One of the things I love about makeup is that it allows you to create and add depth and dimension to every feature of your face. Whether it is deepening the crease of your eye or making your cheekbones stand out, the possibilities are endless when it comes to creating new looks for yourself. Sculpting your face through contouring is one of those techniques that allows you to take your makeup game to the next level. Instead of just having a flat canvas to paint on, contouring allows you to highlight and sculpt your face in a way that is nothing less than beautiful, when done right. With the right application of products, you can achieve defined features on your own.
The goal of contouring is to ultimately make your face appear to be more oval shaped. In fact, any face shape can be contoured to look more oval just by applying foundation in varying shades, along with powder. For instructional purposes, commit to memory the following terms and their definitions:
· Highlighting - lightening certain areas of the face so that they "come forward."
· Contouring - darkening certain areas of the face so that they appear to recede.
By sculpting your face with makeup, you bring emphasis to the areas of your face that you want noticed, and minimize those that you don't. Minimizing the fullness around the outer edges of your face, for example, makes your face look slimmer and gives depth. To sculpt your face you will need to select three shades of foundation or foundation and a lighter concealer and a darker sculpting cream.
1. The first shade should match your skin exactly.
2. The second color, your highlight color, should be at least one level lighter than your foundation color.
3. The third shade, your contour color, should be one to two levels darker than your first shade.
If you want a more dramatic, pronounced contour, use three shades with more contrast between them. Darker skins that want more dramatic contouring can achieve this by choosing a highlight color that is 2 to three shades lighter than their exact match foundation and a deep colored powder for contouring. Remember that the more dramatic the contrast, the more meticulous you have to be about blending. Follow these steps for sculpting:
1. With an angled foundation or cream blush brush apply your contour shade to edges of your hairline, the hollows of your cheeks, or under your cheekbones from your hairline downward (purse your lips as if you are making a kissy face, but do not suck your cheeks in like a fish. Your face does not naturally look that way and you don't have to make that face to locate the hollows of your cheeks). Also, apply this shade down the sides of your nose to give a slimming effect and bring the product up to the eye socket, underneath the eyebrow.
2. Apply your highlight color, which would be your lighter foundation shade, or concealer, under the eyes, down the bridge of the nose and a little bit on the forehead, and on the chin, as well as under the cheek contour.
3. With your brush and your fingers if needed, begin to blend the contour colors out so that there are no harsh lines.
4. After you have softend the contour, with a foundation brush begin to buff your true match foundation shade onto your face, taking care to seamlessly blend the foundation into the contour areas to create a smooth transition between the contour and highlight.
5. Set your concealer under the eyes with a lighter powder such as Ben Nye Banana powder, with a sponge wedge.
6. Apply a powder to your face to set your foundation, in a shade that matches your skin tone. If you want, you can also add a sculpting powder with an angled blush brush to the contour areas of the cheeks for a little more definition. Add a pop of blush on the apples of your cheeks for a fresh glow!
Contouring is not difficult once you get the hang of it. The more you practice, the more you will become proficient in this amazing face sculpting technique. Give it a try!
