Tips You Must Know About Contouring and Highlighting

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Videos on contouring and highlighting are extremely popular right.  I’m sure many of you have seen these images or videos all over the internet.  This concept is amazing, but if you’re new at it, it can be hard.  I just recently within the past few years perfected this, after many tries, many product purchases, and tons of wasted money, on tons of products I did not like.   So, today, I’m here to help you, to not do what I did. 

Honesty, what I’ve learned after all of these trial and errors with products, is to stick with what you know.  Because, although a product works for one or many, it might not be right for your skin and more importantly your wallet. I got tips from some of the best vvloggers on how to do it.  But, unfortunately the products they used or suggested, some I ended up hating.  Alot of them sat in my pores, caused false wrinkles, and some were just plain Yuk! Ultimately, costing me tons of money and leaving me disappointed.

So with all that being said.  Your best bet is to stick with what you know.  So, keep reading if you want to find out how to contour & highlight with brands you already love.

Tips Before You Start Anything:

• Understand the goal of contouring and highlighting.  It’s about that luminous glow, slimming face & nose, with enhanced cheek bones.
• Contouring will darken
• Highlighting will emphasize
• Use a primer! I can’t say this enough. This is a non-negotiable for me. You're applying a lot to your face, if you don't use a primer, you're in for failure.
• Apply your foundation and cover blemishes as normal, prior to.  Most leave that part out.
• Be aware of what you are putting on your face. As layering different textures, is what can cause the caked on look or false wrinkles.  
• Are you a powder or creme person? Use what you like. 
• KNOW your face shape! This is what a lot of those video’s leave out. You don’t want to look gaunt, or make your face look fuller. I found this face chart image online, that I think is very helpful.
• Blending is essential, so make sure you use the best blending tool. The wrong tool will mess the entire look up.
• If you have some products at home, try those first before spending any money.
• Look for coupons or offers, if you're going to purchase products. 
• Purchase them from a place that they can be returned.

Product Tips…

Bronzer:  

This is where I went wrong, purchasing a bronzer that someone suggested.  Instead, I recommend you shop around for this.  There are many bronzers out there, most that are orange, so be careful.  Which leads me to my next tip, which is, to purchase the correct color.  You want to use a bronzer that is a touch darker than your skin. You don’t want to be too dark or like mentioned above, orange, try a bronzer that has a grayish tone to it.

OR going on the theory of sticking with what you know. Instead of a bronzer, try a darker foundation of a brand you already love!  Again, by taking this approach you already know you like the product, you'll just need to perfect the color!

Contouring Your Cheeks: When you are applying the bronzer or dark foundation, you don’t want to brush on a dark line down your face.  I know this is contradiction of most photos you may see. But if you are not a pro at this, it will look horrible, as you will have difficulty with blending it out properly.  Instead, start off lighter and you can work your way to darker.  Your goal is a natural shadow.

Contouring Your Nose:

If you don’t select the right color or apply in the correct area, you can make your nose look wider or dirty.  Start thin when doing this. I found that if I started at the corner of my brows near the bridge of my nose, and worked down the sides, you’ll stay in the slimming area.

Products: In this area I prefer to use a powder as opposed to the liner or cream approach.  The liner sat in my pores and I ended up rubbing off my makeup when trying to buff out. I prefer a darker brown eye shadow for this area, one that is a bit ashy.

Highlighter:

Oh my, this is where I wasted so much money.  Depending on the type you select, they do have a tendency to sit in your pores.  So, please be aware of this.  My suggestion is, if you have a foundation you love, then purchase that in a much lighter color to highlight with.  Or if you have a correcting primer in a yellow tone, use this.  I personally think the yellow toned approach looks more natural.

Color:

Although I said lighter, you don’t want to go too light as you don’t want to look chalky. Use one that is a couple shades lighter than your skin.  Look for one that has a yellow base to it or like I said before, use a correcting primer.

Blending:  You can use your favorite blending tool here.  There is no need to go and buy one. Keep in mind you want to buff when blending, so if you have a beauty blender, use the tapping motion,  it will work amazingly.

Illuminator:

• Stay away from anything that sparkles, it looks very unnatural. PLUS, if you are in your late 30’s or older it will highlight your skin damage or wrinkles. Matte works better in this instance.
• When choosing a color, take your skin color into consideration. For example, someone with fair skin a light pink works best. 
• Apply in the correct places, it is to look natural, not sit in your pores or crows feet. 

So, there you have it, tips you must know before you start to contour and highlight! Until next time beauties!