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How To Contour

December 28, 2013
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How To Contour

Am I the only one who has sat around forever trying to figure out just how to contour…? I know I can’t be. I think it really became crazy when Kim Kardashian posted that Instagram photo, making every go crazy for highlighting and contouring. Here’s the thing, learning how to contour is not hard at all, I promise. It’s all about finding the products that work best for you, are easy to apply, and provide you with a natural looking contour. Your contour should be light, and look like it is just the sun casting shadows on your skin in different ways, the chiseled look is not cute. You want to come up with your own way of doing it as well, what works best for YOU may not work best for everyone else. This is what works for me and on a few girlfriends! Try it out and see if it works for you 🙂

Over the years I have tried countless products in my highlighting and contouring routine but I think at this point I have the perfect products to achieve the perfect HAC. I have to say, the Maybelline Fit Me sticks are mind blowingly awesome & I never would have thought to use them for this but I watched a random you tube video from SMLxo and she used these and I grabbed some and it has been love ever since. Let me show you how to contour with my favorite products!

FOUNDATION TO MATCH SKINTONE || MAYBELLINE FIT ME SHINE FREE FOUNDATION STICK || $8.99 –  You want to start with a foundation that is the same color or a shade lighter than your skin tone. I go with a shade lighter because I half use it as foundation and half as part of a highlight.  This Maybelline Fit Me Shine Free Stick Foundation’s anti-shine core has ultra-lightweight powders built in to instantly dissolve oil. The gel stick formula goes on creamy, blends easily, and transforms to a matte powder finish.

FOUNDATION DARKER THAN SKINTONE || MAYBELLINE FIT ME SHINE FREE FOUNDATION STICK || $8.99 – I went with the darkest shade they had in this for my actual ‘contour’ color which is something that is nowhere close to my skin tone so that’s why it’s perfect to contour with and the fact that it’s a matte finish and a cream makes it easier to use than what you find with a powder bronzer. Although in the summer, I will almost absolutely apply a powder bronzer on top of this! This is Jersey, 😉

HIGHLIGHTING CONCEALER || MAYBELLINE DREAM LUMI TOUCH HIGHLIGHTING CONCEALER || $7.99 – Can you marry a makeup item? If you can, I’m proposing to this baby. This will give you the perfect highlight, swearsies! Experience a brighter idea in concealers. Maybelline’s Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer’s gel-based formula diffuses light like no other, so it illuminates as it covers imperfections, for instantly brighter looking skin.

FLAT TOP BRUSH  ||  SONIA KASHUK FLAT BRUSH || $17 – This is going to be your go to brush for blending all of your products together! Simply use it in a stippling motion and you’re good to go.

BEAUTY SPONGE  ||  BEAUTY BLENDER  || – I use this to blend my highlight and it’s a great tool! Achieve the same flawless finish with all makeup formulations. Now in a chic black, the BeautyBlender Pro has the same suede texture as the original. With unique curves that fit the contours of your face, it leaves your makeup dazzling and undetectable.

BLUSH || Similar To The Discontinued Elf Blush || – 

ANGLED BRUSH || ELF ANGLED CONTOUR BRUSH || $3 – You’ll want this smaller brush to go ahead and blend in your products around your eyes and nose. This Taklon Brush Can Be Used With Wet Or Dry Products. Be A Professional Makeup Artist And Create A Flawless Look With This E.L.F. Studio Brush! Creates Mistake-Proof Eye Color Contouring. Applies Color With Accuracy And Comfort. Use To Apply Base Eyeshadow And Crease Eyeshadow.

SETTING POWDER  || NYC LOOSE POWDER (TRANSLUCENT) || $3 – You absolutely need a setting powder and this is one of the best!! If you can still find it in stores, grab it! They no longer make it so if you’re in need of another I love this one here as well!

how to contour

 

Seriously, this is the easiest way for me to show y’all how to achieve the perfect highlight and contour. You’re going to want to apply your contour (the darker shade) around your temple, down the sides of your face and nose, the hollows of your cheeks and a bit to your chin neck area. Then take your highlighter & the foundation that is lighter than your skin tone. You want to  apply the light foundation straight down your nose, up into your forehead, under your eyes in a triangular shape, around the outer part of your nose, and directly into your cupids bow and your chin! I then take my highlighter and apply a thin coat ON TOP of the light colored foundation into my tzone, a bit under my eyes, cupids bow and chin. (Side note, I also apply it to my brow so I don’t have to do it with eyeshadow later.) The blush will obviously go onto the apples of your cheek and your cheekbones. It’s that easy!

As far as applying your regular foundation first, you are absolutely welcomed to do so. I don’t because I find that the blending of the two cream sticks or powdered products and the highlighter give me more then enough coverage. I do start off with a brightening makeup primer as my base but that’s about it!

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Comments

  3. I prefer to highlight and contour with foundation. I think it looks much more natural. I need to get that ELF blush! I have not tried it.

  5. *sigh* I just don’t understand why/when we started contouring down the nose. To me most people that try it just look like they touched their nose after gardening and tried to rub the dirt off and just didn’t get it all. Maybe that’s just me though 😉

  14. I just got the iiiD foundation from Maskcara that is meant for HAC. Check it out!
    Love your diagram though. Great tips.

