I’m not sure if you remember or not, but a few months and a whole lot of acne ago, I did a cream contour and highlight tutorial. Now, it’s time for a more updated version of my contouring plus tips for powder contouring and highlighting.
~ Cafi~
First of all, there is a noticeable difference between cream and powder contouring. Using creams is more dramatic/ “extreme” and using powders is more natural/ “normal”.
I would recommend powders for all the beginners new to the makeup game since it is more forgivable and less likely to be fucked up. Once you’re comfortable with powders and even just contouring in general, I would move on to creams. But really, when it comes to it, it’s all just personable preference.
Makeup and Brushes You’ll Need:
I’m using the City Color Cosmetics Contour and Define palette which I have reviewed earlier.
- Bronzer- can be matte or shimmer
- Contour- needs to be matte, suggest using a grey based bronzer or a contour powder
- Blush- can be matte or a little bit of shimmer
- Highlight- shimmering so you can glow from space
- Fluffy angled brush for bronzer
- Smaller fluffy brush for contour
- Blush brush
- Fan brush or small tapered brush for highlight
- Big fluffy powder brush for blending
Before we start, I would like to mention that when I do my face I am already “baking” (setting my concealer with setting powder) my face so there is translucent powder on my nose, undereyebags, upper lip, chin, and right underneath where I want my contour to be.
Step 1: Glow like an angel
Ever since I saw Samantha from Batalash Beauty highlight her face before contour I’ve started to do that. So, I’ll take my tapered face brush (or you can use a fan brush) and just really pack my highlight right on the cheekbones of my face. This way, my highlight doesn’t have any fallout into any bronzer or contour I may already have.
What I also do is connect the cheekbone highlight to my brow highlight so I’ll make a sort of sideways u shape starting at my browbone highlight and bring it to my cheekbone highlight. Does that make any sense?
Hopefully the pic below from snapchat makes more sense.
Step 2: Warm up the face
I always wear bronzer on my face. It warms up the face and starts to add some dimension. I also think of the bronzer as a transition shade from the contour to the highlight. You could use a shimmery or a matte bronzer, I prefer matte to shimmery tbh.
Anyways, I use my angled face brush- or you could use any medium sized face brush you have- and I apply that at the sides of my forehead down the sides of my face, right on my jawline, across my cheeks right above my translucent powder, and under my jawline.
Where I place my bronzer (and even my contour) will be different from you because I do it to suit my round face and you should apply yours depending on your face shape.
Step 3: Cool contour
This is where it gets a bit more complicated, complicated as in what shade to use. Contours are supposed to mimic shadows and shadows are grey, so using a grey based contour color makes the most sense.
I like using a smaller denser brush for my contour since contour should be placed in certain areas or it could get real muddy lookin real fast. So, take a small brush and apply directly underrate your cheekbones. Seriously, don’t place it to high or it will look fake, and don’t place it too low or it will look like you have a sagging face. I like to apply it underneath my cheekbones, right at my jawline, the sides of my forehead and then go over it with my bronzer brush to blend.
Step 4: Bring color to the face
To ring color back into my face I will take my blush brush and apply a little blush to the apply of my cheeks. To do this, I do a very small smile and apply the blush directly on my cheeks and blend out. I use like to use matte and usually put a shimmery blush topper over that.
Step 5: Glow like a lightbulb
By this point, my “baking” is done and I use my face brush to wipe off all the translucent powder off my face.
My highlight can sometimes be a little lost, so I pack it on once again and apply it on my cheekbones, right above my eyebrows, on my upper lip, and just a little bit on the tip of my nose. I want my cheekbones and highlight to be able to be seen from space so I #packitlikeabowl.
At this point I also take my big fluffy face brush and just go over my face to brush off any excess powder or blend away anything. If you feel like your blush or bronzer or contour is too strong you can always take your foundation brush and just buff it out to make it look softer.
Step 7: Take selfies
Now it’s time to apply lipstick and take all the selfies you want cause you’re a bad ass muthafucka.
I want everyone to slay their contour and I hope I helped you out.
As always, have a good day/ night/ week. ✌🏽️
Follow me on social media for more shenanigans:
Instagram/ Twitter/ Tumblr: makeupbycafi
Snapchat: oneofthedamned
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