Contouring and highlighting are incredible tools for giving the illusion of enhanced facial structure. With a little discipline and the right products, you can craft more angular cheekbones, a smaller nose, a more prominent jawline and an all-around more glowing complexion. It all comes down to creating contrast with light and shadow — darker products bring things back and lighter products bring things forward — which means you can make precise changes to your face without hiding it under layers of makeup.
To look natural, you’ll need the right shades. Contour color should be two shades deeper than your skin tone and have a cool undertone, which will give you a natural looking shadow. Avoid anything too warm or orange-y, which can give an unnatural, dirty look. Use either a cream or a powder, depending on your skin type. A cream will give a lovely subtle effect and blend better into the skin, while powders are better for oily skin and easier to control.
Contour and highlight are placed based on the natural structure of the face. Contour is placed in a smooth line under the cheekbones that carries on from the ear and leads towards the apple, along the sides of the nose to help make it look slimmer, underneath the jaw to make it more defined, and subtly on the hairline to shorten a too-high forehead. Highlight is place along the high points of the face, which are the cheekbone, the bridge of the nose, the cupid’s bow, the brow bone, and the middle of the chin. It’s all about restraint here – beginning with a light amount and building from there, rather than applying too much at once, which can create the obvious, carved look.
Blending marries individual products to give a singular result. Breaking down the face into zones and regularly reviewing the face in the mirror to see how it is progressing and how even it is, will allow you to even out the face as much as possible. Dusting the contoured areas with a translucent powder also helps the results stay put without killing the radiance or bringing attention to porous areas. For drier skins, a spritz of setting spray post-blending can help restore some radiance and keep your results in place all day.
But the best part about learning how to contour and highlight? It’s all about the confidence factor. The facial structure looks stronger, but it looks natural. So feel free to get as dramatic as you like with the eye makeup, lip color, or eyebrows. Plus, the technique becomes second-nature over time, and the subtle results create a look that’s just a more put-together version of you.