We all have features we’d change if we could. Maybe you’ve got pin-straight hair and always wished you had curls. Or you’ve daydreamed about what it’d be like to have freckles. It could even be that you’d prefer your eyebrows or nail beds were a different shape. However, one of the most common beauty gripes revolves around the chin. No matter your weight, age, or lifestyle, a double chin can take up residence—and be virtually impossible to eliminate. But fear not. There are some very simple ways to conceal this area. Keep reading to hear from hair and makeup professionals about the easiest beauty hacks to hide a double chin.
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One of the most transformative ways to conceal a double chin is with contour, as it helps define and elongate your jawline. According to Laura Roncagli, a professional makeup artist and co-founder of MyBeautik.com, the trick is finding the best shade for you. “This is normally a shade that’s two tones darker than your skin tone and has a cold or grayish undertone,” she says. “Use a matte formula.”
To apply the contour, outline just above your jawbone and just below your jawbone. With a lighter shade—Roncagli notes this can be your concealer—highlight your jawbone. “Make sure you really blend that out, so there are no harsh lines or patches of color,” she says. “Once everything is blended out, set with powder and you’re done!”
Contouring isn’t the only makeup technique that can camouflage a double chin. Well-placed blush can also help. “If I’m wearing a soft cheek color, sometimes I like to dust it in my temple areas, down through the cheekbone hollow, and then follow through under the jawline and get that double chin area,” says Kerrin Jackson, a four-time Emmy-nominated makeup artist and creator of the blog The Makeup Refinery. “It just brings a nice completion to your complexion and helps tie in that area to the rest of your face.” By helping your chin blend in, you’ll also help conceal it.
Your hair can also either reveal or conceal a double chin. Cindy Marcus, a professional hairstylist in Las Vegas and editor-in-chief of Latest Hairstyles, suggests trying a lob, or a long bob. “This style will elongate the face and neck and draw attention away from the problem area,” she says.
Another option to consider is a long layered style. “I would take a long-length haircut and add some long layers to lighten the weight of the hair but draw the eyes to the bottom of the hair instead of around the chin,” she says.
The one style to avoid? A chin-length bob. “This style will not only draw the eyes to your chin, but it will also accentuate the roundness of your face,” she explains.
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Once you’ve got your cut in order, you’ll want to ace your styling technique. Marcus says to avoid framing the face too harshly. “Blow hair away from the face or curl off the face,” she says. “In doing this, you avoid the hair falling around your face and creating a round shape to intensify a double chin or draw attention to it.”
If you want your haircut to give you a helping hand here, try a side-swept bang. “With this type of bang falling around your cheekbone it will draw the eye up on the face and away from your chin area,” Marcus says.
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This last tip is the easiest of the bunch. “I know this is probably something women were doing generations ago, but always try to keep your chin down a little,” says Jackson. This can be done in conversations, photos, and when you’re simply walking down the street.
Finally, “remember to smile,” says Jackson. “It makes you and everyone else feel good and requires no makeup at all!” See, we told you this would be simple.
