Many women are turning to contouring to ensure they look great on their wedding day. This makeup technique uses a combination of false light and shadows, through the application of different products, to change the look of the natural curves of the face.
Using both liquid and powder products, contouring can be used to highlight certain features, create an illusion of a smaller face and to create a sharp look. Contouring has gained popularity in recent years, both on the runway in the bathrooms of women across the globe.
Some of the most popular methods of contouring include:
Creating striking cheek bones
Using either a cream stick or powder in a colour darker than your natural skin tone, to create an illusion of prominent cheek bones. Take the makeup product and with it, follow the natural curve of your cheek bone from about two inches in from your ear to below the apples of your cheeks. Using a stippling brush, blend the product without moving it too much over the face. Try to avoid dragging the product down towards your mouth.
If powder products are more your thing, dust the product with an angled powder brush along the same curve as above. Use a small amount of product first, adding slowly to create a deeper shadow.
Apply blush above your newly contoured jaw line, blending well.
To finish the look, highlight the area above your blush with either a powder or liquid highlighter. A small shimmery dust of powder or a couple of drops of blended liquid will emphasise light hitting the highest part of your cheeks.
Crafting a strong jaw line:
To create the illusion of a sharp jaw line, use a contouring product to shadow the skin over your jaw.
Powder is the easiest product to use for this type of contouring. Take a light dusting of a powder a few shades darker than your skin tone, brushing the powder along the bottom of your jaw to deepen natural shadows.
This can also be done to the space directly below the chin to create more definition. Add a dusting of highlighter to the centre of the chin to finish this look.
Minimising the nose:
To create the illusion of a long and thin nose, use a combination of contouring and highlighting products.
Using either powder or cream formulas, take your contour product and create two thin vertical lines down either side of your nose, blending well.
Using a highlighting product, fill the space between these two darker lines, blending to create a light-hitting effect.
Reducing the forehead:
Fake shadows on the forehead can create the illusion of a smaller space. Using a cream or powder product, take a contouring product a few shades darker than your natural skin tone and shadow the top of the forehead. Blend well, taking the product from temple to temple, following the hair line.
Depending on how much shadow you wish to create, you may need to use only a light dusting at the very top or bring the shadow down a bit further.
Using a powder a few shades lighter than your skin tone, highlight the centre of the forehead below your new shadows to create the illusion of light’s first touch.
Perfecting the cupid’s bow:
For this you will need a makeup pencil a shade or two lighter than your skin tone.
Take the pencil and follow the natural raised grooves of your cupid’s bow, including the top of your lip. Blend this slightly, dabbing your ring finger over the lines.
Finish with your favourite lip product.
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