One of the best things about putting on makeup is that it can be completely experimental. Whether you prefer to go full glam or fresh and natural, how you appear to the world is completely up to you. What matters most is that you create a look that you feel absolutely good about!
In fact, contouring is a great makeup technique that allows you to highlight your best features. But how exactly do you properly contour your face? We asked professional makeup artists Margina Dennis and Lynn Simpson to find out. Keep reading for a step by step tutorial.
How To Contour Your Face
According to Dennis, "Contour is used to create the illusion of more defined features." She advises, "If you are going to contour, the hollow of the cheeks is a great place to start to make the cheek bones pop. Touch your face on your cheek and feel the cheek bone until you get to the hollow [part] below. You can also suck in your cheeks to see where your hollows are."
From there, she says, "Apply [product] from the edge of [your] face near the eye and extend down the cheek hollow. [Apply to] that strip where it is parallel to the end of the nose—that's the trick to give the face a lifted appearance." Dennis mentions, "You want to do this with a contour color, [and] not a bronzer to look most natural." She suggests going for the purple-grey shade of contour because it's more natural-looking and "creates a perfect shadow."
As for product recommendations, Dennis shares, "I'm obsessed with the E.L.F. putty bronzer that are in the contour colors: Feelin' Shady and Beach, Please! Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder is another great option."
Additionally, she notes that if the bridge of your nose is elusive, "take concealer in a lighter shade and draw it down the center of the nose." Dennis explains, "Since concealer is a few shades lighter than your foundation, it creates a highlight and makes the bridge appear more pronounced. You can also draw the contour along the jawline to give [yourself] more of a chiseled look. I like to do all of this before applying foundation for a more natural look."
Similarly, Simpson says, "I like to think of contouring like framing the face. It will help define your features and can accentuate what you love, and minimize areas that you want too." She continues, "I don’t love a war paint type of contouring for everyday. Really you can use a good bronzer and/or contour powder palette like Manna Kadar Chic Cheek kit. It has everything you need for easy, everyday contouring."
To begin, "use a bronzer color two to three shades darker than your skin tone." Simpson tells us, "Starting on the cheeks, use the middle of your ear as a starting point. Angle your brush towards the corner of your lips. Blend in that direction to define the cheekbones. Blush will go right above that, using the top of the ear as a guide. [Add highlight around the blush]—closest to the corner of your eye."
She notes that you can also contour your jawline. "This will give more definition, [and it] especially works well for rounder faces if you'd like to create a sharper jawline or even disguise a double chin." To do this, Simpson advises, "Using the same color, follow your natural jawline from behind the ears to your chin. Blend down under the jaw to hide a double chin. To create a sharper edge on a rounder face, blend the bronzer just above the jawline."
If your concern is to create the illusion of a smaller forehead, she suggests to "blend the bronzer across the hairline on your forehead."
Lastly, to chisel the nose, Simpson says, "Use a smaller eyeshadow blending brush and blend the bronzer straight down the side of the nose. Bring the lines closer on top of the bridge of the nose to create a thinner bridge, or down the sides a bit to create a wider bridge. You can also shorten the look of the nose by blending the bronzer across the tip of the nose. For a little extra dimension, use a thin angled eyeliner brush with a highlight color very thin down the center of the nose."
Watch this makeup tutorial video on contouring to learn more.
