How to contour 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. 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.


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.



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.