase a prefilled cheek palette to make color choices easier, or you can pick your own colors. Choose colors that are appropriate to your skin tone and in the same color family. If in doubt, always go lighter rather than darker.

The first shade, the contour shade, will be the darkest of the three.

The second, the blush shade, should be lighter than the contour shade and will take up the most area out of the three.

The third shade will be the highlight color, which is often white or a very light color. The highlight color can also have shimmer to create a glow and camouflage imperfections.

Apply face-thinning blush

First, suck in your cheeks as if you are drinking through a straw. This will show you exactly where your cheekbones are, even if they are not normally visible.

Dab a small amount of the contour (dark) shade onto a soft, slanted blush brush, and draw a thin line with it directly under your cheekbone. This should end parallel to the outer corner of your eye. Blend the contour blush until it has no harsh edges. It should resemble a shadow underneath your cheekbone.

Take the medium shade and apply it directly above the darker shade, blending the two shades together to create depth.

The highlight shade should sit on top of your cheekbone to reflect light and create a youthful glow.

Using blush to make your face look thinner may take a little bit of practice, but it is an extremely flattering look and becomes second nature after a few tries. A few shades of makeup can create the depth and shadow you need to bring out your cheekbones and make your face look more slender.

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