#Where to contour how to
#Where to contour skin

To make liquid or creamy products melt into the skin, use the warmth of your clean hands or a damp makeup sponge when applying and blending the product. Stuck in a pinch? A brown or taupe matte lipstick could work, too. If your makeup tends to settle into fine lines or you have really dry skin, go with a cream contour.

#Where to contour skin

This is based mostly on your personal preference, but Nicole suggests factoring in your skin type and texture when selecting the right formula. Next, you need to decide whether to use a cream or a powder. As for undertones, use a cooler, grayish-brown shade if your skin is cool-toned, and stick with a warmer, red-brown shade if your skin is warm-toned. Translation: If you’re super pale, don’t grab a dark-brown contour-look for a shade that’s just three steps below your current skin color (as if you were picking a too-dark foundation). “Basically, your skin will just look naturally glowy, and that’s from highlighting underneath the foundation.”įor your perfect contour, Nicole says you need a product three shades darker than your skin tone that keeps within your same undertone family. By blending foundation over your highlighter, “you can still see the skin’s texture, instead of seeing an obvious highlight line,” she says. But now, Nicole says to first blend a cream or liquid highlighter over your cheekbones, then apply your foundation on top, and then finish with the contour to add dimension. Before, you might have applied your foundation, then blended on some bronzer and highlighter. Just like the concept of contouring has changed, so has the order of the application.

Do you put foundation on before or after contouring? The goal with bronzing is to create the illusion of a warmer complexion by blending the product (which, by the way, usually has a sheen or shimmer to it) where the sun would naturally hit your face: temples, nose, around the edges of your face, etc.

When using bronzer, think sunlight, not shadows. With contouring, you're creating depth to make the angles of your face pop more, so you need a product that can create the illusion of a shadow (and shadows aren't shimmer). First of all, a contour product is always, always matte. I get it, you've got two products that look like virtually the same thing, but I promise they're not and they each serve a different purpose. What is the difference between bronzer and contour? The old contour and highlighting trends were about changing your whole face to look a certain way, but now it’s about embracing your natural shape and giving yourself realistic-looking depth and dimension.” But now, she says, 'Less is more, and we’re embracing natural, dewy skin. “From 2012 to 2018, contouring based on your face shape was seemingly very important,” says LA-based makeup artist Jenna Nicole. Make sure to blend well, don’t use too much bronzer and go all the way to your ears to avoid an overly-sculpted line effect.The whole point of contouring is to enhance or change the shape of your face with makeup, but its effects don't have to be all that drastic. Starting at an inch from the corner of your mouth, swirl your brush to shade along and slightly below the hollow. To get a set of Kate Moss-like cheekbones, first you must suck in your cheeks to find where they are the most hollow.

#Where to contour how to

Here is a breakdown of how to highlight and contour your face properly with an accompanying guide. If you’re a total newbie at face contouring, make sure you get yourself a bronzer and highlighter (or a palette that has both, like the Kat Von D one below) along with a contouring brush for the best results. When done right, a few subtle strokes can slim and enhance the face without obvious, heavy makeup. Less Kardashian, more Calvin Klein Spring 2015. The old-school technique, which involved heavy layering and dark, dramatic angles, should be left behind in favor of softly-sculpted cheeks and light highlighting. It’s a new year and it’s time for an updated take on classic face contouring.