Makeup

How to Contour the NON-Scary Way!

By -NN

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Step 1: Foundation

After you’ve prepped your skin, go ahead and apply your day foundation, BB Cream or tinted moisturizer. You want to create a base and even out the complexion. Take just the amount you need to make your skin look fresh, day light shows all so you don’t want to go overboard. I LOVE Makeup Forever’s #122 brush to apply foundation. It’s so easy to use and gives an airbrushed look to the skin. It’s so good, I want to get a few more.

Step 2: Conceal

Use a pink under-toned concealer (NW from MAC if that’s the brand you use) and pat under the eyes to make dark circles less obvious. The pinkness in the concealer helps to get rid of the dark circles by warming it up as compared to a yellow under-toned concealer which can end up looking grey.

Before you highlight your face you need to conceal dark circles or any obvious spots. I recommend using MAC Pro Long Wear! It’s a full coverage liquid concealer that stays put! Since it’s a liquid it doesn’t give the cakey look under the eyes but still conceals because its full coverage. A little goes a long way.

Step 3: Highlight

You guys will love me for telling you about this product. MAC’s Prep + Prime in color Light Boost is a easy yet beautiful way to naturally highlight your face. Twist the bottom and use the brush attached to sweep on the color. I like to erase edges with the warmth of my finger.

Highlight brings things forward, while contour makes things go in. Apply the Prep + Prime highlighter on the areas you want to bring forward: the center of the nose, center of the forehead, a “V” shape under the eyes and on the chin. Follow this diagram (you can improvise depending on your specific face shape). I know this picture looks scary, but it’s just to show you wear to apply the product. Use the products I’m recommending and it will come out natural

After your done highlighting it’s important to set using a powder one shade lighter then your skin tone and set your under eye area using a small fluffy brush. With the same brush apply the powder on the highlighted areas. Use a large fluffy powder brush to apply the powder on the remaining areas of your face. I love using the MAC Minearlized Skinfinish Powders especially for day because they are super fine and feel almost creamy! They sit very close to the skin and give a very natural look to the skin.

Step 4: Contour

Choosing the right contour color can get confusing, I do love using the Minearlized Skinfinish Skin from MAC as well for contouring in colors Dark or Deep Dark. But if you find it too difficult to figure out contouring colors you can skip the hassle and use a matte bronzing powder as your contour instead. I recommend Too Faced Chocolate Soliel. It’s the perfect shade and doesn’t have any shine. You can use it lightly or with more intensity depending on your skin-tone.

Suck in your cheeks and follow the natural hollow of your face. Try to keep an imaginary triangle in mind, so slightly thicker towards your ear and narrow as you shade in the direction towards the corner of your lip. Use your finger to blend the beginning and end along with any lines. Use the diagram above for areas to contour. YOU DON’T NEED TO CONTOUR ALL OVER for day, most important is the cheekbones. You can dust it on the top of your forehead as well. Nose is up to you, powder contouring is a lot more natural then cream. For the nose use a small fluffy brush along the edges “hugging” the highlight. Do not bring the contour down along the sides of the nose, keep it the sides a natural skin color. You don’t want to walk around with brown lines on the side of your nose. Very gently erase edges with the warmth of your finger and to tone down the color.

Step 5: Blush & Blend

On your cheekbones in-between your highlight and your contour apply a neutral tone blush to create shape. I like using BUFF from MAC for light to medium skin-tones and Coppertone from MAC for deeper skin-tones.