Everything You Need To Know About Contouring

Highlighting the apples of your cheeks or sharpening your jawline has never been easier. Contouring is officially one of the most talked about makeup techniques online—and that’s because this technique can transform your face. So here are some beauty basics that will help you get your contouring just right.

Contouring Basics: Tool Kit

All you need is a good bronzer, a beauty blender, an angled brush, a flat brush (optional) and a set of clean fingers.

1.Do your base as usual.

Bronzing comes after you’re happy with your base. So use a foundation and concealer and seal it with loose powder.

2. Choose a bronzer that is 1 to 2 shades darker than your skintone.

You need a sponge/blend for a liquid bronzer where you need 2 brushes if you opt for a powder bronzer.

3. Know where you need to apply the bronzer.

A lot of people may not know this but you’re supposed to apply the bronzer where the sunlight naturally reflects your face. The areas you need to use a bronzer on are the middle of your cheeks i.e the part from the sides of your cheeks up to your hairline, the border of your forehead, and the bridge of your nose. It is best to use the dot and line method so that you know you haven’t left out any areas or gone overboard. Next, take a highlighter and apply it under your eyes as well as the centre of your nose and forehead.

4. Blend your bronzer outwards.

Now comes the time to blend—remember, you want it to look as natural as possible to enjoy a sun kissed glow! Use gentle, blending strokes to sweep the product towards the hairline. Don’t use the brush in circular motions, sweep your angle brush outwards or back and forth if you must. When using a sponge, the intention is to dab first and then blend. Finally, you don’t want your neck to be a completely different shade so a few swipes of your bronzer would do some good too.

TIP

Use a flat brush t even out your face and to make sure that your foundation, bronzer and highlighter and are blended in seamlessly. You can even use a fan brush after highlighting and clean up any mistakes too. If you have more time on your hands, make sure you also check your look in natural light to avoid looking too cakey or made up.