The power of contouring

Take a scroll through the instagram explore page, flick through any glossy magazine or even walk through any city centre and I guarantee you will see someone with contouring. The world is literally being taken over by this beauty phenomenon of sculpted and highlighted cheekbones. Its probably the biggest beauty trend of the last two years, originally a drag makeup technique which used to be hidden from us by celebrity makeup artists was finally revealed and made popular by Kim Kardashian's  makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic. Now there's thousands of different contour products in every shape and form and tonnes of contouring techniques, some easier than others (remember clown contouring anyone!?) which makes it difficult for anyone to know where to start. That's why todays post is all about the what, when, where and why of contouring.

WHAT is it? Contouring is a makeup technique used to enhance and define facial structure. When you contour something with a darker colour you make it look smaller but when you highlight something with a lighter colour you're making it look bigger.

WHEN do you use it? After you've finished you're base makeup is a good time to contour as the products will blend nicer on top of foundation. Also contouring can be used everyday if done subtle but you can definitely amp it up for a glam look on a night out,

WHERE do you put it? There are many places you can contour, the most popular being the cheekbones to make them look more defined like a supermodels. Forehead & nose to slim them down. But it really depends on your face shape and which features you want to enhance and which you want to hide.

WHY do we do it? To bring out our best features of course!

Here's my demonstration of the power of contour and the difference it makes to your face, first picture is me without any form of contouring just foundation on, second is a natural everyday contour look incorporating it onto eyes and lips (It's not just for face!). Then the final picture is a full blown glam contour look which you would see on the makeup artists of Instagram. 

Look 1: No Contour

Here I have absolutely no contour or highlighting elements, only foundation. This to me is the definition of 'Flat face' where there is no dimension to my features and the face is all one colour. I feel this can make skin look dull.

Product details:

Primer: Smashbox photo finish primer

Foundation: Smashbox Studio skin in 2.2

Brows: ABH Dip brow in Dark brown

Mascara: Loreal Telescopic Carbon black

Lipstick: Smashbox Audition 

Time to get blending that contour (plus heated rollers) This is the fun part when your cream contour resembles a tribal warrior face paint.

Look 2: Natural Contour

Amazing what a little sculpting can do! You can instantly see the difference between the first picture and this, my face has more dimension thus looking healthier. My lips look fuller as a lip liner was used to contour the edges with a darker colour. Even using a darker colour into the crease of eyes can give them a brighter appearance. I would say this look is perfect for everyday and shows that contouring doesn't have to be scary! Cream products are best for a natural look as they are easily blendable and give a fresh dewy appearance.

Product details

Cream contour: Smashbox cream contour sticks

Blush: Smashbox LA lights in silverlake sunset

Highlighter: Smashbox LA lights in hollywood & highlight

Lip Liner: Max Factor Mauve moment

Eyeshadows: No7 stay perfect shadow in Weatsheef & Matte mocha

Look 3: Full Insta-glam contour

 Finally we get to the super glam super dramatic contour, I will admit this is my favourite one because it's the most fun! Ideal for a night out or if you're like me and like to beat yo face everyday. This creates loads of depth to the cheekbones and adding a glittery highlighter to all the high points of the face makes for a gorgeous polished look. Lots of a white concealer and baking under the eyes gives them a brighter appearance. Deepening the crease of the eye with darker colour then highlighting the inner corner really opens up the eyes as well. Make sure to use a matte grey colour to contour under cheekbones as it will mimic the appearance of a real shadow rather than an orange line. I find powder products are better for a dramatic contour but remember to blend blend blend! Even with a dramatic look you don't want any harsh lines.

Product details:
Contour: Smashbox step by step contour kit
Concealer: Mac pro-long wear in NC15
Highlighter: ABH glow kit in Gleam
Blush: Smashbox blush palette in coral
Liner: Smashbox limitless liner pen
Eyeshadow: Mac tan, swiss chocolate, Embark & Vanilla pigment


Hopefully this will have helped shed some light on the elusive 'Why should we contour?' question and inspire you to try it out! Thank you for reading,

Sadie xoxo