HowTo Create A Natural Contour & Highlight

Highlighting and contouring is part of my daily makeup routine, simply because it works to enhance the natural dimension of our face. It's so easy to go overboard when trying to achieve this sculpted and lifted look, so here are some easy steps to help take your routine up a notch.

1. Find even, natural sunlight. Fluorescent or dim light will heavily distort colours, and make you over apply products.

2. Feel your face. Use clean hands on a clean face, and identify where your cheekbones, brow bones, cheek hollows and temples lie. Don't forget to turn your face side to side to make sure that you blend far enough.

3. Create an even skin tone. With a lightweight foundation or concealer that's the exact same colour as your skin, even out your complexion and don't worry about spots or redness showing through. I love the Laura Mercier Mineral Powder Foundation with SPF 15.

4. Choose your products:

Contour: I'd recommend getting a face powder or cream foundation that's 2-3 shades darker than your natural colour. "Bronzers" are often too shimmery and orange to contour with, but work well to lightly dust over your entire face when you want a warm glow.

Highlight: I swear by the Rimmel 2-In-1 Highlighting Concealer. I apply it exactly where the photo below has white stripes (except you don't need makeup on your chest). Check out the video to see how I blend out my highlight with my wet n wild foundation brush.

Photo from Pinterest (linked here)

Highlight
Centre of the forehead, between the brows, down and around the nose, under the eyes, on the cheekbones, on the brow bone, around the mouth and on the chin


Contour
Perimeter of the face: around the forehead, on the temples, in the soft spot under the cheekbones (stop blending BEFORE the iris) in the eyelid crease and under the jawbone, if you want.

*I would not recommend putting makeup on your neck and chest unless you're wearing a strapless top. Washing makeup off clothing isn't fun. Use a self tanner like the Clarins Liquid Bronze Self Tanning Lotion if you want colour on your chest and neck.

To see my tutorial in action, watch the video linked below:

xx