Mastering the Art of Contour and Highlight: A Step-by-Step Guide

Contouring and highlighting are transformative makeup techniques that can sculpt your face, define your features, and enhance your natural beauty. While it might seem intimidating at first, with the right tools and a little practice, anyone can master these skills. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire process, from understanding the basics to achieving a flawless, sculpted look.

Understanding the Basics: Light and Shadow

The core principle behind contouring and highlighting is manipulating light and shadow. Contouring involves using darker shades to create the illusion of depth and recession, while highlighting uses lighter shades to bring forward areas and catch the light. By strategically placing these shades, you can redefine your facial structure, making cheekbones appear higher, the nose appear slimmer, and the jawline more defined.

The Power of Contour: Sculpting Your Face

Contour products mimic natural shadows, creating the appearance of sculpted features. Think of where shadows naturally fall on your face – beneath your cheekbones, along your jawline, temples, and the sides of your nose. These are the areas where you’ll apply your contour.

The Magic of Highlight: Illuminating Your Features

Highlighting products do the opposite of contouring; they attract light and bring areas forward. Key areas for highlighting include the tops of your cheekbones, the brow bone, the bridge of your nose, the cupid’s bow, and the center of your forehead and chin. By strategically highlighting, you can enhance these areas and add a radiant glow.

Choosing the Right Products

The right products can make all the difference. Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll need:

Contour Products

Contour products typically come in two forms: powder and cream. The best choice depends on your skin type and preference:

• Powder Contour: Ideal for oily and combination skin, powder contour is easy to blend and build. Choose a matte shade that’s 2-3 shades darker than your skin tone, with cool or neutral undertones to mimic shadows naturally. Avoid anything with orange or shimmer, as this will look unnatural.
• Cream Contour: Perfect for dry and normal skin, cream contour offers a more blendable and natural finish. It often has better staying power than powder contour. Look for similar undertones to the powder options but opt for a slightly more emollient texture for easy application.
• Contour Sticks: Convenient and easy to use, contour sticks are great for beginners. They usually come in a creamy formula and offer good color payoff.

Highlight Products

Like contour, highlights come in powder, cream, and liquid formulations:

• Powder Highlight: Suitable for all skin types, powder highlight provides a subtle glow. Choose a shade that’s 1-2 shades lighter than your skin tone and opt for champagne, gold, or iridescent shades depending on your preference.
• Cream Highlight: Cream highlights are great for dry skin and create a dewy finish. Apply with your fingers or a brush, and blend well into the skin.
• Liquid Highlight: Liquid highlights are very versatile, offering a range of intensities from subtle shimmer to a blinding glow. They’re great for adding radiance to your complexion or mixing with your foundation.
• Highlight Sticks: Similar to contour sticks, these are convenient for targeted application and ideal for on-the-go use.

Essential Tools

Investing in the right tools can significantly improve your contour and highlight game. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Contour Brush: Choose an angled brush for precise placement or a fluffy brush for a softer application.
• Highlight Brush: A fan brush is ideal for delicate highlighting, while a smaller, tapered brush can provide more targeted precision.
• Blending Brush: A large, fluffy brush is essential for seamless blending and avoiding harsh lines.
• Makeup Sponge: A damp makeup sponge is perfect for blending both cream and liquid products.

Step-by-Step Guide to Contouring and Highlighting

Now that we’ve covered the basics and the products, let’s get into the step-by-step process:

Step 1: Prep Your Skin

Start with a clean, moisturized face. Apply your foundation, concealer, and any other base products you use as your typical makeup routine. Make sure your base is set with a translucent setting powder, especially if you have oily skin, to avoid patchiness with your contour and highlight products.

Step 2: Contour Your Cheekbones

Locating Your Cheekbones: To find the hollows of your cheekbones, feel along the side of your face from your ear towards your mouth. The area just underneath where your cheekbone protrudes is where you will apply the contour.

