Tips for a Perfect Nose Contour

Let’s talk about that one area of our face that we’re always just a teensy bit self-conscious about. You know, the one that sticks out, right in the middle? If you guessed nose, well you’re right on the… well, you get it!

We’re here to say that your nose is just as beautiful as the rest of you, even if you’re not 100% happy with it! While our noses aren’t exactly as expressive as the rest of our features, they are one of the most important elements of our face. Your nose defines your silhouette, and determines how our other features play together.

Today we’re giving a refresher course in nose contouring. Like faces, noses come in so many lengths, tips and shapes, and that means a variety of techniques to try out. Keep reading below to find out how to go about nose contour for the four major nose types, and if you’re already contouring your nose you might also discover a tip or two for an even sexier snout.

6 Tips for How to Contour Your Nose

#1: When it comes to nose contouring, you’ll live and die by your tools. Nothing botches a nose contour job faster than using a brush that’s too small, or a sponge that’s too large. So no matter what glam you’re ready to give, just make sure your tools are proportionate to your features!

When picking brushes for nose contour: if you want the appearance of a smaller, sharper, or tighter nose, go for brushes with smaller tips and more angled bristles. For soft, more blown out or enhanced looks, use tools with fluff to blur all the lines for a dreamier effect.

#2: Always start with your base products on; there won’t be the chance to add them after contour without ruining your work.

While creams tend to be harder to work with, they’re much more complimentary for dry to normal skin types. For anyone with an oily T-zone, we recommend playing it safe and contouring with powder. This will prevent unnecessary shine later on, and deliver a more believable result. Just make sure to set all your work areas with translucent powder before adding any nose contour on top.

#3: If your nose is contoured, your face could benefit from a little bronzing contour. Otherwise, the contour looks very obvious and doesn’t blend into a seamless overall look.

#4: Contour your nose before doing the eyes and cheeks. Contour can really take a makeup look from dreamy to dramatic, which is why adding it early on prevents us from going overboard with the rest of our look. Since contour tends to be more of a “must-have” than say, glitter or that dramatic wing, the right makeup order will keep everything in harmony.

#5: When in doubt, blend again. While you want to avoid blending too wide or too high, you want to avoid harsh lines even more. If you’ve created a muddy result, go in with a pointed or angled sponge and ‘bake’ with powder to sharpen the definition again.

#6: A perfectly contoured nose requires maintenance. Our final tip is to remind ourselves not to blow our noses as hard, to avoid adjusting our glasses too much, and certainly beware of smooches. If your nose contour isn’t set properly, smudges could happen all too easily.

A broad nose can be defined by a wide nose bridge, or by nostrils that are just a bit far apart. Your nose doesn’t necessarily have to be wide – these contour tips are for anyone who wants to create a narrower nose.

Apply your average base products before you begin, then find a medium that works for you. If you’re oily we recommend a neutral or cool-toned contour powder; for normal to dry types, feel free to go in with a cream.

Next, find a brush with a small, flat tip like our Cruelty Free Smudger Brush. Next, start just below the inner corner of your brows, dragging the product downward to the end of your nose. Repeat on both sides, bringing the product in tighter than the actual bridge of your nose. Create a ‘U’ or loop around the tip of the nose to complete the nose contour, then blend everything out with a fluffier brush.

You can also add your contour product to the outer curve of your nostrils, as well to enhance the shadow there for a tightened nostril look.

If your nose doesn’t have a clear or pronounced slope, you may be craving more definition. This is sometimes called a flat nose, but with a little help from nose contour we can take it from flat to fabulous. This look creates soft angles by taking the same small, flat brush we used for broad noses but focusing on creating more curves rather than straight lines.

First draw a thin upside-down ‘U’ around the mobile part of your nose tip. Blend this upward until you’re happy with the definition. Add a dot of highlighting cream or powder to the center of the ‘U’ for added peak.

Along the sides of the nose, draw soft curves that are parallel with the inner corners of your brows – or as narrow as you’d like to make them. Blend those out to create the illusion of more nose projection.

An aquiline nose has a visible bump on the bridge, before sloping to the nose tip. To contour this kind of nose, you’ll actually want to add a soft amount of shadow onto the peak of the bump. Next add highlighting powder above and below the bump to help create a more even bridge. Soften everything with a topping of translucent powder for a subtle nose contour and even finish.

If you’ve always wanted a perky, upturned nose, this is the nose contour technique for you! We’re working from the bottom up by drawing a line under our nose tip, basically where the skin of our septum is. Blend that line upwards to create the illusion of a higher nose tip.

You’ll also want to add the upside-down ‘U’ for more nose definition. In this case, you can add a bit more contour to that area and blend it about a third of the way up your nose bridge. This makes the center of our nose recede.

Finally, for the finishing touch add a highlighting product of choice to your nose tip for the perfectly petite nose contour to match your glam look. Our Luminating Cremes are easy to apply and even easier to blend.