One of the biggest tricks of the trade as a Make Up Artist has to be contouring, not everyone has heard of it and even the biggest beauty enthusiasts probably don't even know where to start.
So here's my simple guide on...
"How to Contour like a Pro".
We've all heard, black makes you look thinner, white makes you look bigger etc etc, if we start to apply this rule of thumb to our make up application we're half way there.
Ok, hands up, how
many of us splodge a bit of foundation on our fingers, slap it on our
face then pull that oh so pathetic fish face and scrub some blusher or bronzer in what we think are out cheek bones... Yep
- we've all done it, do it - whatever. Fact is, there's no right or
wrong when it comes to make up application (Ok, so there's the
professional way and the not so professional way) but my opinion is if
caking the slap on and looking like aunt sally makes you feel
comfortable - Go for it!
My advice here is simply
making you aware that there's another way, in fact make up can be
magical, and you don't need to be an expert to work with the basics.
Contouring can make the face/features appear slimmer and it photographs amazingly well.
The
key is, anything you shade darker will recede and anything you
illuminate lighter will come forward. Also remember to blend and check
your face in good natural light when you are finished.
.
What you need
You can contour with cream or powder products.
If you start with powder products to begin with as they are often easier to blend.
You will need a bronzer without too much shimmer and a highlighter or illuminating powder
(Bonjoiur Matte Bronzer is ideal, as is M&S own make and NARS Laguna bronzer if you're looking for something more high end)
In fact Sleek Make Up (Sold in Superdrug) actually sell a contouring kit which has both a contour and highlight powder colours, if my memory serves me correctly its only about £5!)
.
If you look at the picture above - it's pretty self explanatory, my highlighting and contouring (making darker) the areas shown you will be well on your way to achieving a flawless and flattering make up look.
You can do the whole area, or focus on certain features.
For example to make a large forehead appear narrower, shade just on each temple.
To make your nose appear shorter, shade under the tip of the nose.
To
make your nose appear thinner, shade on each side of the nose. Highlight cheekbones and shade beneath them.
To step up to the next level chose a foundation a good few shades lighter than your skin and a one that is a good few shades darker (you can mix varying shades of foundation instead of buying new ones) basically 'paint' it onto you face as shown in the picture and then using your normal foundation (a one that matches your skin tone) apply as normal with a foundations or stippling brush. Stick foundations are great for contouring.
To step up to the next level chose a foundation a good few shades lighter than your skin and a one that is a good few shades darker (you can mix varying shades of foundation instead of buying new ones) basically 'paint' it onto you face as shown in the picture and then using your normal foundation (a one that matches your skin tone) apply as normal with a foundations or stippling brush. Stick foundations are great for contouring.
Have you tried contouring?
I would love to see your pictures?
Any questions - just ask :)
x
