Contouring and highlighting have become popular makeup techniques in recent years, thanks to the rise of social media influencers and beauty bloggers. These techniques can help define and enhance certain features of the face, creating a more sculpted and polished look. However, mastering the art of contouring and highlighting can be a bit intimidating for beginners. If you’re looking to try your hand at these techniques but don’t know where to start, fear not! In this step-by-step guide, I will walk you through the process of contouring and highlighting like a pro.
Step 1: Prep Your Skin
Before diving into contouring and highlighting, it’s important to prep your skin properly. Start by cleansing your face to remove any dirt, oil, or makeup residue. Next, apply a moisturizer to hydrate your skin and create a smooth base for your makeup. If you have oily skin, consider using a mattifying primer to help control shine throughout the day.
Step 2: Apply Foundation
After prepping your skin, it’s time to apply foundation. Choose a foundation shade that matches your skin tone and apply it evenly all over your face using a makeup sponge or brush. Blend the foundation well, making sure there are no visible lines or streaks.
Step 3: Determine Your Face Shape
Contouring and highlighting techniques vary depending on your face shape. Before you begin, determine your face shape to know which areas to contour and highlight. Common face shapes include round, square, oval, heart, and diamond. Each face shape requires different contouring and highlighting techniques to enhance your features.
Step 4: Contour
Contouring is all about creating shadows to define your facial features. To contour, choose a contour powder or cream that is a few shades darker than your skin tone. Using a contour brush or makeup sponge, apply the contour product to the hollows of your cheeks, along your jawline, and on the sides of your nose. Blend the product well to avoid harsh lines and create a natural-looking shadow.
For round faces, focus on contouring the outer edges of your face to create a more angular look. For square faces, contour the corners of your forehead and jawline to soften harsh angles. For oval faces, contour the temples, cheeks, and jawline to enhance your natural bone structure. For heart-shaped faces, contour the sides of your forehead, cheeks, and jawline to balance out your features. For diamond faces, contour the sides of your forehead and jawline to create a more symmetrical look.
Step 5: Highlight
Highlighting is the opposite of contouring – it’s all about bringing light to certain areas of your face to enhance your features. To highlight, choose a highlighter powder or cream that is a few shades lighter than your skin tone. Apply the highlighter to the high points of your face, including the tops of your cheekbones, the bridge of your nose, your brow bone, and your Cupid’s bow. Blend the highlighter well to create a radiant, glowing effect.
Step 6: Blend, Blend, Blend
One of the most important steps in contouring and highlighting is blending. To avoid looking like you have streaks of makeup on your face, make sure to blend the contour and highlight products seamlessly into your skin. Use a clean makeup sponge or brush to blend the products gently, working in small circular motions until there are no harsh lines or edges.
Step 7: Set Your Makeup
To ensure your contouring and highlighting stay in place all day, set your makeup with a translucent powder. Using a fluffy makeup brush, lightly dust the powder all over your face to lock in your makeup and prevent any creasing or smudging.
Step 8: Finish with Setting Spray
For a long-lasting makeup look, finish your contouring and highlighting with a setting spray. Setting spray helps to lock in your makeup and keep it looking fresh throughout the day. Hold the setting spray bottle a few inches away from your face and mist it evenly all over your skin.
And there you have it – a step-by-step guide to contouring and highlighting like a pro! With these tips and techniques, you can enhance your natural features and create a flawless makeup look that will turn heads wherever you go. Practice makes perfect, so don’t be afraid to experiment with different contour and highlight products to find what works best for your skin tone and face shape. So go ahead, grab your makeup brushes and start contouring and highlighting like a beauty guru!
