Contouring And Highlighting – Bring Out Your Best Features!

The Transformative Effect Of Contouring

Many people don’t realize that good makeup involves so much more than some mascara and lipstick. In fact, the products that other people don’t notice are the ones that work the most magic on your appearance. Eyeliner and lip gloss might get all the glory, but contouring powder and highlighter work quietly in the background to define your features and sculpt your face. If you want to bring out your cheekbones or slim your nose, contouring can give you similar effects to plastic surgery without all the pain and expense.

Choose The Right Products

A bronzer can be used to contour your face, but be sure to choose a matte product that is only a shade or two darker than your skin tone. You can also buy a contouring powder that is specifically made for shaping the face. Regardless of the product you use, your application technique is going to be crucial.

Get Sculpted Cheekbones

The most popular use for contouring is to get the look of sculpted cheekbones. This is easy to do on your own if you suck in your cheeks or make a “fish face”. Then make the shape of the number three with your contouring product, starting from your temple, working down your cheeks, and then following your jawline all the way down to your chin. This technique can define even the faintest cheekbones.

Slim Your Nose

The nose is a problematic area for a lot of women. If you want to make your nose look slimmer, use a small shadow brush to apply contouring powder in a straight line down both sides of the bridge of your nose starting just below your eyebrows.

Slim Your Face

If your forehead is bigger than you’d like, contouring in a straight line just underneath your hairline can make it appear much smaller. If you have a double chin or a wide jaw, apply contouring powder under your jaw and along your neckline can instantly make it look slimmer. In fact, you can make any part of your face look slimmer by contouring just outside of it.

Blending Is Key

After contouring, it is important to blend the product so it will look more natural. If you’re using a powder, you can blend with your fingers if you work quickly before the makeup has settled. Otherwise, use a sponge to blend cream products or a brush to blend powders.

Highlight Your Best Features

You can also use highlighter to complete your look. Remember that dark colors minimize and light colors maximize, so use the dark powder on areas you want to look smaller and follow up with highlighter on the places you want to draw attention to: the apples of your cheeks, the bridge of your nose, and just underneath your eyebrows. You can also highlight the center of your forehead and the center of your chin- anywhere that light would naturally hit your face when you step outside in the sun. Stay away from highlighters that are packed with sparkles; go for a matte shade or a very fine shimmer for a more natural look.

Remember: Practice Makes Perfect!

It might take a bit of practice to get the effect you want, but once you perfect your technique, everyone will think you were born with incredible bone structure!