RUBY REVEALS | Know Your Face

We're surrounded by tutorials telling us where to place our blush, how to shape our brows, and exactly how to apply eyeliner. Yet one thing is often overlooked: no two faces are the same.

We all have different bone structure, proportions, features and natural symmetry. What looks beautiful on one person may feel completely wrong on another. That's why the most important makeup skill you can develop isn't copying a technique. It's understanding your face.

When I work with clients, I don't begin by thinking about products. I begin by looking at their features.

Where do the cheekbones naturally sit?

How much lid space is visible?

Do the brows have a strong arch or a straighter shape?

Does the face feel longer, wider, softer or more angular?

The answers guide every decision that follows.

Makeup becomes far easier when you stop asking, "What's the right technique?" and start asking, "What works for me?"

TECHNIQUE ONE: UNDERSTANDING YOUR NATURAL STRUCTURE

Before applying anything, spend a few moments looking at your face without makeup.

Stand in front of a mirror and observe where your features naturally sit. Notice the shape of your eyes, the placement of your cheekbones and the proportions between your forehead, cheeks and jawline.

This isn't about finding flaws. It's about recognising the unique structure you're working with.

The more familiar you become with your features, the easier it is to make decisions that enhance rather than disguise them.

To do this:

• Sit in natural daylight.
• Pull your hair away from your face.
• Look straight ahead into the mirror.
• Observe your features without immediately reaching for makeup.
• Identify the areas you naturally want to enhance.

This simple exercise often teaches you more than a dozen social media tutorials ever could.

TECHNIQUE TWO: WORK WITH YOUR FEATURES, NOT AGAINST THEM

Once you understand your face, makeup becomes a process of enhancement rather than correction.

For example, if you want more lift, you may place blush higher on the cheekbones. If you want softness, you may focus colour more centrally.

The same applies to brows. A straighter brow may create balance on one face, while a soft arch may suit another beautifully.

And eyeliner? One of the biggest mistakes I see is women trying to recreate someone else's flick without considering their own eye shape. The most flattering cat eye isn't copied from a tutorial. It's adapted to the eye in front of you.

When you start making adjustments based on your own features, makeup feels more intuitive and the results become far more effortless.

Ask yourself:

• What feature do I love most?
• What do I want my makeup to achieve today?
• Am I looking for softness, definition, lift or balance?
• Does this technique enhance my features or fight against them?

The answers will often tell you exactly where your makeup should go.

"The faces we admire aren't beautiful because they follow the same rules. They're beautiful because their features are understood and celebrated."

KNOWING WHAT YOU WANT TO CREATE

One reason makeup can feel confusing is that we're often trying techniques without understanding the effect they're designed to achieve.

Every makeup placement creates a different result.

Higher placement usually creates lift.

More central placement often creates softness.

Definition tends to come from structure and shadow.

Freshness often comes from colour and light.

Once you understand the effect you're trying to create, choosing how and where to apply products becomes much simpler.

That's the real know-how.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS

The next time you sit down in front of the mirror, pause before reaching for your makeup bag.

Look at your face first.

Study your features. Notice your proportions. Observe how your structure changes when you smile, relax or turn slightly to the side.

Because the goal isn't to look like someone else.

The goal is to understand what works beautifully on you.

That's when makeup stops being a set of instructions and starts becoming a skill.

And that's when confidence really begins.