There are 6 face shapes. Here are the contouring 'rules' you need to know for each.

As with many things in beauty, contouring is not a one-size-fits-all kind of deal.

Just like hairstyles and brows, the best way to contour really depends on your individual face shape. Meaning? What might work for that influencer on TikTok may not work for you.

Watch: Hair and make-up artist Monica Gingold shares her genius tips for finding where your contour should go, and how to apply it. Post continues below.

But how do you know you're sculpting the right parts of your face? Which products should you use? And what else can you do to really elevate your face shape?

Well, that's why you have us! You lucky little thing.

Because in a recent episode of You Beauty (ahem, Australia's #1 beauty podcast), co-host Shazzy Hunt sat down with Priceline Beauty Expert Chloe Sibbel to help you find the perfect contour style for your face shape.

What a legend.

So, let's get into it.

Hang on a sec. What is contouring?

A very good question, friend. And a smart place to start.

Put simply, contouring is all about creating the highlights and the shadows. 

As Sibbel puts it, "The reason that we're doing this is to push some parts of the face forward, and some parts of the face backwards.

"That is, reshaping how your face is going to look from the outside."

What products do you need for contouring?

"The beauty of contouring is there are lots of different ways that you can approach it. But really what you're looking for is a product that is sort of two to four shades darker than your skin tone," said Sibbel. "As well as another product that is two or three shades lighter than your skin tone."

When it comes to choosing which kind of formulas to go for, Sibbel recommends looking for either powder products or cream products.

"When you have more mature skin or slightly drier skin, a cream product tends to be the way to go for contouring."

Got it!

Listen: Rather get all this in your ears? That's cool! Check out the episode here. Post continues below.

When it comes to what kind of application tools to use, Sibbel said if you're going for cream contour and highlighter –contour being the darker product and highlighter being the lighter product – opt for a buffing brush with dense bristles.

"That's going to help you smooth the product into the skin and chisel it out the edges. It's also how you avoid those really harsh lines that you can quite often see."

You know the ones...

"Using a firmer brush with really dense bristles will help you get that finish. You can also be looking at using sponges, they can help as well with smoothing things out, but I find they apply just slightly too much product sometimes. So, apply with caution."

Note taken.

What do you need to know about face shapes and contouring?

If you're not really across the whole face-shape thing, please take a seat.

There are six different types: round, oval, square, heart, oblong and diamond.

Working with your face shape will ensure you're able to draw attention to all of those unique facial features – that jawline, cheekbones, cute nose – adding lift and definition to all the right areas.

Here's how can you use contouring and highlighting to add some definition to each, according to our expert.

1. Round face shape.

When you're thinking of round faces, think of celebrities such as Emma Stone and Isla Fisher. "These round faces are usually shorter in length and fairly symmetrical," explained Shazzy.

According to Sibbel, with a round face, it's all about creating and accentuating those cheekbones.

"What we're trying to do is create a little bit of depth just underneath the cheekbones by popping a little bit of your darker contouring shade here, and then accentuating with that lighter shade on the actual cheekbone to bring it forward a bit."

When it comes to what not to do, Sibbel said, if you have a shorter forehead, avoid adding any more dark colour in this area.

"Because that's going to shorten it even further and make that look even more dramatic. In the same way, if you have a tall forehead, you're not wanting to add extra brightening products to that area to accentuate it.

"Unless, of course, that's what you want, which is the beauty of makeup. You can take any journey and accentuate whatever you feel really confident about."

2. Oval face shape.

Next up? Oval faces.

"Similar to the round face shape, you've got that rounder jawline, but oval faces just tend to be a little bit more elongated," said Shazzy.

We're talking about celebrities like Jessica Alba and Bella Hadid.

So, what's the contouring and highlighting emphasis for an oval face shape? Well, as with round faces, Sibbel said it's all about the cheekbone area. 

"We love to create that definition there, but we might also be looking at adding a little bit of depth to the top of the forehead. Just to soften that a little bit," she said.

3. Square face shape.

If you have a square face, your temples, cheekbones and jawline are all equidistant angles that join up, just like a square. Celebrity examples might be actresses like Katie Holmes, Rihanna and Olivia Wilde.

When you're dealing with a lot of natural angles, how does contouring enter the mix? Is it even necessary?