Applying Contour: Using your angled contour brush, pick up a small amount of product. Start applying contour at the top of your ear and drag the brush downwards towards the corner of your mouth, stopping about two finger widths away from the side of your mouth. Blend the contour upwards and out to lift the face, avoiding blending too close to your mouth. The amount of product should be very minimal at first, and then you can build up the intensity to your preference. Remember to work in light layers so that you don’t overdo it. It is easier to add product than remove it.

Blending: Use a fluffy blending brush or a damp makeup sponge to blend the contour thoroughly. Blend it upward and outward towards your hairline, making sure to soften any harsh lines to make it appear seamless. Avoid blending the contour too far down onto the cheeks, because this will give the illusion of a droopy face. The final look should be a soft shadow under the cheekbones, making them appear more defined.

Step 3: Contour Your Jawline

Defining Your Jaw: Contouring the jawline can create the illusion of a more defined facial structure and a sculpted, sharp jaw. You’ll follow along the natural line of your jaw, starting from the ear and working towards the chin.

Applying Contour: Use your contour brush to apply the product along your jawline, starting from under your ear and extending towards your chin. This area is usually narrow, so using an angled brush can provide a clean line. Work in thin, even strokes for a more natural result. Start with a very minimal amount of product and build up if needed.

Blending: Use a blending brush or sponge to blend downwards into the neck. This will blend any harsh lines and make the contour look more natural. The key is to create a soft transition between your jawline and neck so that it is not too stark.

Step 4: Contour Your Temples

Sculpting Your Forehead: Contouring the temples can help balance out the face by creating a slimmer appearance to your forehead. This is especially beneficial if you have a broader forehead or want to create more dimension.

Applying Contour: Lightly apply contour along your hairline near your temples with your contour brush. Begin near your hairline and move towards the front of your forehead, blending as you go. You can also contour just around the hairline if you do not have a larger forehead. You want to create a more defined, and slimmer appearance of your forehead, which creates a more balanced look.

Blending: Use a blending brush to blend the contour softly into your hairline, making sure that there are no harsh lines or obvious patches of makeup. The key is to ensure that the contour blends seamlessly into your hairline so that it does not look unnatural.

Step 5: Contour Your Nose (Optional)

Slimming Your Nose: If you desire a slimmer and more defined nose, nose contouring is an option. This technique works by creating shadows on the sides of the nose to make it appear narrower. This is a more advanced step that may require practice.

Applying Contour: Use a small, precise brush to apply a thin line of contour down the sides of your nose, starting from the inner corners of your eyebrows to your nose tip. Keep the lines very thin and close to your nose bridge if you want to create a slimmer appearance. You can also apply contour underneath your nose tip for a more defined nose shape.

Blending: Use a small, fluffy blending brush to blend the contour lines very gently. Make sure to blend any hard lines so it appears seamless. You want the contour to look natural so that it looks like a shadow.

Step 6: Highlight Your Cheekbones

Adding Glow: Highlighting the tops of your cheekbones will make them appear higher and more defined, adding radiance to your face.

Applying Highlight: Using a fan brush or a small tapered brush, apply your highlight powder on the high points of your cheekbones, right above where you placed the contour. You can start from your cheekbone and blend upwards towards your temple. You should not apply too much product.

Blending: Use your highlighting brush to blend the highlight gently into the skin. The key is to ensure that it does not sit as a stark line, but melts seamlessly into your base makeup.

Step 7: Highlight Your Brow Bone

Lifting Your Brows: Highlighting your brow bone can help lift the eyebrows and create a more open and wide-eyed appearance.

Applying Highlight: Use a small, tapered brush or your finger to apply a small amount of highlight just underneath your eyebrow arch and on the outer corner of your brow bone. You can do this with a powder, liquid, or cream highlight, depending on your preference.

Blending: Gently blend the highlight with your finger or brush. The goal is to create a soft glow. Avoid applying too much product in this area to prevent a harsh, unnatural look.

Step 8: Highlight Your Cupid’s Bow

Enhancing Your Lips: Applying highlight to your cupid’s bow can make your lips appear fuller and more defined. This technique is subtle but effective.

Applying Highlight: Using a small brush or your finger, dab a tiny amount of highlight onto the cupid’s bow, which is the dip at the center of your upper lip. This step does not need much product, so be minimal.

