In today’s Makeup 411 we are going to discuss how to contour your face using concealers. Before we start I highly recommend you check out Joseph Harwood’s FTM Makeup video. It gives you all the basics regarding what we discuss here.
What exactly is contouring?
Contouring is the process of lightening and darkening areas of you face to either enhance or reduce features. So whether you have gender dysphoria or you are just unhappy with your look, contouring can sometimes make all the difference.
Ever notice how the models in magazines or a hollywood starlet’s face seems to just light up in photos? Well the root of this is contouring and good makeup technique. Now most of us do not have 3 hours to contour our face as we need to just get to work or wherever we are going. So our goal here is to be able to do this quickly and without spending a thousand dollars.
Like foundations, concealers come in all varieties, creams, powders, liquids and sticks. Personally I like the sticks because they are easy to use and I can contour my face quickly. Right now I am using Revlon’s PhotoReady Concealer sticks. Get one that is at least 2 shades brighter than you normally would use for foundation and one that is two shades darker. The more of an exaggerated definition you want, the lighter and darker you can go. The light should be close to white as we are brightening the areas where we apply it. The darker shade is for shadowing. I use Revlon’s 001 fair for the light and their 005 Medium Deep for the dark.
So how do you contour you face?
In looking in the mirror under normal light we want to lighten the areas that are shadowed to brighten them up. We want to darken areas for definition. For today’s example we will look at Kim Kardasian who happens to be an expert in her own right with contouring.
From this picture you can see she uses the white or light concealer to highlight a line down to the base and tip of her nose. She uses a dark concealer on the sides of her nose. She also highlights her brow bone between her eyes as well under her eyes down to her cheek bones with light concealer. She uses the dark under her hairline and under her cheekbones for definition. An expert at taking selfies, Kim’s face just lights up in the highlighted areas when she takes a photo.
So lets take a look at what is going on under her foundation to get a better understanding. Here you can see why she lights up in certain areas of her face in the photo. Notice the dark line under the cheek bones? She also defines her eyes highlighting in light from the top of her cheekbone to her eyebrow. She adds some light around her nose and chin as well. She contours in dark on her forehead which makes it look smaller, so if your forehead bothers you that is a good trick to reduce the appearance of size. Just make sure you start at the hairline and bring it down.
After you are finished highlighting and contouring apply your favorite foundation. You will not need to use as much given the prep work you just did so be careful with how much foundation you use. So concealers can do much more than just covering up blemishes. Just take your time and experiment.
Next week on Makeup 411:
Finding the Best Eyeliner
Mila Madison
Contouring really does make a difference in your look. Though I personally like the sticks you can use any kind of concealer you are comfortable with. I will make sure to add some good ones to our Amazon affiliate store. Remember you are perfect just the way you are, but if you want to feel like a starlet, contouring is the technique they all use. See you all next week!
