How to Make Your Face Look Slimmer

Making your face appear more slender can be simple with the right choice of hairstyle or accessories. You can even use makeup techniques to create the illusion of a more sculpted face. This article offers some helpful tips on how to make your face look slimmer and more refined.

Select a foundation that matches your skin tone and apply it evenly using a brush or sponge. Make sure to blend it well, especially along your face’s contour, around your hairline, and along your jawline. You may also want to apply bronzer and highlighter over the foundation, as the foundation helps these products blend better into your skin.

• If you're using concealer, apply it at this stage. Concealer should be applied before bronzer and highlighter.
• For best results, choose a creamy or liquid foundation.

Use a large, fluffy brush to apply a small amount of highlighter around your cheekbones. Then, take a smaller brush to blend the product towards your eyes. This will create an inverted triangle effect on each side of your face, highlighting your cheekbones and giving them a more defined look.

• Choose a highlighter shade that is two shades lighter than your skin tone. Alternatively, you can use light eyeshadow colors like cream, white, or ivory. Some highlighters with a bit of shimmer will catch the light even better.

Use a brush to apply highlighter along the bridge of your nose. A small, fine brush works best for creating a subtle, long line down the center of your nose. Avoid applying too much product, as it may make your nose appear larger than intended.

Blend highlighter between your eyebrows so that the highlighted area forms an inverted triangle shape. Make sure the product extends upward towards your hairline for a more seamless look.

Dust a little highlighter just below your chin with a large, soft brush. This technique will draw attention to your lips and give the illusion of a more elongated face. If you already have a prominent chin, skip this step or apply a more subtle line than the width of your finger.

Apply a bit of bronzer just beneath your cheekbones. This step is essential for achieving the desired slimming effect. If you're unsure where to apply, suck in your cheeks and make a fish face. The indentation that forms is where you should apply the bronzer for a more defined contour.

• Use a bronzer that is one or two shades darker than your natural skin tone. Avoid shimmer formulas. If you don't have bronzer, you can substitute with a soft brown eyeshadow. If your skin tone is light, opt for a warm brown shade. If you have darker skin, use a cool-toned brown.

Use bronzer to contour the sides of your nose. For the best results, it's recommended to use a small, fluffy brush to apply bronzer along both sides of your nose. Blend it downwards and outward towards your face's sides. This makeup technique will make your nose appear noticeably slimmer.

Sweep bronzer evenly across the temple area on both sides of your forehead. Use a small, soft brush to blend it smoothly. This technique may even create the illusion of shadows or hollow areas in these zones, adding dimension to your face.

Apply bronzer along and beneath the jawline. Focus on blending the product in the middle of your jaw while using less on your chin. Be sure to blend it downwards toward your neck. This technique will make your jawline appear sharper and more defined.

Use a soft brush to blend bronzer evenly across your entire face. If you usually apply contour and highlight using cream products, it's best to use a makeup sponge. Blend the bronzer along your contour and highlight areas so they seamlessly match your foundation tone and create a smooth, blended effect.

Draw attention to your eyes with eyeliner and mascara. By enhancing your eyes with sharp makeup, you'll naturally draw focus to them and reduce attention from the width of your face. When applying eyeliner, try a cat-eye style. Focus on the outer corners of your eyes, as this technique will make your eyes appear larger and your face appear slimmer.

• If possible, don't hesitate to tweeze or shape your eyebrows into a natural arch. This will give your face a more defined, angular look.

Apply a subtle highlight and bronzer around your lip contour to make them appear fuller. This technique shifts attention away from your cheekbones and instead directs focus to your vibrant lips. To enhance the lip shape, dab a little highlight along the Cupid's bow and a touch of bronzer along the lower lip line. Blend and finish with a bright lipstick.

Change up your style by wearing a hat with a high crown or a narrow brim. This look will make your head appear longer, creating the illusion of a smaller face. Even a cap with a high crown can make your face appear more elongated and slimmer.

Long dangling earrings are a better choice than diamond studs or earrings that sit directly on the ear. Opt for dangling earrings below the jawline to avoid drawing attention to the sides of your face. The more angular the earrings, the greater the contrast they will create with your face shape, making it appear more compact and defined.

• If you have your hair tied or styled up, consider wearing long, elegant earrings to balance your face's proportions.

Choose a long necklace instead of shorter ones. This will draw attention downward, diverting focus from the roundness of your face. Plus, a long necklace creates the illusion of a longer neck and face. A short necklace, on the other hand, draws the eye upward and accentuates the width of your face.

• If you're wearing a necklace that sits higher up, balance it with your hairstyle, such as letting your hair down or adding long bangs to frame your cheekbones.

Opt for oversized sunglasses or prescription glasses. Rectangular frames with rounded corners are ideal. Glasses that are larger than your face will help make your face appear narrower and smaller.

