CONTOURING & HIGHLIGHTING 101:

Contouring and highlighting are one of the oldest practices in the makeup industry, yet contouring is one of the most frequently left-out steps in makeup applications. That’s because contouring is something that can look horrible wrong if not done correctly.

Contouring is a makeup technique in which you use bronzer or color darker than your skin tone to create and emphasize natural shadows in the face, giving a more defined, angular appearance. Its complementary counterpart is highlighting, which you use in the opposite fashion to enhance the more raised areas of the face where light naturally hits. Proper highlight and contour can completely transform your bone structure. Think you have no cheekbones? Think again. You just need to go about enhancing them correctly.

Think of it this way, everything you highlight (lighten) comes forward, and everything you contour (darken) recedes. The key to contouring is to be very, very light with application and build to your desired strength.

CONTOURING
The bronzer you use to contour should be only slightly darker than your skin tone. You can use any kind of formulation you like, though I do recommend a powder for beginners.

1.
First, locate the hollow of your cheekbones. It will be where the shadow naturally falls, diagonally across the side of your face. If you can’t find it, suck in your cheeks and find the hallows. The shadow should fall directly in the hollow created by the face.

2.
Swirl a big, fluffy brush in your bronzer and trace the diagonal line, beginning at the top of
the cheek just below the temple and brushing downward toward your mouth. After a
few swipes, a line should begin to build here. 

HIGHLIGHTING
It’s important to use highlight very, very sparingly or else you risk looking totally
shiny rather than glowing.

1.
The colour you choose for highlighting, should be 1-2 shades lighter than your foundation and generally should have a light shimmer finish. Our Stefan Cheek Blush Highlighter is perfect for this.

2.
Dab your formula of choice in the center of your forehead, at the very top of your cheekbone diagonally toward the temple, down the bridge of your nose and right in the cupid’s bow. These spots are where proper natural or studio lighting naturally hits — the purpose of contouring and highlighting is to give a sort of studio-lit aesthetic all the time.





WHAT YOU CAN ACHIEVE WITH CONTOURING..

DEFINED CHEEKBONES
Start at your ear and follow slightly under your cheekbone
until you hit the apple of your cheek

NARROW A WIDER SHAPED NOSE
Place your contour shade along the sides of your nose,
blending well. Then highlight down the centre of the nose.

CREATE FULLER LIPS
Apply a contouring shade between the peaks of the upper
lip and below the center of the lower lip.

DEFINED JAWLINE
Apply along the jaw line and blend it down, towards your neck.
This creates depth and helps to strengthen the jaw line.


CONTOURING GUIDE FOR DIFFERENT FACE SHAPES