Contouring is Magical!
I mean seriously it can transform your face! With a light highlight color you brighten and illuminate, and with a dark contour color you minimize and slim down those flabby areas of your face!Contouring can give your cheeks amazing definition, it can slim your nose, and minimize that large forehead! There are general guidelines for how to contour that work pretty well on everyone.
Case in point: The Nose I have yet to meet someone who wants her nose to look bigger. To contour your nose and make it look smaller put a line of highlight down the center of your nose. Then add thin lines of contour color down the sides of your nose. Blend, blend and be amazed, smaller looking nose!
Here are the general contour guidelines that you can follow. Remember your highlight color brightens, while your contour color minimizes.
While these guidelines tend to work for everyone, there are some specific things that you can do depending on your face shape. For instance someone with a large forehead may apply a thicker line of contour on the top of her forehead than someone with a small forehead who may just highlight that area. Your face shape dictates what areas you want to maximize and minimize. Someone with a pointy chin may want to put some contour color on the bottom of her chin, while someone with a small chin may want to highlight that area.
Here is a diagram of different face shapes and the right contouring for each face with notes below:
Diamond: A diamond shaped face is characterized with a narrow forehead and chin. To minimize this, add your dark contour color to the top middle section of your forehead and the bottom tip of your chin. Add some contour below the cheekbones.
Heart: If you have a heart shaped face bring some contour color along the sides of your forehead, below your cheekbones, and on the point of your chin.
Oblong: Not to be confused with the oval face (okay, I’ll admit it I was confused at first), the oblong face is longer and not as wide as the oval face. If your face is in this category, you want to contour along your forehead, very lightly along your cheekbones, and lightly around the bottom edge of your face.
Rectangle: For a rectangle shaped face, contour along the sides of your face and up the sides of your forehead. Leave the tip of your forehead and the tip of your chin highlighted not contoured. Add a thin, light contour line on your cheekbones.
Pear: A pear shaped face is wider on the bottom half than the top. Contour along your jawline softening the edges of your face.
Oval: If you have an oval shaped face then add a thin line of contour to the sides of your forehead and your jawline. Add a thick line of contour along your cheekbones.
Round: To contour a round face add dark contour color along the temples, sides of the forehead, below the cheekbones, and along the jawline.
Remember that every face shape is beautiful! I really believe that makeup isn’t about covering something ugly, it’s about illuminating something beautiful. Contouring for your face shape isn’t saying that you have an ugly face shape that needs to conform, rather it’s recognizing the beauty of your face and adapting your makeup to bring out your unique beauty.
Take a look at these gorgeous models and notice that they all have different face shapes! There is not one perfect idea of beauty, we are all beautiful! If you are new to highlighting and contouring or in need of some new products I’d love to show you my favorite HAC pack (HAC stands for Highlighting and Contouring). This is from Seint and all the colors are full coverage cream foundations! They are AMAZING! You can take this amazing COLOR MATCH QUIZ HERE to get started withSeint Beauty Products!
