I hate the shape of my face. Help?

[Phyrra]

You were given quirks and imperfections just as you were given grace and beauty - all your own. Your fingerprints are different to everyone else who ever lived and I believe God made us all that way to remind us that He made each one of us differently and uniquely to be our own person. See yourself as unique and precious and "individually crafted" or "bespoke" and you'll soon change how you see yourself.

So don't worry about what makes you different because nature intended and science has proven that that is what sets you apart as beautiful. Enjoy it. x

Thanks for sharing these words. I needed to read it today.

[feyith]

I agree with everyone, I also want to throw out there that most celebrities have heads that look too big for their bodies in real life. There was some study about that about 10 years ago. (Why, why are people "studying" these things). I don't recall the details, but turns out famous people really do have big heads.

That's so funny. Maybe my big head means I will become famous then.

Thank you, Andrea and everyone for the kind words and support. I really needed that today.

Hugs, Phyrra. Is that a new picture? I love your hair!

[Xarata]

if it makes you feel better about having a big head, i have a small head. I don't just THINK that either, i KNOW it. I used to volunteer a lot and i did the kids bike rodeo (for bike safety) several times. We'd be teaching the kids (and parents) how to properly select the right size helmet and pad it out properly. The toddler size helmet fit me best.

I make my own cloth headbands, because when i buy the stretchy ones, they're usually about 2 inches too big.

I maintain that my head was perfectly proportionate until i was 10. I grew 11 inches in 6 months (yes i have the stretch marks from knee to hip to prove it) and my head never seemed to catch up with the rest of my body after that. I have a very long neck too. Since I can't really make my head bigger, i focus on making my face prettier, and i LOVE hair accessories (which i guess in a way makes your face look bigger, drawing the eye out and away from the face).

Personally, i think you're gorgeous, but since we all tend to have something we don't like about ourselves...

Argh! I don't know what to do with myself. I feel like I have a very stupidly shaped head. It's too big for my body and oval and flat. (Most people have a convex face. Mine is almost concave.) My chin and forehead feel disproportionately huge. If I turn sideways, you can draw a straight line through my forehead, nose, lips and chin. If I look straight on, my face is weirdly round and if I smile, it is pretty much all cheeks but at an angle it's sharp and pointy and unflatteringly skinny.

Oval/flat shape: change the shape of your head with your hair, add some body to it with volume, waves/curls, or flipped layers.
Prominent chin/forehead: Bangs can make your forehead look smaller, and a do with layers that cut across the jawline can make your chin blend in

I don't even know where to start!!! Is there a particular way I should be doing my blush? Contouring tips? Am I even using the right colors for me?!?

Roundness &contouring:I have a fairly round face too, and i like to contour. The way i do it is to suck in my cheeks just a little so i can see the cheek bone and with a foptic brush, i'll shade in the curve under the cheekbone (not the hollow of the cheek but the underside of the bone) using upward strokes. I like drama best for this. I also like to highlight the tops of my cheekbones, the center of my nose, and the cupids bow of my lips (i usually dust my chin with a glow too, but seeing as you're trying to make your chin look smaller, we'll skip that). I use a glow from another company (ahem the one that's best known for glows) in a light sandy tan color.

I think the skinniness/length you get in angled photos probably has a lot to do with the way that you feel about your forehead.

Never forget that you're a beautiful woman, and we rarely think ourselves pretty even when many others do. Nothing wrong with changing things up a bit for a confidence boost though-like a nice pair of heels

[feyith]

Thanks, Sam. I think you're beautiful too. Never even noticed the "toddler helmet" sized head. I love your idea of accessories - and you're so talented at making them!

I can't wait to get a haircut and add some chunky layers around my jawline. I have noticed I prefer the way it frames my face the day after I'm being lazy and shower before bed at night and go to sleep with my hair wet. I recently discovered that's an actual styling method called plopping/plunking to get naturally wavy curls. I need to do that on purpose sometime.

I'm so excited to give all these contouring tips a try. Thank you, ladies!

