Contouring & Highlighting

Hi loves!

Another requested topic was all about Contouring & Highlighting.

Now I am no pro at this and still learning new tricks of the trade. This can be a little scary looking at first, but it will all come together and look natural. 

You can either use cream products with a powder product on top or just a powder product. If you're just beginning I would suggest all powder products until you get comfortable and want to try the cream. I myself use all powder products except sometimes I do use a cream highlight and set it with a powder highlight.

Know that whatever you contour with a dark shade will appear sunken in or smaller and anything you highlight with a light shade will appear more raised.

Rimmel Natural Bronzer, Wet N' Wild Coloricon in Reserve your Cabana for a powder highlight, Benefit's Watt's Up! for a cream highlight.

3 simple steps

1. Contour

2. Blush

3 Highlight

RED= CONTOUR

YELLOW= HIGHLIGHT

TEAL= CONCEALER FOR EXTRA HIGHLIGHT (USE A SHADE OR TWO LIGHTER THAN SKIN TONE)

VIDEO SHOWING APPLICATION IS BELOW

You first want to apply your foundation, concealer and powder.

I always do my contour next with my bronzer. You will want a matte bronzer a few shades darker than your skin. You will apply the bronzer at the temples, hollows of your cheekbones, jaw line/neck, sides of your nose (optional), and below your bottom lip (again optional). You will use the 3/E method (temples, hollows of cheekbones, and jaw line)  to apply the bronzer. 

When trying to figure out where your hollows of your cheekbones are you will want to make the fishy face. You will have a natural indent and that is where you place your bronzer. 

Next I apply my blush. I like to place my blush on the backs of my cheekbones, toward my hair line to make the face look lifted. I then add just a bit of whatever is left on the brush to the apples of my cheeks. 

Lastly, I apply my highlight. I apply the highlight to the highest points of my face. That would be the tops of my cheek bones, cupids bow (right above upper lip), down the bridge of my nose, and then I like to put a little on my chin and just below the contour on my temples right above the brow. If you have oily skin, go easy on the highlight as it can make you look even more oily. I on the other hand have dry skin, so I love me some highlight. My skin can tend to look a little dull so I liven it up a bit with the highlight. Also a lot of people use their concealer in an upside down triangular shape to highlight under their eyes, I do this every once in a while. 

After all 3 steps are done, make sure you BLEND, BLEND, BLEND!! Blend everything together in an upward motion, but out to your hair line to get rid of all the harsh lines.

Just know that this is how contouring and highlighting works for me. Every one's face shape is different and there are different ways to contour to flatter your face.

If you have an oblong, rectangle and square face you will want to contour the corners of your face to make them appear angular and slim. To give your face more dimension highlight your forehead and chin.

Diamond shape face: You want to contour your cheekbones since they are the highest and widest part of your face and it will even it out. Highlight  your chin and forehead to elongate them and balance out with the rest of your face.

Inverted triangle & heart shape: These face shapes are already angular so what you're really just doing is enhancing them. Contour your temples and cheekbones (what I do in my video). Highlight  your forehead and chin

Triangle: Contour the sides of your face to slim them down. Highlight your chin so it lengthens it as well as your forehead and underneath your eyes to give the illusion of cheekbones.

Round: Contour temples, cheekbones and sides of jaws. Highlight your chin and forehead.

Oval: Contour cheekbones and highlight forehead and chin.

Really it's up to you and what you want to have stand out or be slimmer. Just play around until you find something that you like for your face shape. These aren't rules, just guidelines. 

Hope this was helpful. Like always leave your requests or questions with me at: marissa.agueros@gmail.com 

BE YOUR OWN KIND OF BEAUTIFUL

XOXO,

Marissa