  15. Can I use this method with mineral powder make-up? I prefer powder over liqiuid & all the contouring samples include liquid or stick products. Sorry if dumb question… I’m just learning about contouring! Thanks for your diagram!

  16. I have tried to do highlighting and contouring and for the life of me I can’t get it right, the few times I tried I ended up looking like a zombie. I think my highlighting was too light and my contouring was too dark so I was wondering how light and how dark of a shade I need to get to make it look more natural once I blend everything. My current foundation is a fresh bage 🙂
    All the other tutorials I have read said to do highlight, contouring, and foundation all at the same time, and I have to say that was a cakey mess. Hopefully I’ll be able to get it right this time.

  19. Slight confusion! Sorry I have never done this and I want to make sure I understand completely.
    Do you put on your normal foundation first?
    In the picture you have a foundation stick darker than your skin tone AND one light than your skin tone….is the lighter one for highlighting or is the MAYBELLINE DREAM LUMI TOUCH HIGHLIGHTING CONCEALER for that? what is the difference? Just depends on what you want to use or do they go in different places……..? TIA!

  20. Since I am using two different foundations technically & blending them, I do this without a normal foundation as a base, I usually just use a primer. I use a combination of the lighter foundation & the dream lumi for highlighting. They pretty much go in the same place, I just use the dream lumi for my t zone area and under my eyes on top of the light foundation! 🙂

  21. Is the highlight concealer supposed to be same color as your skin tone? Lighter/darker than skin tone?

  22. The highlighter is usually a non skin tone type of shade. This one here is a bright almost white shade that really brightens you up. The foundation which I use to highlight all over is one shade lighter than my skin tone and I go ahead just use the actual highlighter in the tzone, a bit on my brow line, a bit under my eyes, a little on the cupids bow and chin over the foundation that is lighter than your skin tone.

  23. I don’t think you got my reply to your email. I don’t know what i’m doing wrong, for some reason i can’t blend the lighter foundation with the darker foundation. It looks like i drew on my face. At first i thought it was because i didn’t have the right blending brush so i tried the blending sponge, foundation brush, contouring brush, and now i’m using my stippling brush. My make up looks better when i use the stippling brush but i don’t get the highlighting and contouring look i want. how much lighter foundation and darker foundation should i use??? Thanks 🙂

  24. I was wondering how exactly you blend it. I’ve read so many articles on how to blend it, but I’m still confused.

    Thanks

  26. For blending all of this, do you apply it all at once like the diagram shows then use the flat top brush then the beauty blender? Or do you apply one thing at a time and then use the brush and beauty blender to blend everything out? And what brightening primer do you use? Ive been looking for a good one to try.

  27. I apply it all at once, I use the beauty blender to blend my highlight and the flat top brush to to blend the two cream foundations. For a brightening primer I have been using the L’Oreal Magic Lumi Primer 🙂

  30. After reading all the comments, now I am more confused than ever. If i am using a foundation, I start off with that all over my face, contour, highlight and then blend? I have an olive skin, do i need to get the lightest highlighting concealer? I’ve been wanting to try how to HAC and your post is the most clear & easy enough to do for a newbie like me.

  31. Yes, if you’re using a full-medium coverage foundation I would apply that first and then do your contour followed by highlight and blend it out. With an olive complexion I would absolutely go with the lightest of the highlighters. Now, if you don’t feel like you need full coverage and you’re using cream products, you can apply all 3 to the different parts of your face and blend out that way. It really is just a matter of what ends up being most comfortable for you 🙂

  33. I use it to set my makeup. Once everything is finished I apply it all over my face. It’s translucent so it’s not really effecting the colors all that much.

  35. Omg thank you so much! I have never been good with makeup and with your tutorial, my makeup came out perfect! You are amazing! Now to just figure out the smokey eye!

  37. I tried it and even went through youtube and still couldn’t get it to look right 🙁 But I’m not giving up LOL I will figure this out one way or the other!

  39. Basically I followed your tutuorial with the picture and I literally went to dark, I’m very fair skinned ( I was not blessed with tanable skin LOL) so I didn’t do the foundation, I just used the mabelline sticks and no matter how I put it on, I just looked orange 🙁 I’m still trying though

  40. Have you tried contouring with a powdered matte bronzer? That may help you get rid of the orange tones you’re finding! Let me know if you need a suggestion for one 🙂

  46. Hi, how are you?

    I’m interested in your media kits, i wanted to know if you sell advertising, and if you do, what are the requirements or prices? You have media kits for advertising or mentions at your blog?

    Thank you very much
    I will stay aware of your response.

  47. Hi! Love this post, I think it’s super helpful, thanks so much for posting! I have a question though…what do you use the 2 different highlighters for? I am trying to figure out if I can stick with just the lighter-than-my-skin-tone Maybelline Fit Me Foundation Stick and use as a highlighter or if I need to get the Maybelline Dream Lumi as well? Thanks in advance!

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