Highlighting and Contouring

Aloha!! Happy Monday to you all! Hope every one had a great weekend. I made it to my movie last night and let me tell you....I LOVED IT! I can't wait to buy it and watch it again. It was actually really nice to go to the movie alone :)

I want to apologize for not throwing any tips your way last week. I promise this week I'm making up for it. So in review, we've gone over preparing the skin, choosing a foundation, which brushes to use, and concealer. We are now on to the fun stuff!!! COLOR!!

Today we will start with adding contour and highlights to the face!

Any of you ever have issues with not having high enough cheekbones or a double-chin or a large forehead? Did you know that you could fix all that with make-up? All you have to do is use different shades of color to accent the shadows and high planes of the face. When choosing the correct colors to use, keep in mind the finish as well. Your contouring color should be two to three shades darker than your base foundation color and have a matte finish. Your highlighting color should be two to three shades lighter than your base foundation color and should have a finish of anything but matte. For both highlighting and contouring, you have the option of using powder, cream, or liquid. I like to recommend powder for beginners and then once you get comfortable with the placement and blending, you can try liquid and creams.

This picture is kind of a template for where the different colors should go to shape the face.


This picture is definitely the on the extreme end of highlighting and contouring, but it maps out the perfect placement of color.

When contouring, I like to use an angled powder brush. It helps with getting in all the little nooks you need to accent.

I like to use a smaller brush when highlighting the face. Something that is fluffy and able to gently brush on the product.

Some of the best tips that helped me when I first started contouring and highlighting were these:

1. When contouring, have your light source coming from behind. This will help project shadows on your face and help you locate the areas of the face that are to be darkened.

2. When highlighting, imagine yourself walking through a piece of cling wrap. The parts of the face that hit the cling wrap first are going to be the areas that you will highlight.

3. Add a touch of your highlighting color to the inner corner of the eyes to brighten up the face!

This takes practice, but is very beneficial when you get the technique perfected. It makes such a difference, especially in photographs. Good luck and let me know if you have any question!!