From hiding or enhancing your features, editor Trudi Brewer says there is no contour without highlighting. Here are some easy how-to tips and the products you need to get a natural-looking glow.
Editor Trudi Brewer shares easy how-to tips on contouring and highlight on TV3’s The Cafe
with host Melanie Holmer.
The point of contouring is to enhance or change the shape of your face with makeup. But its effects don't have to be as drastic as you see on the gram. Less is more when it comes to natural contouring, made even more effective by subtle highlighting. Read on to learn more.
MECCA MAX Bronze-A-Thon 3D Bronzing Trio, $33.
This palette of ultra-fine powders in cool tones offers three natural colours in beige, tan and bronze to help create contour, bronzing and demure barely-there highlighting.
MECCA MAX Bronze-A-Thon 3D Bronzing Trio, $33.
Powder bronzer is one of the easiest products to use for contouring. But in winter skin is paler than summer, so reach for honey rather than an orange-coloured bronzer, matte is the most natural finish, with a dusting of shimmer on top.
Jane Iredale Blending Contouring Brush, $98.
Jane Iredale Blending Contouring Brush, $98.
Angled to fit the contours of your face, this brush adds precise definition. You can use the vegan bristles to apply primer, liquid foundation, and powder foundation, as well as blush or bronzer to contour and highlighting - it’s so versatile.
To cheat your way to chiselled cheekbones, suck in your cheeks, and using an angled brush, buff the darkest powder into the hollows of the cheeks, using swift back and forth movements.
Too Faced Cocoa Contour Palette, $77.
The six matte shades in this palette offer three contour colours and three highlighting shades to help you sculpt, bronze, and define your features - and they smell good too. Infused with real cocoa powder, your skin will get an antioxidant boost while you wear it. We call this cosmetics with benefits.
Too Faced Cocoa Contour Palette, $77.
There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to the rules of highlighting and contouring. Contour to suit your face shape. If you have a round face, contour under your cheekbones to give a definition and help the face appear slimmer. But if you have a narrow face, that could make it look even longer, instead, shade along the top of the forehead and the chin.
Westman Atelier Face Trace Contour Stick, $85.
Only makeup artist Gucci Westman could design a contour cream in the natural-looking shade of taupe. This is thanks to the biomimicry pigments that imitate the undertones in any skin colour. China clay absorbs excess oil on the skin, while a raspberry extract, called berryflux, nourishes at the same time. This brand is vegan and formulated without phthalates, parabens, PEGs, synthetic fragrances, talc and gluten.
When choosing colours to help you contour, stick with the artists principal of shading. That is, dark colours will help recede, so on the face, this slims and defines, while light colours advance, so on the face, this highlights or brings your feature forward.
Osmosis + Colour Luminous Treatment Primer & Highlight, $56.
Before applying foundation or concealer this radiance-boosting lotion will show off the high points of the face, in the best light. As well as giving your skin that candlelight glow, the formula contains antioxidants including niacinamide (vitamin B3,) and hydrating hyaluronic acid to nourish and give skin a subtle glow. Use all-over under makeup, and over the top for spot highlighting on the cheeks, cupids bow, down the nose and chin.
Osmosis + Colour Luminous Treatment Primer & Highlight, $56.
You can contour with foundation, by using a colour that is two shades darker than your skin tone. And remember, there is no contour without highlight, whether with a concealer or illuminating shimmer cream or powder, used together is how you get natural-looking definition.
Jane Iredale White Fan Brush, $30.
Jane Iredale White Fan Brush, $30.
For highlighting or adding colour where you want to use less product, a fan brush is essential. It allows you to achieve a precise application, on the bridge of your nose, on the top of the cupid's bow on the lips, or the inner corners of your eyes - once you have used a fan brush you will not be without one.
If you want to make your forehead appear smaller, buff a bronzing powder up into your hairline until it blended seamlessly. Using the same brush, to bring the powder down towards your temples and along the jawline, keep blending until there are no visible demarcation lines.
By Terry Glow-Expert Duo Stick, $93.
This is your highlight, blush and contour all-in-one handy, two-toned creamy sculpting stick. Simply run the darkest shade (to contour), in one stripe and follow with the soft colour beside, as your highlight, then blend with the built-in brush. The glow-reflecting prisms and light-corrective powders in the formulation leave your features looking luminous and well-defined There are three shades, pictured here Peachy Petal.
To cheat your way to chiselled cheekbones, suck in your cheeks, and using the angled brush, buff the darkest powder into the hollows of the cheeks using swift back and forth motions. Then above the hollow, dust on a lighter colour or soft shimmer powder to highlight.
Jane Iredale GreatShape Contour Kit, $102.
Jane Iredale GreatShape Contour Kit, $102.
For clean makeup fans, these three organic matte powders allow you to sculpt and highlight, as well as adding a pop of blush, for that lit-from-within glow. There are three shades, Cool, Warm and Deep, pictured here Cool.