Corrective Contouring on Different Nose Shapes

When you think of hiding or camouflaging your facial flaws, you often don’t consider your nose at all. The nose is perhaps the most neglected part of the face and people don’t realize that they are able to change its appearance. Most leading makeup experts say that your nose and its shape can do a lot to make your face appealing.

There is no such thing as the perfect nose shape. What makes a nose look perfect is that it is well proportioned to the overall face. Most women don’t have such good luck as a deviated nasal septum, childhood injury or simply genetics have left them with noses that are either too big, too long, crooked or too small for their face. For such women, corrective contouring helps the most as it creates the illusion of a well-defined and contoured nose. It is quick and easy to do, so there is no need to go spend big money on surgical procedures.

Generally speaking, physiologists who study the body believe there are 13 to 14 different nose shapes. For the sake of simplicity and corrective contouring, makeup experts have narrowed them down to 7 common nose shapes:

Large, prominent nose: Such a nose simply stands out on the face and becomes its defining feature.
Wide nose: This nose normally has a very wide bridge.
Snub nose (tip-tilted): This kind of a nose is short and flat, sloping upwards at the tip.
Thin short nose: While this kind of a nose looks similar to a snub nose, the nostrils are more defined and stand out.
Long nose: Such noses tend to appear long and pinched, especially when viewed from the side.
Hawk nose: This nose is normally long with a very prominent bridge and down turned angle tip.

Corrective work for nose shapes

While there is no special makeup needed or created for contouring noses, it is the technique and method that you apply your makeup with that can make or break your attempt at nose contouring. To begin with, you need to arm yourself with some good quality foundation or dark powder/bronzer, highlighter and a concealer that match your skin undertone well.

The following items from our Makeup Kit will be used in the practical videos:

202 Large Shader Brush
6 Color Pressed Powder Palette
10 Color Eye Shadow Palette- neutral
Tissues

Large prominent nose

Should you suffer from a large prominent nose and want it to appear smaller in size, then the best way to achieve this is by applying a slightly darker shade of your foundation/powder on the bridge of your nose and blend it with your usual face foundation. The darker color shall dim the largeness of your nose whilst the surrounding area of your nose is highlighted. Remember to blend both the foundation and powder, in smooth and soft brush strokes or in feather movements with your index figure.

Step 1: Take your 202 Large Shader Brush and apply a darker shade of powder onto the bridge of your client’s nose.

Step 2: Wipe the brush with a clean tissue.

Step 3: Finally, take the same brush and dip it into a cream, white or beige eye shadow color. Apply this color at the sides of her nose. The darker color shall dim the largeness of her nose whilst the surrounding area of her nose is highlighted.

Broad/wide nose

If you have a broad nose that you want to make appear slightly narrow, then use a good quality powder (that is 1-2 shades darker) on the sides of your nose and also at the nostrils, leaving the bridge of the nose untouched. Here, don’t blend the darker color with your face foundation, but ensure that the two shades are similar in hue, and both suit your skin undertone.

Step 1: Take your 202 Large Shader Brush and apply a darker shade of powder at the sides of your client’s nose and also at the sides of her nostrils to make the nose appear narrower.

Snub nose

The most common corrective contouring method for rectifying a small sized snub nose is to give it a more defined shape and to soften the tip-tilted part at the end of the nose. For this, apply a line or strip of highlighter down the length of your nose. This is because as this catches light, it makes the nose look longer and fuller. Take a darker color powder and apply this onto the tip-tilted area of your nose. This will push the tilted area backwards and soften up the shape of your nose.

Step 1: Take your 202 Large Shader Brush and dip it into a highlighting eye shadow. Apply this color over the length of your client’s nose. As your nose catches light, it will actually make your nose appear longer and fuller.

Step 2: Wipe the brush with a clean tissue.

Step 3: Then, dip the 202 Large Shader Brush into a darker color powder and apply this onto the tip of your client’s nose. This will push the tilted area backwards and soften up the shape of her nose.

Thin short nose

To give a better shape to a thin but short nose, a highlighter can be applied in a straight line down the bridge of the nose. However, in this case, since the nose is thin and needs to look slightly broader, you
need to blend this highlighter on the sides of the nose with the face foundation you are using. Here it is advisable to use a slightly darker shade of foundation to give the corrective illusion of a well-defined nose.

