Contouring 101

Let me start out this post by saying that contouring is NOT an everyday look! In fact, I don't really recommend it for daytime at all. It may come out looking too harsh.  If you do want to contour for a daytime look, you'll have to really take your time and blend like nobody's business. 

I recommend contouring for special nighttime events, or events where you know you will be photographed or filmed. The key is to BLEND BLEND BLEND and then when you think you're done, blend a little more. Also keep in mind that when you first put on your dark and light makeup, you're going to look like a clown. It's just the way it is. Don't be scared. Let's hold hands. 

For this week's post I was lucky enough to have one of my best friends Lindsey let me use her pretty little face. She was the first person I thought of when I decided to have contouring as the topic this week. She's got beautiful, high cheekbones and a striking jawline. Honestly she needs no makeup, but it's awfully fun to play up her features and angles! 

So the first thing you'll need is a very light-colored concealer. The one I use is white because I'm so pale, but if you have darker skin you can just use a lighter contrasting color. I like the Maybelline Cover Stick in White. It's inexpensive and easy to use. For the darker color I use a Maybelline Fit Me Shine Free Foundation Stick in Coconut (355). 

Once you've applied moisturizer and primer, apply a light foundation or tinted BB cream over your whole face. Then take your light concealer and apply it on the bridge of your nose, forehead, the areas under the eyes, and under your cheekbone. 

Now, add the dark. Apply it to the sides of your nose, along your hairline, directly into your cheekbones, and along your jawline. 

Now get blending! You can use a lot of different things to blend, but what I found works for me best are just plain old cosmetic wedges. I like the ones infused with Vitamin E because they are much softer and offer a  smoother application. USE A NEW ONE EVERY TIME!! Sorry for yelling. 

 You can also add a bit of neutral foundation on the tip of the wedge when you're blending to soften the look even more. This is what it looks like with the first step of blending:

So after your first blending process, you might still see some areas that look severe, but that's okay. You're going to blend it all again but this time with powder. I use the NYX Set It Don't Fret It Mineral Powder in Light/Medium and a Kabuki brush. The mixture of the silky smooth loose powder and the sturdiness of the Kabuki brush is great for blending. Apply the powder in small circles all over, just like you would buff a car. (See, who said this blog isn't for men!?)

Here is the complete blended look:

For the final look I added some blush to the apples of her cheeks, and bronzer to all the parts of her face I applied the dark foundation stick to. I also did a smokey eye with a nude lip color, which is a great combo with a contoured look.

Happy contouring my friends. Feel free to shoot me some ideas for future weeks or ask me any questions you might have by emailing me at Erindugan62@yahoo.com Cheers! Xx

Products used: 

-Maybelline Cover Stick Concealer in White ($5.99 Any Drugstore)

-Maybelline Fit Me Shine Free Foundation Stick in Coconut 355 ($8.99 Any Drugstore)

-NYX Set it Don't Fret It Mineral Powder in Light/Medium ($9.99 Ulta)

-32-ct Vitamin-E Infused Cosmetic Wedges ($4.79 CVS)

-Too Faced Kabuki Brush ($34.00 Sephora) (There's plenty of inexpensive Kabuki brushes that work just as well, I just splurge on weird things)