"This is a style choice," said Sibbel. "It really depends on what you want to lean into. I think that a square face shape or rectangle face shape is really beautiful, and having those really strong angles is a really amazing feature of how you look.

"But of course, some people are looking to just soften that a little bit. Especially if you're looking for a style moment where you're wanting to also bring that softer style through to the makeup."

This is when you would use your contour and highlight to soften any pronounced angles.

"Anything that has already got that really deep fallback, you wouldn't be adding more darkness to that area. You'd just be leaving it with your foundation or base only," added Sibbel.

"Rather than create depth, we're looking to go really light on here. So maybe you're only looking at one or two shades darker in this contour or bronzing shade, because you're not trying to have a very dramatic effect. You're just trying to have a light softening effect."

4. Heart face shape.

The good news for heart-faced gals? The job of contouring might actually be easier.

"This is where you've got that wider forehead but then it gets quite angled and pointed at the jawline," explained Shazzy. "Celebrity examples might be Lily Collins, Jennifer Garner or Reese Witherspoon."

"If you love that heart face shape, and you love having that really accentuated jawline, add just a little bit more of a deeper colour there to really take it to the next level. And you're almost done," said Sibbel.

"However, everyone has a style and everyone has different elements that they're looking for. Some people with the heart face shape find that their chin feels very pronounced. So what they would be looking at is just softening that very slightly with a bit of a deeper shade.

"Some people with a heart face shape might also feel like the width of their forehead is not exactly what they're going for, so they can bring that in very slightly on the sides by adding that deeper shade."

But whatever else you do, "leave that beautiful sweetheart at the top. Leave that alone!" said Sibbel. "No matter how you feel about it, objectively. That is a gorgeous feature of your face shape."

Can confirm: all of the other face shapes are jealous of it – so don't mess with it!

5. Oblong face shape.

Next is your oblong face shape — think Liv Tyler or Sarah Jessica Parker. 

Shazzy said, "This is where there's an overall elongated and narrower appearance in the face shape, and maybe not as much definition around the chin and jawline."

If you're looking at what kind of illusion to create with contouring, our expert said it often starts with your hairline.

"People with this longer face shape tend to want a slightly shorter appearance, especially when it comes to the hairline because that tends to just sit that little bit further back," she explained.

"I would say it almost even starts before contouring in making sure that you're really happy with the appearance of your hairline.

"This might include potentially using densifying powders to make sure that you've got nice definition there. You can also look at hair styling to bring any sort of hair forward or across the forehead to achieve that shorter look," she suggests.

When it comes to approaching the actual contouring, Sibbel said, "It's all about a soft bronzer or deeper shade across the top of the forehead, just to bring the light that is catching it down a little bit. Because when you have that lengthened forehead, it can be really stark compared to your hair, especially if you've got a deeper hair colour and a brighter skin tone.

"If you love it, roll with it. If you're looking to shorten a little bit, it's focusing on making sure you're really happy with how your hairline looks in the way that you've styled your hair and then using that darker shade to just soften the top portion of the forehead."

Easy as pie!

6. Diamond face shape.

We're back into the angles, baby. For the diamond face shape, think of celebrities like Vanessa Hudgens and Scarlett Johansson.

Shazzy said, "Diamond face shapes are when the cheeks are the widest part of the face, and it creates that diamond-like appearance – it's narrow at the forehead and jawline and wider in the middle."

So, what do you need to be mindful of when applying contouring products on a diamond face shape?

Sibbel said, "If you're wanting to soften the width of the face a little bit, popping some darker shade right on the perimeter will help to give you slightly more rounded sides, which some people are looking for.

"But that really stark angle is also really beautiful. So you can accentuate that by popping just a bit of that deeper shade underneath the cheekbone and something a bit brighter on top," she added.

"You'll also have that more pronounced height in the forehead, and a more pronounced chin too. Again, it's beautiful, but if you're looking to soften, it's about using that slightly deeper shade on the top and bottom of the face."

So, there you have it!

Just remember, there's no right or wrong when it comes to makeup. So go for whatever makes you feel confident and beautiful – you do you!

"Highlighting and contouring is really all about accentuating the things that you want to accentuate and softening the things that you're looking to soften," Sibbel added.

"So when you have a face shape that naturally lends itself to what you want and what you're looking for, you can take it all the way, adding extra light or extra sparkle, and make it yours."

What face shape are you? Were these tips helpful? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Feature image: Getty.