How To Contour Your Face

Contouring is a method for defining and adding dimension to your face by using makeup that is slightly darker or lighter than your natural skin color. Contour is all about creating the effect of shadow and light to emphasise your features. In today's blog, we will be going over all things contour and how to achieve an easy, gorgeous sculpted look!

IDENTIFYING YOUR FACE SHAPE

Contouring techniques your favourite celebrities or beauty gurus use may not suit you. This is because contouring is not a 'one size fits all' as everyone has different features. We recommend contouring based on your specific face shape, but do what best works for you and your preferences. We have listed the characteristics of facial shapes so you can identify what yours is and how to best contour it.

	Your face is OVAL if it is approximately twice as long as it is wide and there are also no distinct points to your chin, jaw or hairline. Contour your cheekbones beginning at your ears and finishing in the middle of your cheeks. Highlight the centre of the forehead, chin and under your eyes to create balance.
	Your face is RECTANGULAR if it is approximately twice as long as it is wide and there are distinct and angular points to your chin, jaw or hairline. Contour around the sides of your forehead temples and hairline to give the illusion of a shorter forehead. Contour your cheekbones beginning at your ears and finishing in the middle of your cheeks and under your jawline. Highlight the centre of your chin and under your eyes in an upside down triangle shape.
	Your face is ROUND if it is roughly the same length and width and you have no apparent points along your jawline, chin or forehead. Contour the sides of your forehead and temples to slim down this area. Also contour your cheekbones beginning at your ears and towards the middle of your cheeks, then down towards your jawline to add some length to your face. Highlight the centre of the forehead, chin and under your eyes and just above the jawline to create definition.
	Your face is DIAMOND shaped if it is longer than it is wider and your cheeks are the widest part of your face. Your hairline and chin are narrower in comparison. Contour your cheekbones beginning at your ears and finishing in the middle of your cheeks and slightly under the chin area to shorten the point. Highlight under your eyes in an upside-down triangle shape. Also the centre of your forehead and chin to help widen these narrower areas.
	Your face is HEART shaped if your forehead is the widest part of your features. Your chin appears narrow and pointed and your cheeks are slimmer than your hairline. Contour along the sides of your forehead, temples and cheek bones. This will balance out the wider upper half and the narrower lower half of your face. Highlight under your eyes in an upside-down triangle shape. Also, highlight the centre of your forehead to create balance and highlight your chin to help widen this narrow area.
	Your face is SQUARE if it is roughly the same length and width and your hairline and jawline appear even. You may also have angular and sharp features. Contour the sides of your forehead, temples and along your hairline to give the illusion of a smaller forehead. Contour below your cheekbones and under your jawbone to slim this area. Highlight beneath your eyes in an upside-down triangle shape and in the middle of your forehead and chin to highlight the centre of the face.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT CONTOUR FOR YOU?

Now that you've identified your face shape, you'll need to select a product that will work best for the task. Head over to our previous blog "HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT CONTOUR FOR YOUR SKIN TONE" to read in depth about finding your contour shade and if cream or powder contour is the perfect finish for you!

Today I'll be using the CHISEL-SCULPT-SHADE PALETTE which is coming to our cosmetic collection soon. The palette contains three contour shades, one brightening shade and two highlighter shades. These are buildable and will create depth and definition so you can be perfectly sculpted and glowing every time. Because this is a powder contour palette, make sure you've already applied your foundation and cream products, then set your face with powder. That way, the products blend seamlessly on your face and won't cling to any damp spots.

STEP 1: DEFINE

Define your natural features with contour and/or bronzer. Keep the products matte as we want to create the illusion of shadows in these areas. Using a makeup brush, sweep your contour or bronzer to areas such as your hairline, cheekbones, jawline and the sides of your nose. Go light handed and build up slowly to achieve your desired intensity.

STEP 2: BRIGHTEN

Opposite of contour, a brightening powder will bring features forward. Apply this with a brush to the high points of your face, including the center of your forehead, chin, under the eyes and the bridge of your nose. Once again, always start with less and add more as required. It's always easier to build up rather than take away products. Finish with blush and highlighter if desired.

STEP 3: LOCK IT IN PLACE

Now that your contour is in place, we want to lock it in place! Use a SETTING SPRAY to set your makeup and help it last throughout the day and night. Setting spray will also help melt and blend the setting powders into the skin for a flawless finish.

We hope this blog was helpful to you. Let us know in the comments below what your face shape is and whether you're team cream contour or powder contour!