Contouring the Masses.

Contouring. The play on light. You can make your face look thinner, nose look narrower, chin look more shapely. Its magic really. Made famous by celebs like Kim Kardashian, we all want to know the secret. The tutorials are all over instagram and pinterest, but it seems so time consuming! It is.

The truth is that real make-up artists (I mean the kind that make a living out of putting make-up on people's faces other than their own) can, but rarely do contour to the extent that these online artists do. Some clients need or want it and I have covered the techniques in my workshops but honestly, its not necessary. 

We artists generally use these techniques for what's known in the industry as "corrective make-up". Someone has a seriously wide face, manly features, skew nose or a receded chin then sure, it's used. Not for every day or even photographic make-up looks is it used to the nth degree- as shown on the artist youtube videos. So please ladies, don't sweat over trying to master the art. Its a fad and the chances are your face is perfectly fine the way it is.

If, however, you want to try the technique in a quick and plausible way, here is a quick cheat-it method.

Golden Rule : Remember that dark recedes the area visually and light brings the area forward. 

1.Dust a matt/ shimmer-free bronzer along the hollows of your cheeks, temples and sides of your nose. I run this shade along the hairline on the forehead too if this is a large area.

 Add some to your cleavage if you want weapons of mass distraction.

2.Dust a highlight coloured shimmer with a different brush on your upper cheekbones toward the temple, bridge of your nose and lips including your cupid's bow. Also add some to the brow bone (under the eyebrows) and inner eye corners ONLY if your eyes aren't far apart! 

I don't bother with the chin unless it's recessed as most people actually feel their chins are too prominent already.

Add some highlight to your collar bones.

Make sure it's light and well blended all over!

Done!

If you struggle with finding the right shades, try for something in a couple of shades darker than your own skin tone- not too orange -and a highlighter that's not too white.

Practice, practice practice!

xoxo B xoxo