When trying on t-shirts, choose ones with a V-neck or a deep scoop neck, and avoid high-neck designs. T-shirts with a long, deep neckline will make your neck (and of course, your face) appear longer. On the other hand, high-neck shirts will shorten your neck and draw attention to your jawline and the width of your face.

Add layers to your hair. A hairstyle with bangs that are shorter than the rest of your hair will frame and define your face, giving it a much more streamlined appearance.

Try growing your hair long instead of sticking to your usual short style. Longer hair will create the illusion of a longer face. Additionally, it will allow your hair to flow more naturally and smoothly.

Be more confident with an asymmetric short hairstyle. If you're thinking about cutting your hair short, like a bob, avoid cutting it uniformly all around. Instead, consider trimming the back shorter while leaving the front slightly longer. While you'll still feel like you've gotten a short haircut, the longer strands will frame your face and make it appear much slimmer.

Simplify with curly hair. While curly hairstyles can help make your face look more compact, thick and frizzy hair will actually make your head (and face) appear larger than it is.

Avoid straight bangs, try soft and wispy ones instead. Straight bangs can make your face look shorter and rounder. Instead, opt for softer, longer bangs that fall to the sides. This hairstyle will contour your face and make it look much more elongated.

If your hair is very short, choose a blunt cut on top of your head. Ask your stylist to trim your hair short around the sides of your head while leaving the top longer. This style will help elongate your face and prevent it from looking too round.

Try parting your hair to one side. This side-parted hairstyle will make your face appear less round and more symmetrical.

• If you have thin hair, you can add volume by teasing the roots to create lift. This style will make your head look longer than it actually is.

Perfect the ponytail hairstyle. Avoid pulling all your hair back tightly and leaving the top of your head flat, as this will make your face appear even rounder. Instead, try leaving a few strands loose around your face; these will help frame your face and cover parts of your cheeks and chin, giving your face a more delicate appearance.

• You can pull your hair up into a high ponytail or create a small bun like a ballerina. These styles will make your face appear longer.
• If possible, why not try a half-ponytail? For this, you only need to tie up the top section of your hair into a ponytail while leaving the rest loose.

Make your face look longer with a low ponytail or braids. These hairstyles will help elongate your face and make it appear slimmer.

Consider adding some highlights to your hair. These highlights, created through texture and movement, will distract from the roundness of your face.

• You could try an ombre dye. Lighter dye will attract more attention than darker shades. By lightening the ends of your hair, the focus will shift downward, making your face appear longer and more refined.

If you're a man, make the most of your mustache. Adding contrast with facial hair can make your face appear smaller. A goatee or a mustache with a pointed tip can also elongate your face and make it look more defined.

Try facial exercises. While there's no scientific proof that these exercises will shrink your face, they can help tone and firm up the muscles. Here are some simple exercises to try:

• Create a fish face by sucking in your cheeks and pouting your lips. Hold this position for a few seconds.
• Tilt your head back so your chin points toward the ceiling. Lower your jaw and then raise it back up. Hold for a few seconds to stretch your neck muscles.
• Look to the left for a few seconds, then look to the right.
• Squeeze your eyes shut as tightly as possible, clenching your facial muscles for a few seconds. Then relax and open your eyes as wide as you can.

How about improving your daily diet? If your round face is due to weight gain rather than bone structure, try cutting back on sugary and fatty foods, like fried items, soda, candy, and chips. Instead, focus on eating more vegetables, fruits, nuts, and lean meats.

Limit alcohol consumption. Drinking too much alcohol can cause your face to appear puffier and more bloated in the days that follow.

Consider losing weight overall. If your fuller face is the result of weight gain, you can slim it down by losing weight overall. Try scheduling swimming, brisk walking, jogging, or casual strolls a few times a week. Just 30 minutes of exercise each day can have a significant impact on reshaping your body.

Think carefully before deciding on a facelift or cosmetic surgery. Considered to be one of the most expensive and long-lasting methods, techniques like facial contouring, facelifts, and cosmetic surgery come with risks and potential complications, including scarring and swelling. Surgeons with less experience may not deliver the results you're hoping for. If this is an option you're considering, consult with a highly experienced surgeon to review your medical history and determine if this choice is suitable for you.

• When experimenting with new hairstyles or makeup, don't forget to take some photos of your face to see which style truly makes you look slimmer.
• If you want to appear more slender, particularly around the waist, it's best to avoid wearing horizontal stripes. Instead, consider outfits with vertical stripes. Additionally, you can try monochrome outfits (one solid color).
• If you really want your entire body to look slimmer, opt for a shirt and pants combination, and avoid overly loose or baggy clothing. Furthermore, you should skip tight pants and ankle-length shorts as they can make your legs appear shorter.