Good afternoon my beauties. I'm sure you're all sick of hearing about this contouring madness! To be honest, I'm surprised this is only becoming a trend now, since it is something us makeup artists have been doing for years. Today I'm going to keep things as simple as I can by showing you a couple of my favourite products and giving some tips and tricks on how to use them. First, let's talk about texture. Many people will ask if it is better to use a powder rather than a cream based product to contour and the answer is simple: it really doesn't matter. The only thing you will find is that powders are going to be easier to use; therefore if you are a beginner, you are probably going to want to go for a powder based product. This brings us to my first recommendation.
Make Up For Ever Sculpting Kit
If you really don't know the first thing about contouring then this is a product suited for you! These sculpting kits have been around for quite some time and I believe many people never grabbed for them because they were unsure exactly what they were, or how to use them. Fear no more since I'm here and fabulous. *Flips hair* Okay all joking aside, what makes this product so easy to use is you have your two basic shades; a highlight and a contour. There isn't much more you need to know about these powders besides where to place them. The darker shade (or contour) should be applied to the hallows of the face such as the temples, under the cheekbone, and the jawline. The lighter shade (or highlight) should then be applied to the high points of the face: arch of the brow, top of the cheek bone, and the cupid’s bow. This will give the overall contoured effect or illusion of a more sculpted face. Available at Sephora, $55.
Moving right along... You're probably wondering which brush should be used to apply each of these powders and this is what brings us to my second recommendation.
Tarte, The Slenderizer Bamboo Contour Brush
Wow, that is a long name. You are going to want to go with a double sided brush because a) it's less expensive and b) you have everything you need in one place. This brush is my personal favourite when it comes to applying a powder based product. You would simply use the denser, domed side of the brush to contour and the fluffy, angled side to blend away any harsh lines for a flawless finished look. Make sure to wipe or cleanse your brush between shades to make your look appear more crisp and clean. Available at Sephora, $29.
Now, if you are a makeup artist yourself or if you are simply more experienced, then you may be interested in a contouring palette with more colour options than the one I just featured. The last product I want to talk about today is a contouring palette for experts.
Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette
This is definitely my favourite contour palette including multiple shades. This palette includes three shades for highlighting and three shades for contouring. Using a palette like this, you are going to be able to create a lot more depth to your look by adding more than just two shades to the face. This palette will let you effortlessly sculpt, chisel, shape, and slenderize your features for enhanced definition. Kat Von D says, "Unlike traditional bronzing powders, the Shade + Light Contour Palette is loaded with a unique selection of matte shades that capture the true hues of shadow and light. The three contour shades create realistic shadows to recede facial features, while the three highlight shades impart a soft luminosity to amplify dimension." Another thing I want to mention is not to be afraid to mix shades together! Some people may look at this and think to themselves, 'I'll never use the darkest shade' simply because of how deep a colour it is. If you are fair then yes, maybe don't take a brush to that powder alone and slap it on your cheekbone and expect to look like Kim Kardashian. It's all about blending, truly. However, if you are an expert then I would really recommend investing in this palette and hey - if you aren't an expert but feel up to the challenge, do know that this product comes with an illustrated, step-by-step guide that will give you more detail on just how to use it. Available at Sephora, $55.
That's all for today beauty lovers!
Now get out there and don't be afraid to give contouring a try -
dear lady