Contouring has been the most popular trend among beauty enthusiasts around the world. It adds dimension to your face, helps you bring forward your best features while concealing problem areas. Contouring also helps in giving the illusion of a slimmer, more shapely face. You can completely change the way you look with a little bit of contouring and highlighting.
If you follow social media trends, then you are probably familiar with the art of face contouring, which has taken the makeup world by storm. Everyone from Kylie Jenner to your next-door neighbour seems to be putting up snaps on social media with sculpted cheekbones and defined jawlines.
Consider contouring to be the casting of a shadow on your face that enhances your best features while concealing flaws such as a double chin. If you want to add structure and dimension to your face, use a matte contour product. Unlike regular foundation and concealer, which you want to match your skin exactly, contouring is all about creating the illusion of shadow and light.
How to pick the right product for yourself?
Choose from powder, cream, or stick contour products. Use a shade about two shades darker than your natural skin tone to create a natural look.
The most important thing is to understand the shape of your face. Each facial structure requires a different contour, and you will never achieve the desired results unless you are familiar with them.
With a foundation stick that is flattering in all lighting, you can achieve perfect coverage. The easily blendable formula provides a radiant finish while creating an even base for the rest of your makeup. It comes in five creamy shades for a luminous, healthy complexion. In addition, you can try contours from brands like Sugar Cosmetics, Colorbar or Lakme products like Lakmé Absolute Face Contour, which feels like a second skin.
Contouring tips based on your face shape
Round Face
A round face is one where the cheekbone, forehead and jawline all have the exact measurements. To give a more angular appearance to a round face, highlight the sides of the forehead, cheekbones, and jawline.
Square Face
It is similar to a round face, except that the corners of a round face are softer. Giving a softer look to the edges is the best contouring technique for a square face.
Oval Face
A perfectly shaped face with a prominent forehead as compared to the cheekbones is an oval face. An oval face is long with an angular jawline. People with oval-shaped faces should look at perfecting small details through face contouring.
Heart-Shaped Face
A heart-shaped face has a pointed chin and a broad brow. A simple technique to contour a heart-shaped face is softening and smoothing the pointiness of the chin to make it appear smoother.
Long Face
If you have a long face, you have an equal-sized forehead, cheekbones, and jawline. A simple contour makeup technique for this face type involves contouring around the brow and jawline to make a face appear smaller.
What is the best way to contour your face?
Now that you know how to contour each face type learn the steps to transform your face from ‘Gloom’ to ‘Glam’! To achieve a glam contour makeup look, you do not need to be a professional or hire a makeup artist.
Contouring should enhance your natural face shape. However, it will vary for everyone, depending on bone structure and the shape of the face.
- Prep the face: Begin with skin care. Wash your face and apply a moisturiser or primer to prevent makeup from clumping around dry skin or harsh lines. A primer acts as a buffer between your skin care and makeup, allowing both to work better and last longer. Next, cover any blemishes or discolouration with a bit of foundation and concealer in shades that match your natural skin tone and undertone.
- Shadow: The most basic and well-known way to contour is to use your darker shade to create a shadow beneath your cheekbones. First, find your cheekbones by sucking in your cheeks and tracing the product along the hollows of your cheeks. Following the natural shape of your jawline and temple will make contouring perfect. Then, experiment with different lines and shadows to sculpt your face until you find the look that works for you.
- Highlight: Apply a lighter shade or highlighter to areas of your face that naturally reflect light. These are your forehead, bridge of your nose, the tip of your nose, top of your cheekbones, cupid’s bow, and around your eyes and brow bone. Highlighting adds a luminous glow to your face.
- Blush: A blush on the apples of your cheeks is not contouring. But it can help your makeup look more natural by acting as a bridge between your shadows and highlight areas.
- Blend: Blending is critical when working with shades that do not match your skin tone. Blend your shadows and highlights into your skin or foundation layer with a large, fluffy brush, blending brush, or makeup sponge. Blend on until the lines you created to blend into the rest of the facial makeup and look more natural.
- Set: Apply setting powder or spray for a flawless finish.
Face contouring isn’t rocket science, but that doesn’t mean you can use any brush to define your features. For example, use a thin-bristled brush to contour the nose and a broad brush to contour the cheekbones and the forehead. When contouring the chin, hold the brush in the shape of a ‘V.’
You are now ready to choose and apply the contour that best suits your needs. So go ahead, experiment and enjoy!