Step 1: Take your 202 Large Shader Brush and apply a highlighting color in a straight line down the bridge of your client’s nose. Apply this color also at the sides of her nose to create the illusion that the nose is longer and broader.

Long nose

Usually women, who have long noses, generally want to make them appear shorter and slightly wider so that their nose looks proportionate. To achieve this kind of nose contouring, you will need both a darker powder and a highlighter. Begin by applying the highlighter down the centre of your nose in a line, but stop just before the tip of the nose. The nose tip then needs to be shaded. Once done, you need to examine your nose in real light to ensure the two have blended well and don’t stand out on your face.

Step 1: Take your 202 Large Shader Brush and apply a darker shade of powder on the tip of your client’s nose just to make it look shorter.

Step 2: Wipe the brush with a clean tissue.

Step 3: Finally, take the same brush and apply a highlighting color down the centre of her nose, stopping just before the tip.

Hawk nose

Some people who have hawk noses tend to be very self-conscious about it, but it is important to remember that you can hide any “unwanted” areas by doing corrective contouring. A hawk nose is normally long with a very prominent bridge and downturned angle tip. The aim here is to make the nose appear into proportion with the rest of the face.

Apply a darker shade of powder or foundation onto the hawk area (downturned tip at the end) just to “hide it” and then apply a highlighting color on the bridge of your nose.

Step 1: Take your 202 Large Shader Brush and dip it into a dark powder color. Apply this color on the hawk part (downturned tip at the end) of your client’s nose. The dark color will push the “hawk” area backwards by hiding it.

Step 2: Wipe your brush with a clean tissue.

Step 3: Finally, take the same brush and apply a highlighting color on the bridge of your client’s nose.

Broken or bumped nose

Should you have a broken or a bruised nose and want to make it look normal, start by dabbing and blending a suitable shade of foundation (same as your skin color) to the side of your nose that is not bent or deformed. On the other side of your nose that is bent or broken or has a bump you must then use a foundation that is one or two shades darker than the one used before.

Blend these two shades of foundation well in quick, feather strokes using a brush or just your finger. Next, use a highlighter straight down the middle of your nose, blending it in with the two shades of foundation. Lastly, using a small, soft brush, take a flattering shade of brown blush powder and sweep it starting from the inner edges of your eyebrows straight down the middle of your nose, to each side of your nostril. This will push back the broken or bumped area and in effect hide it. Should you want, you can also dust some translucent powder on this as well.

Things to remember

Nose contouring is best suited for night occasions and parties, as the generally dim and soft lights work well to support the nasal illusion you have worked hard to create. However, nose contouring during the day requires detailed care, as daylight is usually harsh and unforgiving to makeup.

Blend well - Makeup on the nose and around it needs to be blended very well. This is crucial as natural light is prone to expose your attempts at corrective contouring should your highlighter or shader not be well blended with your overall face foundation. In such cases, your nasal flaws may become even more obvious.
Don’t limit yourself to the nose alone - When we talk about nose contouring, it is good to remember that whatever makeup you use on the nose, you needs to start from the inner corners of the eyebrows and extend it till the end sides of the nostrils, as this whole area comprises the nose for makeup purposes. If you are using two shades of foundation in this area, then both need to be blended seamlessly or else their application lines will be visible.
Stay shine-free - Another common problem that makes most nasal flaws obvious is a shiny nose, as it immediately draws undue attention to itself. The only solution to this is to ensure that you stay shine free. For this, you must never moisturize your nose before applying makeup, as it obviously tends to make you sweat. Another solution to the problem of a shiny nose is to
frequently powder your nose as loose powder is known to absorb all the excess oil. Also, when you buy foundation, highlighter and a dark powder for shading, ensure that you buy their matte counterparts and not the glossy or shiny versions, as they could prove counterproductive to you.
Use translucent powder - Irrespective of the shape of your natural nose and the corrective contouring you do on it, remember to always dust some powder on it once finished. This is because good quality, well matched transparent powder is known to hold the makeup in place and set it in a way that it stays the same for a long time.
Draw attention to your eyes or lips - Another good idea to ensure that no one catches your nasal contouring is to draw attention to some other part of your face, such as your lips or your eyes. Highlight one of them in flattering shades and hues and blend them well with the overall foundation on your face. This age old makeup trick works well because it is so simple and easy and ensures no one examines your attempts at nose contouring too closely. Broken or snub nose; feel free to experiment with smoky eyes, metallic eye shadows and hot lip colors that draw attention above and below your nose.