The Nose-Job Alternative that Offers Surprising Results

So you find yourself looking in the mirror more and more often, wishing that you were blessed with the tiny button nose made popular by celebs like Gisele Bundchen, Katie Holmes and Tyra Banks. You used to think your nose was fine, but after being bombarded with magazine images of "beautiful" famous women, you begin to wonder if getting a little work done on your sniffer would cause you to turn some heads as well.

Rhinoplasty, although steadily on the rise in the age of plastic faces, is not only heavy on the wallet, it also comes with its share of risks and complications. Because of this, many of the celebrities you see today have chosen to forgo the nose-job in favor of a more user-friendly nose transformation with the magic of make-up.

Through intricate shading, plump noses everywhere are becoming strong and defined with just a few simple tricks that you can do at home. Oprah, Queen Latifah and Drew Barrymore are just a few celebs that use these tricks to define the nose, and alter their appearance for photo shoots. Have you ever noticed that stars look like regular people when photographed on the street, yet they look excruciatingly perfect on magazine covers? Make-up, lighting and digital enhancement all play a part in this fabricated look of "perfection."

So what's the skinny on slimming down a wide nose? Follow these steps:

1. Apply your regular foundation and powder to start with a smooth canvas.

2. Beginning just under the eyebrow directly above the tear duct, draw a thin, straight line all the way to the tip of the nose with a powder that is just one or two shades darker than your foundation (see illustration). Repeat the shading on the other side of the nose. Blend well.

3. If you have flared nostrils, apply the same powder to the sides of the nostrils and blend.

*Note: too much shading will give the nose a dirty appearance, so insure you apply the powder in small amounts, and carefully blend.

4. Finish off with a dusting of your favorite powdered blush on the area where the sun would give color to your nose (avoid applying blush to the tip of the nose).

You can adjust the shading according to your nose shape, experimenting to find what suits you best.

Remember, our noses aren't supposed to be fake, plastic little buttons. There are as many rhinoplasty disasters in the celebrity world as there are masterpieces. So instead of playing roulette with your face, play up your beautiful nose with a little color - you'll be delightfully surprised with the results!