[JenK]

I had to chuckle when I read this. I wasn't chuckling at you, but w/ you!! I think at some point everyone has felt what you wrote. 98% of the time I am fine w/ my appearance (positives and negatives), but once in awhile (normally PMS time) I look in the mirror, cry and start fixating on negatives I haven't thought of in years. Plus, as you get older NEW issues arise (laugh lines around my eyes, which is really a positive b/c I can see humor in most everything and laugh all the time).

Reading this brought back something I haven't thought about since high school (early 90's). A little boy I babysat use to tell me I looked like a lollypop b/c I was so skinny... big head resting on my stick body!!! I watched him often so I heard this often!!

Now when someone says something negative to be about my looks I either think or say one of my many favorite lines from THIS IS SPINAL TAP, " I'M JUST AS GOD MADE ME, SIR" (or ma'ma depending on who says it to me). I get a huge laugh and feel better.

You look great in all your pictures. You are a natural beauty and don't even need makeup.

[egerandi]

if it makes you feel better about having a big head, i have a small head. I don't just THINK that either, i KNOW it.

Haha, you and I both! No hats really fit me well, and used to have to get children-size sunglasses until recently. Good thing kids dress almost like mini adults nowadays, so I could find trendy ones.

My boyfriend calls me pinhead He also made a comment once about my droopy lids that you can barely see the colors (not in a mean way, just curious), and I was like whatever dude, I like putting colors on my lids, I see it if I almost close my eyes Have fun with your pretty eyes, Emma!

[zeebs]

Re: big heads on celebrities

Apparently that is one of the things that attracts us to babies and children. Maybe it works for adults too It works for my dog - he has the head of a 60-pound dog on a 20-pound body. And big ears

Re: contouring colors

I use Drama and Splendid, but anything 1-2 shades ligher/darker than your complexion works great. The lowlight should be matte and the highlight can be matte or shimmer.

Re: your photos

You are gorgeous!

Re: how to contour based on your photos (take this w/ a grain of salt, I'm a total amateur)

I have an almost opposite face shape to yours (small chin compared to my nose, when I'm feeling self-deprecating, I say that I have an 'alien head' - I also have these awesome protuberances on my forehead which only add to the 'alien head' effect), and I'm not a makeup artist so I am not 100% sure how to advise you on contouring. But, FWIW, here goes.

I would definitely say to place the light color on the bridge of your nose and top of your cheekbones. Your nose and cheeks are beautiful, and this will bring attention to your eyes and that area of the face.

Your forehead looks proportional to me so I'd leave that alone. If you want to narrow your forehead for any reason (like I do with my alien protuberances sometimes) you can place some of the dark color on each side to create shadowing, or, if you feel your forehead is too high, you can place some of the dark color along your hairline to shorten the forehead.

I would place lowlight on the sides of your jaw if you'd like to narrow it, at the corner of your jawbone, but BLEND THAT LIKE CRAZY. IDK what look you're trying to achieve but for mine I like to start under the cheek bone, sweep down the side of the face by the ear, go along the corner of the jaw, then blend it like crazy. This narrows the jaw and makes the face less square/round/heavy in that area.

I have no experience with contouring to de-emphasize a prominent chin... since my alien head requires the opposite... but I would assume that placing some of the lowlight on the places you would like to de-emphasize (like the tip of the chin) might achieve the desired effect. Let me know how it goes. Contouring takes some practice, at least it did for me. You can also place lowlight along the bottom of your jawline to help define it (this is what I do, it may not be necessary for you).

There are lots of these on YouTube, but here's a basic contouring vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Scq9vRzGc8

And another basic link: http://www.the-cosmetics-campus.com/how ... -chin.html

[Oxana124]

Here's a good site for contouring:
http://intothepalette.blogspot.com/sear ... contouring

[zeebs]

Here's a good site for contouring:
http://intothepalette.blogspot.com/sear ... contouring

Ooh, that IS excellent! thanks!

[Hoyden]

Emma - you are beautiful! Stand in front of your mirror every day and tell yourself that. NOT while you are brushing your teeth though, that doesn't count.

I called my husband over to read your post & showed him your facebook gallery again. (He's already seen it once after we watched a ninja movie someone lent him.) He agreed & said that the next time someone makes you feel ugly, make good use of those swords!