Face Contouring 101

I have gotten a few questions lately about contouring and highlighting, so I thought I would share what products work for me and exactly how I go about contouring my face. Remember that anywhere you place your contour, you are creating shadow and will diminish the area. Contour should be used in places that you would like to streamline (hollows of cheeks, slimming the nose, defining the jaw). In contrast, highlighting draws in the eye and makes the area stand out. You apply a pearlescent (avoid chunky shimmer!) product to illuminate areas of the face (brighten under the eyes, define cupid's bow of lips). Learning how to contour can completely transform your features and is one of the most valuable skills I have learned along the way.

What you need:

1.) Small contour brush. My fave is Lancomes #25 dual-ended blush/contour brush.
2.) Contour color or matte bronzer: I like Benefit Hoola bronzer, it has neutral undertones and works on most skin tones.
3.) Natural blush shade: Nars Orgasm is universally flattering and provides a perfect corally-pink glow.
4.) Highlighter: Product type depends on your skin type. I really like Maybelline Dream Lumi Highlighter/Concealer, a gel formula good for oily skin, in a shade two shades lighter than your skin tone. For normal skin tones, I recommend The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer, a gorge iridescent balance of pink/gold/silver tones. Those of you with dry skin tones should try cream or liquid illuminators, I like Benefit High Beam.


Step 1: Where should my contour go?
The best way to decide where to place your contour is to hold a brush diagonal across your cheek from the top of your ear. Suck in your cheeks and make a fishy face, your cheekbones should appear more prominent and the hollows of your cheeks will sink in. The contour should be below your cheekbone.

Step 2: How do I apply my contour?
For the most natural contour, start on the outside and chisel in a short diagonal line. I like for my contour to end right under the outer apex of my cheekbone, going any further in can make your contour look more like drag makeup. You want to create the illusion of an indentation below your cheeks, making your face appear thinner and more sculpted. It will look a bit scary and dramatic before you blend it out. Continue to buff the line from the inside out (just as you would fade out the edges of a smokey eye look). There should be no harsh lines, just a smooth contrast in color that is a bit more defined on the outside of the cheek. Without using any additional product, drag your contour up around the hair line and jawline. Be sure to blend the color out. This will balance your cheek contour and make the jawline appear more defined. If you would like, you can also contour your nose if you would for it to appear thinner. To this, I use an even small contour brush and apply the tiniest amount of color on the outsides of the nose and just around the outer edges of the nostrils.

Step 3: Where does my blush go?
Your blush go directly above your contour. The placement of your blush is what makes this look. Placing your blush directly on your cheekbone, and again applying the product from the outside in leaves the most
concentrated color on the outside and pulls just enough color onto the apples of the cheeks, creating a natural flush. Blend the color from the apples of the cheeks out to meet the diagonal line formed with the contour color.

Step 4: How do I highlight?
I use a highlighter/concealer duo under my eyes, right up to my blush and blend out. I also use this product above my brows, around my nose, and above my lips. The center of the face should now be the lightest portion of the face. Again, this will slim the face and draw attention to your eyes, lips, and (newly) stunning cheekbones.

Final Product

Hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know in the comments if you would like more tutorials like this. If so, I'd love to hear what you dolls might want a tutorial on!

xoxo,

Alicia