How to apply blush to a narrow face

While you may have identified your face shape as narrower or more oblong, you may be wondering what exactly that means. Essentially, oblong faces, sometimes referred to as oval, are longer than they are wide, which lends itself to narrower cheekbones, chins, and foreheads.

For reference, Sarah Jessica Parker, Liv Tyler, Kelley Rowland, and Leona Lewis are examples of celebrities with elongated faces and narrower features. Not everyone with an oblong or oval face shape necessarily has narrow features, as Blake Lively and Sandra Oh have oval faces without particularly narrow cheekbones and chins.

Regarding the importance of face shape, board-certified plastic surgeon David Shafer, MD, FACS, tells Real Simple that “knowing and understanding your face shape can be important for a number of reasons —[like] when choosing a hairstyle, choosing sunglasses, grooming your eyebrows or applying makeup… You can also play with dimensions and know which parts of your face you want to accentuate or minimize.