Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? Well, mostly.
The truth of the matter is, there are certain features of the body that we are inherently drawn to. High cheekbones are one of them.
But of course, there are certainly good looking men and women with low cheekbones. Someone’s cheekbone game does not solely determine how attractive he or she is. However, there is something to be said for the widespread belief that high cheekbones are an indicator of beauty.
How can you tell the difference between high and low cheekbones? How can you make your cheekbones pop? Why does it even matter?
No matter your question, ENTITY has you covered.
How can you tell if you have high cheekbones?
There is no exact science to determine whether someone’s cheekbones are low or high, but there are a few ways to figure it out.
Place your thumb at the top of your ear, then move your pointer finger to the side of your nostril. The line that is created with your finger is your cheekbone. When you do this it must be observed under a bright light and it is important to have a makeup-free face.
If you have high cheekbones, the line of your cheekbone will appear right below the eye or at the upper part of your nose. Low cheekbones are located towards the bottom of the nose or, occasionally, below it.
Also, you have high cheekbones if the widest part of your face is right below your eyes. This typically causes the cheeks to slightly dip below the bone. Sometimes, this makes a shadow that emphasizes the cheekbone even more.
Why are high cheekbones considered attractive?
1 We can thank good old human nature.
The Journal of Cosmetic Dermatologysurveyed 20,000 people around the world on images of women’s faces. The pool of faces was diverse with Caucasian, Hispanic, African and Eastern-European women.
Surprisingly, all of the evaluators from various cultures chose women with high cheekbones as attractive.
But why?
According to the researchers, high cheekbones are a defining factor of high estrogen levels in women.Estrogen is a critical component in determining the reproductive state of a woman’s body. Beauty may be subjective, but there is something to be said about how the need to procreate drives various aesthetic preferences.
In addition, high cheekbones are associated with youthfulness, whereas shallow cheekbones represent the aging effect of gravity. Youthfulness and fertility are major health factors men unconsciously seek out in a partner. Therefore, it is unsurprising that high cheekbones are a universal symbol of beauty.
2 Symmetry is everything.
High cheekbones can be a sign of a more symmetrical face. If you fold a face in half and the sides line up, then it is inherently perceived as more “attractive.” A study by Face Researchreported that there are two primary explanations for this.
One is the Evolutionary Advantage view. According to this theory, symmetry is considered beautiful because less symmetrical faces are associated with birth defects or other health problems.
The other argument is the Perpetual Bias view. This theory argues that symmetrical faces are easily processed by the brain. By contrast, asymmetrical features take longer for the brain to process. According to Perpetual Bias, this naturally drives human attraction to characteristics like high cheekbones.
Thus, this is one reason high cheekbones are common among models and actors. Many stars known for their stunning good looks have high cheekbones, such as Angelina Jolie and Katherine Hepburn.
3 They project honesty.
Abraham Lincoln is one of the most famous figures with high cheekbones. Maybe that’s where the “Honest Abe” nickname came in?
In a study conducted by NYU, researchers found that our brains assess the trustworthiness of a face in mere milliseconds. When the subjects looked at images of faces with various features, pronounced cheekbones were consistently a trait they associated with honesty.
The brain’s amygdala was tested to prove where this automatic response to certain characteristics comes from. Additionally, other studies have proven that this portion of the brain is active during tasks that involve judging the trustworthiness of faces.
So now that you know the benefits of having high cheekbones, how can you make your cheekbones more prominent?
The simple answer? Contour, contour, contour!
For this, you will need foundation, contour/bronzing powder, highlighter and fluffy makeup brushes of your choice.
First, you need to suck in your cheeks to see the hollows. This will expose where your cheekbones lie. Once you can see your cheekbones, tilt your brush over that line at a 45-degree angle. Then, hold your brush vertically at the end of your eyebrow to determine where the contouring should end.
You will need to use a bronzer that is two to three shades darker than your natural skin tone. Place the brush below your hairline and swipe down until you are halfway to your cheekbone. Also, make sure not to cross your actual cheekbone.
After that, it’s time to brighten your cheekbones. For this, you highlight the area right above your cheekbones with a small fluffy brush and your favorite highlighter. Finally, you will use a larger fluffy brush of your choosing to blend the bronzer and highlight together so you aren’t left with a harsh line.
That’s all folks! Fairly simple, right?
And if you prefer a visual tutorial watch this beauty YouTuber Tina Yong’s video below.
We hope this answered all your burning questions about high cheekbones. If you have further thoughts please share in the comments section below. Bye, beauties!
