Contouring For Professionals

Estefania Leon
Aug 23, 2017 · 2 min read

If you’ve been on the track with the continuously changing beauty trends, you must have heard about contouring. Simply put, contouring is a well known makeup technique used by professionals, but recently, with the way Instagram and Snapchat evolved into an everyday obsession, contouring is more of a trend on social media these days. Today’s Instagram superstars show-off their skills by turning their stomachs into 6-pack abs, but since that’s definitely not what you should achieve with contouring, there’s an approach that’s both normal and subtle — one that will pop the best features of your face.

Contouring, or shading, is just a trick that’s well known to makeup artists, and since it works best for defining your bone structure, you can achieve just that by using two different hues of face makeup. A contour makes your nose appear smaller, while the cheekbones are pronounced better, with a more angular jaw, and forehead smaller. With a good amount of practice, you can almost literally change the shape of your face with your own makeup.

Since this is contouring for professionals, we strongly advise practice, because what you want to achieve with contouring is nothing more that upping the favorite features of your face, while making those beautiful illusions. For example, it only takes several swipes of bronzer to create an illusion of a smaller forehead. To achieve an illusion of a smaller forehead, all it takes is to contour your hairline with a makeup product that’s two shades darker than your facial complexion. This creates a shadow effect that makes temples look smaller that they really are

The thing about contouring in general is that it doesn’t require a lot of time nor multiple boring strokes. It’s very simple, and there are only three simple steps to it, which we’ll talk about right here:

1. Create a smooth canvas

A primer is best for creating a very smooth base, which has to come before the foundation is applied. It’s a skin product that’s great for prepping, and it keeps the makeup on your face a lot longer. There are also special poreless face primers that make your pores appear much smoother, if you’re interested in that. Now that you’ve prepared the smooth canvas, you can apply the primer on your face, and then layer on your foundation and concealer.

2. Add a contour.

A contour cream comes next, and you want to look for one that is a single shade darker than your complexion. Swipe that color into your cheek hollows and slightly along the hairline. You can also swipe a single line down both sides of your nose for a special effect.

3. Blend harsh edges.

To create a seamless look, you’ll need a makeup sponge. Make sure you don’t rub too much because if you do, your foundation will look muddy. The pointed tip of the sponge works best for blending the product. If the contour looks too dark, you can lighten it up with a tiny bit of your foundation color.

The end result is a sculpted effect that totally easy to master!

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