How to Cover a Large Nose with Makeup

Thousands of women undergo rhinoplasty (nose job surgery) every year to change the look of a big, or oddly shaped nose. Too bad they don't know about simple makeup tricks that can make a large nose look smaller! Just by using sponge brushes and two or three tones of foundation, you can shade and contour the lines around your bridge and nostrils to hide a large nose. To successfully cover a big nose with makeup you will need a few sponge brushes, foundation one shade darker and one shade lighter than your skin tone, foundation that matches your skin tone, plus some vibrant eye makeup and lipstick.

First, apply foundation or powder to your face using a color that matches your skin. Mineral makeups are a good choice because they provide even coverage and make your skin look healthy.

To minimize the appearance of a wide nose, the trick is to use vertical lines of light or dark tones to make your nose look narrower. There are two ways to do this, so you should try both to see which effect you prefer. (1) Apply a lighter shade of makeup to the sides of your nose, starting from the top of your bridge down to your nostrils. (2) Apply a darker shade to the sides of your nose.

Use the brushes to blend the makeup into your eyeshadow and blush so that the effect looks more natural. Apply blush close to your nose to make it appear even thinner.

To make a long nose look shorter, you need to use vertical lines of color. Apply a dot of lighter makeup at the top of the bridge. Next, apply either a lighter or darker shade to the tip and under the base of the nose. Again, blend it into the rest of your makeup.

For a nose that is both long and wide, or one that is crooked or otherwise oddly shaped, the best solution is to play up your other features. Light/dark contouring tricks tend to make the problem worse for a nose that stands out in multiple directions.

Pick either your eyes or lips to accentuate. If you are playing up your eyes, use black eyeliner and a shadow that complements your eye color. Finish it up with some lip gloss and blush. If you are accentuating your lips, pick a shade of red or light pink that complements your skin tone. Finish it up with some mascara and blush.

© Had2Know 2010