The Easy Way to Contour Your Face
Contouring is a fairly new beauty trend that has quickly become a must-do part of any makeup routine. The technique enhances your face’s structure and can give anyone killer cheekbones just by shading in some areas of the face. You can slim down your entire face and change the shape of your nose with some strategically placed bronzer and highlighter. Contouring is easy to pull off, and to make it work you only need a few products.
Contouring can be simple and really makes a difference in your overall look. (Photo: kimkardashianwest.com)
Some people avoid contouring because they think it involves too much product, or leaves the face looking too caked-on. To be fair, some people do use a lot of product to sculpt out their face, but this is not necessary. You can create that chiseled look using only two products for a very basic contoured face.
What you’ll need:
You can create a contoured look with Maybelline’s Fit Me Shine Free Foundation for less than $15. (Photo: lifebetterblonde.wordpress.com)
All you will need for this look is two foundations. Choose a bronzer or foundation about two shades darker than your skin. Creamy products work great for this and blend really well. Try using Maybelline Fit Me Shine-Free Foundation in the shade of your choice. Then you’ll need a highlighter to accentuate certain areas of the face. To do this, choose a foundation about two shades lighter than your skin tone. Maybelline’s Fit Me Foundation works just as well for this, and costs around $6.99 at the drugstore so you can achieve this look for less than $15!
How to do it:
Start with your normal foundation. This will provide a base for the contouring products and make blending easier.
Shade and highlight with the darker and lighter foundations as shown here. (Photo: duchesskimberly.wordpress.com)
Using the darker foundation, trace around the temple area of your face. This will minimize the length of the forehead. Next, take that same dark foundation and carve out your cheekbones. Draw a line along the side of your cheeks just under your natural cheekbones. If you want to thin out your nose, use the darker foundation to draw a line on each side of your nose. Once you are done with this step, blend it out using a sponge.
Next, use a highlighting color on the rest of the face. Use the lighter foundation to emphasize different areas. Place it underneath your eyes to cover and deflect attention away from bags or dark circles. Place just a bit of foundation on the forehead and chin. Finally, place a line of light foundation on the bridge of the nose to complete the contouring of the nose. Once again, blend with a sponge until it looks natural.
And you’re done! With just a few steps you can get the sculpted look you want, using only two products. As an optional final step, you can dust your face with translucent powder and use a finishing spray to set the makeup for a longer-lasting look.
Allison Lundy is a recent college grad, writer, area professional and lover of all things beauty. Raised in southern Virginia, Allison moved to the DMV to pursue her aspirations of a career in politics. She attended George Mason, where she discovered her love of writing at the student newspaper. During the day, Allison works in government affairs for a small trade association in northern Virginia. When she isn’t busy working and/or being a political junkie, Allison focuses on her other passions – beauty and fashion. She is always looking for the newest trends and trying out new products.
