I've always been told I look incredibly young for my age since I was, well, young. Most recently, I hopped into an Uber and the driver asked if I had my parents' permission to ride as a minor. It's taken me years to accept my petite, girl-like features as positive traits, but in the past month, I've found ways to embrace my features thanks to hundreds of makeup tutorials with #Gamine in their captions. If you frequent Gen Z–led social media platforms, there's a high chance you've come across beauty trends aimed at embracing unique facial features. Face types aren't a new idea, but if you've never heard of the Kibbe Image Identity System, you're not alone. It's a departure from the traditional body-typing system (which has given us image-based categories from head to toe using terms like "hourglass figures" and "inverted triangle").
David Kibbe, an image consultant, introduced The Kibbe Body Types in the 1980s and created a style guide using the body-typing system. Focusing on an axis of yin (curved, soft) versus yang (angular, structured), it takes into consideration one's skeletal system and flesh on a scale of five categories, such as gamine, natural, and dramatic, then breaks those down into 13 more specified body types. This, in turn, can be used to determine the most complementary hairstyles, makeup practices, and clothing styles for each.
It's important to note, however, that Kibbe himself has stated that these specific body types shouldn't determine how a person moves throughout the world or chooses to present themselves. The body types can be helpful in figuring out how to best highlight certain features or draw attention away from others if a person chooses to do so. Makeup can be used as a transformative tool for all facial types, but today, we're taking a look at the best tips and tricks for individuals who possess perhaps the most youthful and otherwordly of the five Kibbe Body Types: gamine.
Makeup for Gamine Facial Features
We caught up with beauty expert, makeup artist, and and entrepreneur Jenny Patinkin to get the scoop on the best makeup practices for individuals with gamine facial features. "Gamine facial features tend to be delicate, so overdoing contouring can give an almost sunken or hollow look," says Patinkin. "If I do any contouring at all, it's only a subtle wash done at the part of the cheekbone closest to the ears and not extended onto the face more than one to two inches and perhaps a little on the jawline to call attention to the V shape of the jawline."
Instead, Patinkin prefers to focus on bringing a soft glow to the cheeks and a slightly contoured smoky eye to create a round, doe-eyed look with a sultry flair. "It's important to use makeup brushes sized for more delicate features instead of very large ones that can over-apply products like bronzer or contour," she tells us. Her tool of choice is her very own Sustainable Luxury Angled Multi-Blender Brush, which she uses to apply cheek products. With it, she's able to control placement in addition to creating a beautiful soft blend with minimal effort.
"I know the temptation is to do a heavier brow with this look à la Audrey Hepburn, the ultimate gamine, but I would advise caution when it comes to squaring off the inner corner of the brow or using a very opaque color to fill in," Patinkin explains. Both can look overly harsh in contrast to one's more delicate features rather than complementing them as needed.
Now that you know how to give gamine facial features the attention they deserve with the help of Patinkin, keep reading to discover the 16 bronzers, blushes, contour sticks, and highlighters that will deliver a stunning makeup look every time.
Adding Warmth With Bronzer
Designed by Charlotte Tilbury to blend with the skin, warm the complexion, and camouflage the appearance of imperfections, the Airbursh Matte Bronzer is perfect for an allover face-and-body bronze or to define and contour.
Milk Makeup's award-winning liquid bronzer is formulated with hyaluronic acid to seamlessly build and blend for a natural-looking, sun-kissed finish. In addition to being streak and shimmer free, it can be worn ultra-sheer or extra dewy.
This bronzer has a lightweight serum texture that seamlessly blends into the skin to deliver a bronzed, glowy finish. It's crafted with SPF 15 for added sun protection and can be used all over the face for added warmth or in targeted areas to softly sculpt out features.
Crafted using a blend of skin-loving ingredients such as colloidal oatmeal, grape-seed oil, and elderberry extract, Saie's lightweight, creamy balm bronzer delivers a natural-looking, sun-kissed glow or a softly sculpted finish every time.
Creating Dimension With Light Contour
Westman Atelier's clean, creamy contour stick offers medium coverage with a blendable, natural satin finish that effectively sculpts and defines the cheekbones in seconds without interfering with other makeup products. It also uses a soothing formulation that protects against environmental stressors.
This lightweight, long-wear contour stick by Fenty Beauty uses a cream-to-powder formula that's buildable and easy to blend and doesn't crease or flake. Available in a wide range of shades for all skin tones, the contour stick is perfect for targeted application anywhere you want to add dimension.
One of my new go-tos, Victoria Beckham Beauty's svelte Contour Stylus allows for refined and precise contouring using a buildable, blendable, long-lasting formula. Its slim, retractable bullet allows for the ultimate control, while its unique skin-smoothing formula works to moisturize while restoring lost volume.
This cream-and-powder contouring duo effortlessly shapes and defines the face for a beautifully dimensional look. Offered in a myriad of complementary shades, use this to create a gorgeous inside-out glow.
Balancing With Blush
Infused with color reviver technology, Dior's beloved Rosy Glow Blush reacts to the skin's moisture level upon application to deliver a customized, natural-looking rosy, fresh, and glowy effect that lasts all day. The best part? Each blush shade coordinates with the brand's Lip Glow balms and oils.
This mistake-proof cream-to-powder multipurpose stick for the eyes, lips, cheeks, and body is quick and easy to apply for a sheer, natural finish. It also protects the skin using antioxidants like vitamin E and açaí oil. My favorite shade is Maui—a sheer dusty rose that looks amazing on all skin tones.
RMS Beauty's multidimensional, nourishing powder blush glides on effortlessly and melts into the skin to create a silky-smooth finish. It uses a sugar-derived wet powder technology and combines a creamy texture with a long-lasting 3D look.
This blush deposits a creamy, transparent veil of color that allows the natural texture of your skin to show through. Soft, flexible, and formulated with vitamin E to nourish and condition the skin, the Flush Balm Cream Blush delivers a visible, long-lasting glow that doesn't crease or cake throughout your day.
Highlighting the High Points
Hourglass's Ambient Lighting Palette offers three stunning shades of Ambient Lighting Powder, a high-tech, soft-focus finishing powder that captures, diffuses, and softens the way light reflects on skin. It utilizes photoluminescent technology to filter out harsh light and refine your complexion's appearance.
Merit's sheer, lightweight highlighting balm visibly illuminates your skin for a dewy glow using a moisture-replenishing and vitamin-rich formula that uses plant-based squalane, olive fruit oil, and more to enhance your natural glow. You can fully bet on a radiant finish without sparkle with this one.
This two-in-one blush and highlighter is formulated with skin-loving ingredients to combine the rosy flush of color of a blush with a highlighter's ability to create that glowing from within finish using finely milled pearls. I'm obsessed with every single shade of this product that's been offered so far.
Iconic London's concentrated shimmer formula is offered in three versatile shades to illuminate the skin. Add drops of the Illuminator to your go-to foundation, primer, or moisturizer for a fully customizable glow. Consider tapping it on the tip of your nose, your collarbones, or the cheekbones.
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