Get My Good Side

Can you change the features you're born with? Contouring says yep, you can. From skin care to surgery, here's everything you need to know.

- Jess Lacey

So here I am...aged 30, dreading the inevitable arrival of forehead lines and crow’s feet, when along comes another – apparently far more pressing – issue to worry about: facial sculpting.

Now, I’m acutely aware that my jawline could be sleeker, my eyes wider and my cheekbones higher. I’ve never loved my round face, and for every photo I adopt my signature three-quarters on, head cocked pose. The ‘turtle, tuck, tilt’ method was passed on to me by an equally self-conscious friend, and involves sticking your neck out like a turtle to stop a double chin, tucking it down to make your jaw look sleeker, then tilting your head to give the camera your best angle. And it turns out we’re not alone: angles have now overtaken wrinkles as the number-one ageing concern for British women. We’re not only keen to improve the texture of our skin, but also the entire structure of it – bones and all.

Only a few years ago, contouring was just something that Kim Kardashian did with her hardcore, complicated-looking bronzing application techniques, but now it’s an entire industry. The re-sculpting craze is everywhere: in surgery, super-facials, make-up, state-of-the-art skincare, and even a worrying iPhone app called Facetune.

Having never had any cheekbones to speak of, I’m rather excited about this trend. Changing the angles of your face, enhancing your best features and playing down the dodgy ones – what’s not to love?

THE SURGICAL SOLUTION

If you want true changes that last in the long term, you’re looking at the sharp end of a scalpel – but, crucially, without appearing like you’ve been anywhere near one.