Highlighting and Contouring are words you hear all the time when you visit the cosmetics counter. If you're not sure what that is, it is essentially a subtle way to sculpt your face and lessen/amplify your features. As you can well guess, highlighting and contouring are the opposites. Highlighting emphasizes and catches the light, and contouring is made to chisel or define your features.
HIGHLIGHTING
Generally, the most common places to highlight are the cheekbones and eyebrow bones. Depending on the shape of your nose and chin, you can also highlight them to make them stand out.
CONTOURING
Adding contour underneath your cheekbones, temples, and just underneath the jawline can also define your face quite nicely.
Highlighting and Contouring are also great ways to subtly de-emphasize or show off your features. For example, my nose has a very straight bridge, and I feel that it sticks out. So, to make it not appear so prominent, I add a circle of highlighter to the tip of my nose that gives it the appearance that it curves up like a pixie nose, adding some femininity. As well, I have big eyes, a big nose but a narrow mouth. So I add highlighter just above my lip and the sides of my mouth which catches the light and highlights the area.
Here's a cool grid I found online that gives suggestions on how you should contour/highlight with a specific face shape.
You can also accentuate your eyes by adding a nice natural brown matte to the crease of your eyes and a lighter matte or semi-matte colour to your lids. This will define the shape of your eyes and really make them pop!
So, what can you use to highlight and contour?
Highligher-
-They sell highlighting creams, powders, pens and pots. All you need to do is explore the makeup aisle at the drug store and you will definitely find something. I personally will never buy anything other than YSL Touche Eclat as I like the consistency, it's not sparkly and they have a shade that's grade with my skin tone.
-If you want to mix blush and highlighter together, get yourself a cream blush and apply it to your cheekbones.
Contour-
Get thee to the bronzer section! Matte brown bronzer can only really work because as soon as you add shimmer, it will catch the light and be counterproductive. If you want you can also use dark concealer.
And if you're really serious about this and want to spend some money, there are palettes available for this specific use.
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| Smashbox Step-By-Step Contour Kit |
-Do not use too much highlighter as that will just make you look shiny. Also, be selective on where you apply it.
-If you have oily skin use matte products to contour, but since you're already shiny, let's not add more....
-Highlighter on dry skin will make your skin look worse.
-Highlighter on large pores makes them look bigger.
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| Tyra Banks |