Blending: Blend the highlight in gently using your finger or brush so that it does not look too obvious or unnatural.

Step 9: Highlight the Bridge of Your Nose

Adding Definition: A touch of highlight down the bridge of your nose can make it look more defined and slimmer. You can also apply a highlight on your nose tip for extra definition.

Applying Highlight: Use a small brush or finger to apply a thin line of highlight down the center of your nose bridge. You can choose to extend it to the tip of your nose as well. This step requires very little product, so start with a minimal amount and build up if necessary. If you are using a powder highlight, you can lightly tap it on instead of swiping with a brush to avoid harsh lines.

Blending: Gently blend the highlight along your nose bridge. You want the highlight to look natural and subtle, not too obvious. This will help to create a natural glow.

Step 10: Highlight the Center of Your Forehead and Chin (Optional)

Balancing Your Features: If you have a more narrow forehead and chin, you can add a touch of highlight to the center of these areas to create more balance on your face.

Applying Highlight: Use a brush or your finger to apply a small amount of highlight to the center of your forehead and chin. You can start small and build up if you prefer. Do not use too much, as this will be very obvious.

Blending: Gently blend the highlight into your base makeup so that it melts into the skin. You want to avoid any harsh lines, and the final result should look very natural.

Step 11: Set Your Makeup

To ensure your contour and highlight last throughout the day, set your makeup with a translucent setting powder or a setting spray. Focus mainly on the areas that tend to get oily or sweaty first. Make sure to use a very light hand when setting to avoid your contour and highlights looking cakey or patchy.

Tips for Success

• Start Subtle: Always start with a light hand when applying contour and highlight. It’s easier to build up intensity than to remove too much product.
• Blend, Blend, Blend: Proper blending is key to a natural, seamless look. Use a fluffy blending brush or a damp sponge to avoid any harsh lines.
• Choose the Right Shades: Select contour and highlight shades that are appropriate for your skin tone. Contour should be 2-3 shades darker than your natural skin tone with cool undertones, and highlight should be 1-2 shades lighter than your skin tone.
• Practice Makes Perfect: Don’t get discouraged if you don’t master contouring and highlighting on your first try. It takes practice, so keep experimenting to find what works best for you.
• Use Good Lighting: Make sure to do your makeup in a place with good lighting so you can see the contours of your face and apply product accurately.
• Adapt to Your Face Shape: Different face shapes require slightly different contouring and highlighting techniques. Research tutorials specifically for your face shape to get the best results.
• Look at Images: Refer to images and videos online to help you find where to apply contour and highlight.
• Use a Mirror: Check your makeup in a mirror while applying to make sure that you don’t over apply or miss an area.
• Be Patient: It will take time to learn this skill, so be patient with yourself.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using the Wrong Undertones: Using contour shades that are too warm or orange will look unnatural. Opt for cooler or neutral undertones.
• Applying Too Much Product: Start with a small amount of product and build up. It’s easier to add more than to take away.
• Harsh Lines: Not blending your contour and highlight properly can leave harsh lines. Always use a fluffy brush or damp sponge to blend everything seamlessly.
• Applying Contour Too Low on the Face: Applying contour too low on the cheeks can make the face appear droopy. Keep the contour in the hollows of your cheekbones.
• Over-Highlighting: Using too much highlight can make you look greasy or unnatural. Start with a subtle amount and build up if desired.
• Forgetting to Set Your Makeup: Setting your makeup with powder or setting spray is crucial to ensure it lasts all day.

Final Thoughts

Contouring and highlighting are powerful tools that can help you create a more sculpted and radiant look. While it might seem daunting at first, with the right products, tools, and techniques, you can master these skills and elevate your makeup game. Remember that practice makes perfect, so keep experimenting to find what works best for you. With time and dedication, you will be able to contour and highlight your face like a professional makeup artist.

Embrace the process, have fun with it, and let your creativity shine! Remember to always start with a light hand, blend well, and choose products that suit your skin tone. By following this guide and practicing regularly, you’ll be well on your way to achieving a flawlessly sculpted and highlighted face.