Hey friends!!

Contouring is all the rage and has been for quiet a while now. Contour palettes are coming out left and right but do we actually know what to do with them? Today I’m telling you how I contour and why. Grab a snack cause this may be a long one!

How To: Contour

Contouring can be simple, but it can also be hard to do. The type of contouring I do is quick and easy because I don’t like to take too long on it, plus I don’t want my face to look harsh. If you apply to much of the contour powder, or don’t blend it out well enough you can end up looking harsh, and that isn’t my intention.

Let’s get going…

1 // Start your contour after you have put foundation, concealer, and powder on. (Apply the contour before powder if you are using a cream contour).

2 // I always start my contour on my cheeks first, this usually takes the longest. (My favorite contour kit) Take your brush (I suggest the Real Techniques Contour Brush, but any brush small enough to fit in the hollows of your cheeks, but is dense enough to blend out the product, like this one from MakeupGeek) and dip it into the contour powder,

3 // Start at the hollows of your cheekbones usually right outside of your ear. If you don’t know where they are exactly you can feel with your finger the con-caves of your cheeks… that’s where your contour will need to go.

4 // Draw a line of contour from your ear to about half way towards your mouth. if you go too far towards your mouth it can age you.

I go ahead and contour everywhere else I desire before I blend it out. I contour my forehead, and sides of the nose.

I contour my cheeks because my face is pretty round and it gives the appearance of a slimmer face with more sculpted cheekbones. I contour my forehead to make it a little bit shorter. I contour the sides of my nose to make it slimmer. 

5 // After I have placed the contour powder where I want it to go I BLEND BLEND BLEND until my hand wants to fall off. Blending is super crucial because you don’t want to just have a brown line on your face, it has to look like a natural contour. That is why I suggest a really dense brush because they are great for blending.

Once you have blended everything out you can either leave it like it is and finish the rest of your makeup, or you can put a lighter powder/ highlight below the contour and this will make it pop even more. This isn’t something I typically do just because that takes even more time.

And you are done… This is with full makeup on.

 

Other areas you can contour:

• For a long nose, you can contour the tip of the nose making it appear shorter
• A really round face, you can lightly contour around the outside of your entire face.
• A double chin, contour underneath your chin to slim it down.
• Thin lips, if you want your bottom lip to appear full you can apply contour powder under the lower lip and blend. It will look as if the bottom lip is so big it is creating a shadow.

There are many other areas you may want to highlight or contour, but this is just a few.

Other contour tips:

• Using a cream contour after foundation makes it really easy to blend, then just set the cream with powder contour.
• To create a true shadow effect with your contour, use a taupe or cool toned brown contour shade. This gives more of a natural shadow.

Is contouring right for you?

Yes, contouring is right for anyone… but it doesn’t need to be done everyday. Yes your nose maybe longer than your friends, but just learn to love your flaws and wear them proudly. Some days though it’s nice to take that extra time and look even more glamorous! Contouring your face makes for amazing pictures! Just have fun with it, and blend then do more blending! :)

Do you contour your face?