Hey guys!
Something simple today because I'm wrecked after a huge weekend (happy birthday to me!), but it's something I feel like a lot of people avoid because it's a bit intimidating, and I'm trying to remove that thought! Well, if you read the title, you know that I'm talking about contouring!
I contour everyday, but when I say 'contour' I am only referring to the 'dark' parts of contouring a face in order to create shadow (don't know how else to describe it), rather than the highlighting aspect. This is solely because I don't really own a highlighter I love yet, and also prefer a matte looking face, so it's simply not a part of my routine at the moment in time. I'm sure you guys will be the first to know once it is though!
Contouring is pretty much a necessity for me since my round face shape means I lack defined cheekbones. But getting to pretend they are there is just as much fun! It's not a difficult step in my routine, it only takes a few seconds really to do it, so I really think it's worth it for me.
It also only requires one product. I use the e.l.f. Studio Contouring Blush and Bronzer Powder in St Lucia, available here or on iHerb for $3 (I think) not including postage. I only use the right hand side (the bronzer), which I still think is a tad warm for my cool-toned skin, but was cheap enough that I'm happy to use it anyway, and it adds a bit of life to my skin anyway.
One thing that you'll notice about this powder if you get it, or if you read every single review available on the interner (as I do before I buy something online.. seriously) is that it is crazy pigmented. Like some people think its almost too pigmented - which I think would be true if you were to use it as a bronzer. However, as a contour, I think it's perfect, as long as you make sure you work with a very light hand.
Anyway I should really get on to it! I use my Pur Minerals Stippling Brush, which I got as a present years ago so I'm not really sure if it's readily available in Australia, however any flat topped brush or even an angled blush brush (like this) will do, as long as it has some sort of edge.
Probably not the best lighting, but it's just meant to look like your cheekbones are sculpted by the gods and therefore there is a shadow falling underneath them. You may not be used to how it looks at the beginning but it is definitely a valuable inclusion into your routine if you are looking to try new things.
Let me know what you think about this mini-tutorial (I don't know if I can call it that). Good? Bad? What do you want to see?
Thanks for reading and hope I've helped!
Something simple today because I'm wrecked after a huge weekend (happy birthday to me!), but it's something I feel like a lot of people avoid because it's a bit intimidating, and I'm trying to remove that thought! Well, if you read the title, you know that I'm talking about contouring!
I contour everyday, but when I say 'contour' I am only referring to the 'dark' parts of contouring a face in order to create shadow (don't know how else to describe it), rather than the highlighting aspect. This is solely because I don't really own a highlighter I love yet, and also prefer a matte looking face, so it's simply not a part of my routine at the moment in time. I'm sure you guys will be the first to know once it is though!
Contouring is pretty much a necessity for me since my round face shape means I lack defined cheekbones. But getting to pretend they are there is just as much fun! It's not a difficult step in my routine, it only takes a few seconds really to do it, so I really think it's worth it for me.
It also only requires one product. I use the e.l.f. Studio Contouring Blush and Bronzer Powder in St Lucia, available here or on iHerb for $3 (I think) not including postage. I only use the right hand side (the bronzer), which I still think is a tad warm for my cool-toned skin, but was cheap enough that I'm happy to use it anyway, and it adds a bit of life to my skin anyway.
One thing that you'll notice about this powder if you get it, or if you read every single review available on the interner (as I do before I buy something online.. seriously) is that it is crazy pigmented. Like some people think its almost too pigmented - which I think would be true if you were to use it as a bronzer. However, as a contour, I think it's perfect, as long as you make sure you work with a very light hand.
Anyway I should really get on to it! I use my Pur Minerals Stippling Brush, which I got as a present years ago so I'm not really sure if it's readily available in Australia, however any flat topped brush or even an angled blush brush (like this) will do, as long as it has some sort of edge.
What I've done in the above picture is used the edge of the brush and almost 'dotted' the bronzer along the hollow of my cheekbones in a relatively straight line. As a rough guide, your placement should start halfway down your ear and follow the bone down diagonally somewhat towards your mouth. Don't go down too far! You can always add extra. You can try and make a fishy face or push your mouth over to the side (does that make sense?) to try and see the 'line' you should follow, or just jab around your cheek and have a nice feel for your cheekbones. Getting comfortable with your face structure will help a lot with this.
Next, I push my mouth over to the side like I was talking about above (again I have no idea how else to describe it). I use the brush in small, circular motions backwards and up to blend in the contour. I use quite a heavy hand for this because it seems to work better for me. This is something you definitely have to practice and experiment with. I've only been contouring for a few months and I've swapped products three or four times to find something that worked for me. In general, powder works much better than cream for me (although sometimes I'll use cream then powder over the top for something more dramatic or long lasting) but again, it's something you need to try out for yourself.
I'll be honest, I still don't think my contour is as good as it could be, but it has improved substantially from when I first started. One of the issues I've had is that I have redness on my cheeks which made me afraid of blush for so long, and it always messed up where I thought my contour should go. Anyway, this is the finished product!:
I'll be honest, I still don't think my contour is as good as it could be, but it has improved substantially from when I first started. One of the issues I've had is that I have redness on my cheeks which made me afraid of blush for so long, and it always messed up where I thought my contour should go. Anyway, this is the finished product!:
Probably not the best lighting, but it's just meant to look like your cheekbones are sculpted by the gods and therefore there is a shadow falling underneath them. You may not be used to how it looks at the beginning but it is definitely a valuable inclusion into your routine if you are looking to try new things.
Let me know what you think about this mini-tutorial (I don't know if I can call it that). Good? Bad? What do you want to see?
Thanks for reading and hope I've helped!
No comments:
Post a Comment