Have you jumped on this bandwagon yet? Dude—if not, you are missing out! When I first discovered the magic of contouring and highlighting my face, it became a game-changer! As someone who has always been a bit self-conscious about my nose, the fact that I now have some tools to make it look smaller, slimmer & just more of the shape that I wanted is so exciting to me!
Check out these first pictures before and after contour & highlight --- you see the difference right? It isn’t necessarily hiding anything, but it is drawing your best features forward, and sending some areas back into the “shadows”!
It really isn’t hard once you get the basics down so keep reading and try it out the next time you do your make up!
Check out these first pictures before and after contour & highlight --- you see the difference right? It isn’t necessarily hiding anything, but it is drawing your best features forward, and sending some areas back into the “shadows”!
It really isn’t hard once you get the basics down so keep reading and try it out the next time you do your make up!
Cream Highlight: Urban Decay Naked Concealer
I start off with having my eye shadow and foundation on. I use my concealer (in a pretty light shade compared to my skin) to draw triangle shapes under my eyes, and whatever shapes/design you want on the forehead, down the center of the nose, upper lip and chin. These are all of the areas that we want to brighten up to “send forward”.
Cream Contour: Tarte The Sculptor
You could totally skip this and just use a bronzer/contour powder, but I had to be extra for this and do both. I put my contour or dark color in areas that I want to “send back” in space. This includes: hollows of cheeks (suck in your cheeks like a fish-face to see where this is), sides and top of forehead, sides and tip of my nose (this is KEY), and jawline. This contouring step really can change the shape of your face! The more dramatic you are with it, the more you can tell a difference, so play around with it!
I start off with having my eye shadow and foundation on. I use my concealer (in a pretty light shade compared to my skin) to draw triangle shapes under my eyes, and whatever shapes/design you want on the forehead, down the center of the nose, upper lip and chin. These are all of the areas that we want to brighten up to “send forward”.
Cream Contour: Tarte The Sculptor
You could totally skip this and just use a bronzer/contour powder, but I had to be extra for this and do both. I put my contour or dark color in areas that I want to “send back” in space. This includes: hollows of cheeks (suck in your cheeks like a fish-face to see where this is), sides and top of forehead, sides and tip of my nose (this is KEY), and jawline. This contouring step really can change the shape of your face! The more dramatic you are with it, the more you can tell a difference, so play around with it!
Blending: Real Techniques Beauty Sponge, Sigma Angled Kabuki brush
Then, blend everything in. I start with blending the highlighted areas with my sponge, and I prefer this dense kabuki brush to blend in the cream contour areas. You could use the same tool for blending both, but definitely start with blending the highlight in first. I also used a smaller angled kabuki brush for my nose, just because it is more precise.
Then, blend everything in. I start with blending the highlighted areas with my sponge, and I prefer this dense kabuki brush to blend in the cream contour areas. You could use the same tool for blending both, but definitely start with blending the highlight in first. I also used a smaller angled kabuki brush for my nose, just because it is more precise.
Powder Highlight & Contour: Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit
Please excuse the poor condition of this palette but it is seriously a few years old! (I’ve gone through some of the pans, but you can buy refills for this one!) I use the banana shade in the center to go over all of the highlighted areas. This sets everything in place and adds a slight color. I then go in with a bronzer brush and the contour shade in the middle and go over the areas that we put the cream contour. Again, sets everything in place and gives a bit of a deeper shadow. For contour, it is better to go with a “gray” toned bronzer rather than an orange one because we are trying to create shadows in those areas, not necessarily make it “tan”. You can also go in over the contour areas with a brown-orange bronzer if you want more color! I also “bake” using a loose-translucent powder under my cheek contour. Basically, you dip your wet sponge into the powder and cake it onto your face and let it sit for a little bit. Then, brush the powder away. This gives you a really clean line and defines the contour.
Please excuse the poor condition of this palette but it is seriously a few years old! (I’ve gone through some of the pans, but you can buy refills for this one!) I use the banana shade in the center to go over all of the highlighted areas. This sets everything in place and adds a slight color. I then go in with a bronzer brush and the contour shade in the middle and go over the areas that we put the cream contour. Again, sets everything in place and gives a bit of a deeper shadow. For contour, it is better to go with a “gray” toned bronzer rather than an orange one because we are trying to create shadows in those areas, not necessarily make it “tan”. You can also go in over the contour areas with a brown-orange bronzer if you want more color! I also “bake” using a loose-translucent powder under my cheek contour. Basically, you dip your wet sponge into the powder and cake it onto your face and let it sit for a little bit. Then, brush the powder away. This gives you a really clean line and defines the contour.
Eyebrows: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz – Ebony
I thought I’d include how I do my eyebrows because filling in your brows also makes a HUGE difference in your make up! I use the spooli side of this pencil to comb the hairs upwards and draw (with a light hand) a line underneath the brow and create the shape I want. Then lightly fill in areas where there aren’t as many brow-hairs. I do the same on the top. I brush through the brows to blend it together and I then set my brows with Anastasia tinted brow gel. I also use a small concealer brush to clean up any lines above and below the brows and then highlight the brow bone with the banana highlight color from my contour kit.
I thought I’d include how I do my eyebrows because filling in your brows also makes a HUGE difference in your make up! I use the spooli side of this pencil to comb the hairs upwards and draw (with a light hand) a line underneath the brow and create the shape I want. Then lightly fill in areas where there aren’t as many brow-hairs. I do the same on the top. I brush through the brows to blend it together and I then set my brows with Anastasia tinted brow gel. I also use a small concealer brush to clean up any lines above and below the brows and then highlight the brow bone with the banana highlight color from my contour kit.
Powder Highlighter: CoverFX shade #4
I go in with one more highlight but this highlight has a bit of a shimmer and glow to it, so this type of highlighter you want to place where light naturally first hits: cheekbones, center and tip of nose, cupids bow (upper lip) and chin. I also added some to my inner eyes to brighten them up.
After finishing up with mascara and bottom eyeliner, this look is complete! I hope you try out this technique and let me know if you do and how you like it!!
- eyeshadows from Lorac Mega3 pallette (post coming soon)
- lipcolor: MAC Soar lipliner with Tarte “Tartist” glossy lip paint in Obvi
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