All You Need to Know About Contouring

Contouring, although time consuming, can make such a difference to your look, whether it be going out on the town with your friends, going to work or a casual everyday wear. All over the internet there are so many contouring tips and tricks, but it’s not quite as easy as it seems. Kim Kardashian West makes it look as simple as applying some moisturiser, but it takes time and effort to get right – her team are said to take a unbelievable 2 hours a day glamming up her face, so for a beginner some practice is certainly needed. I found this out the first time I tried the look and ultimately ended up looking related to a clown – definitely not the look I was aiming for. The trick is to contour your face whilst simultaneously leaving it looking subtle and natural and enhancing your facial features.

Whether you’re aiming for chiseled cheekbones that would give Kate Moss a run for her money, or want to know the best way to contour for your face shape or simply want to give your face slightly more definition, read on for some of my top tips.

First things first, you need to know your face

The main idea of contouring is to shade in the areas you want to sculpt, followed by highlighting the the areas you want to accentuate. When I contour, I shade below the cheekbone, either side of my nose, the top of my forehead (around my hairline) and following my jaw, highlighting my nose and cheekbones. But contouring varies from person to person – this is why it’s best to know your face shape. Whether you have a diamond, oval or a heart shape, on the whole, the steps are very similar. Use the pictures to the right to figure out yours.

Here’s how to do it:

Contouring

1. Apply your primer and foundation as normal
2. Cheekbones – starting from the ear, just below your cheekbone, brush the dark shade contour cream or powder down at an angle. This should usually come down as far as your pupil. Follow the same line with a brush to blend and sculpt your face. (Repeat this on both sides of the face).
3. Nose – this is optional, but if you want to make your nose appear slimmer and more sculpted, you can use a smaller brush to apply the dark shade contour cream or power to the outside of either side of your nose, blending out as you go.
4. Forehead – brush the dark shade contour cream or powder along the hairline. Blend this out towards the centre of your forehead to prevent it looking unnatural.
5. Jawline – brush the dark shade contour cream or powder gently along your jaw and the base of your chin. This creates the illusion that you have a more defined jawline. Blend the dark shade downwards towards your neck to create a shadow.

Highlighting

1. Dark Circles – hide the designer bags under your eyes by adding some concealer in a lighter shade to your skin tone and foundation. Apply this in an upside-down triangle, from the corner of your eye, along your lash line, to the other corner of your eye, and down to the apples of your cheek.
2. Cheekbone – begin parallel to your brow arch, bringing the brush or stick down to the top of your cheekbone (above the dark contour) and blend into a “C” shape.
3. Nose – apply your highlighter down the bridge of your nose, right the way along to the very tip (this part is important when contouring your nose in my opinion).
4. Forehead – starting between your brows, apply the highlighter in an upside-down triangle and blend outwards. The larger your forehead, the smaller amount of highlighter you use, and the smaller, apply a larger triangle.
5. Mouth/Chin – gently rub your brush or stick on your cupids bow and the centre of your chin.

…et Voila!

With love,

Victoria

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