CONTOURING & HIGHLIGHTING 101
We have all heard the make-up buzz word - contouring! And if you haven't, where have you been?!?
But what does contouring actually mean? Why do we do it? And why are so many people wanting to learn how to do it?
Contouring was something that I learnt back in college, long before Kim Kardashian took that infamous selfie and sent the world into a frenzy! Everybody wanted to know why her make-up artist Scott Barnes had drawn lines all over her face!
The reason? Contouring and highlighting is a way to alter the face shape. An oval face shape is deemed to be the most flattering, therefore we highlight and contour to achieve this. Have you ever noticed when looking at the countless images on Google that different face shapes are highlighted and contoured differently?
This is because when we contour, we create shadows setting that part of the face back. When we highlight we bring these elements forward. For example, you want to make your nose appear slimmer. To do this you would contour down the sides of the nose, making sure your lines are straight! This will set the sides of the nose back, highlighting the centre of the nose will bring it forward, drawing the eye to just the highlighted area. Thus making the nose appear slimmer!
So going back to my earlier point, different face shapes would need to be highlighted and contoured differently to achieve the illusion of an oval face shape. It is important for you to determine your shape first and understand what you are trying to achieve before you let loose on that highlighter!
Now that you have an understanding as to why we contour, let's have a look at how we do it....
Firstly, remember that everyone has different definitions of natural and you should always do what feels right for you. For me make-up has no rules, just guidelines and I personally feel that make-up should be about empowering us as an individual rather than masking our natural beauty. I speak with many women who are frustrated as they feel, and I quote, "not doing it right!".
I believe the frustration comes from a lack of knowledge, so I want to keep this as simple as possible. The market is flooded with products, however without knowledge how are you ever going to know how to use that product effectively? You wouldn't buy all the ingredients for a carbonara throw them all into a pan and hope for the best would you? No! You would follow the recipe and once you know the method you can put your own creative spin on it!
The intention of my blog is to give you as much knowledge as possible, enabling you to make confident choices when shopping for your beauty products.
So what do you need to know? Your highlight shade should be 2-3 shades lighter than your natural skin tone and your contour shade 2-3 shades darker. As I said previously the market is flooded with products for you to choose from but if you know what you are looking for this choice can be made simpler.
When I am creating a natural look I like to opt for powder products NYX Cosmetics have a fantastic highlight and contour palette. For photoshoots or stronger looks I will use creamy concealers or stick foundations. My particular favourite creamy concealers are the Mary Kay concealers, while stick foundations I will always go to my trusted Bobbi Brown stick foundation.
Just remember you are an individual and make-up is there for us to play with and enjoy, so take your time and play until you find what is right for you.