When your features are glowing and you feel your best, your inner confidence radiates outwardly to the world! That’s why it’s important to learn the techniques for highlighting and contouring your face —so you can make sure you always rock a radiant look. In this article, we explain the basics of highlighting and contouring and give you the tips and tricks you need to achieve your desired glow up. Read on to find out how to highlight and contour like a pro!
1. Illuminating Your Features: The ABC’s of Highlighting and Contouring
Highlighting and contouring are essential techniques for defining and sculpting your facial features. By mastering the ABCs of this makeup approach, you can bring out your natural beauty and create a stunning look for any occasion.
A – Assessment: Before you begin highlighting and contouring, it’s important to consider which areas of your face need some extra definition. This assessment can vary from person to person, but typically it’s beneficial to highlight features like your bridge and tip of the nose, cheekbones and cupid’s bow. To contour, apply makeup a few shades darker than your skin-tone to areas like your forehead, temples, sides of your nose and jawlines.
B- Blending: Blending is the key to a beautiful and natural highlighting and contouring look. When you’re blending, you want to make sure that the colors melt into each other like they should be one continuous color, not two separate patches of makeup.
- Use a high-quality beauty blender or makeup brush for a seamless finish.
- Start with a dabbing motion and then blend using soft, circular strokes.
- For harder-to-reach areas like underneath your cheekbones, use a smaller brush.
C – Concealing: Once you’ve applied your highlighting and contouring makeup, it can be a good idea to use a concealer to add extra definition and coverage to areas that need it. Start by dabbing a little concealer on the spots you plan to highlight and blend lightly using a makeup brush. To make sure your highlighting and contouring are popping, use a lighter shade of concealer over the highlighted areas.
2. Get the Look: How to Achieve a Radiant Glow Up
Nothing says ‘I love life’ like a beautiful, glowing complexion. If you’re keen to step up your glow game, follow these three easy steps and get ready for radiant skin!
- Cleanse – Start by removing any dirt, debris and excess oil from your complexion. Use a gentle face wash to do this – choose something natural and chemical-free that won’t dry your skin out.
- Hydrate – Reach for a water-based moisturiser and give your skin an extra boost with a lightweight serum full of rejuvenating ingredients.
- Finish – To get your glow on, use a liquid illuminator on the high points of your face as well as your collarbones. Apply it with your fingertips or a light-touch brush and blend it into the skin.
Don’t forget to protect your beautiful skin with sunscreen every morning – the sun’s rays can leave your complexion dull looking in no time, so make sure to apply SPF 30 or higher.
Once you’ve perfected your beautiful, glowing complexion, air out your best smile and show the world just how confident you are! Prepare to turn heads wherever you go, as a glowing and radiant skin is sure to get you noticed.
3. Essential Beauty Tools: What You Need to Get Started
When it comes to beauty, you need the right tools to kick start your routine. Whether you’re a makeup beginner or a seasoned pro, we’ve compiled a list of essentials that are sure to give you an air of sophistication. Let’s get started and explore the world of beautiful makeup!
Beauty Blender – This sponge has become an absolute staple in any makeup routine. This egg-shaped sponge is perfect for blending foundation and concealing, giving you an airbrushed facial finish. Opt for a high-quality beauty blender that won’t fall apart over time.
Brushes – Brushes are essential in achieving an immaculate finish. We recommend the following brushes:
- Flat brush for foundation.
- Kabuki Brush for bronzer.
- Concealer brush for concealing.
- Eyeshadow brush for controlling the amount of eyeshadow.
Makeup Pallette – The key to getting started is finding the perfect makeup palette. It’s here that you can experiment with different makeup colors and shades. We suggest going for versatile palettes such as nudes, earth tones, and brighter shades. Also, opt for palettes that contain blush, eyeshadow, and a bronzer. A palette should be your go-to solution to achieving a gorgeous look.
4. Step-by-Step Guide to Highlighting and Contouring Your Way to Glamour
Creating a Contour Map
Before highlighting and contouring, you’ll need to map out the areas that need to be emphasized or softened. For this, you’ll need a few pieces of makeup – a matte contour powder, a highlighter, bronzer, and blush. To create the map, start with the contour. Take your matte contour powder, and by using a blending brush apply it to the hollows of your cheeks, your temples and sides of your forehead, and your jawline. Then, add the highlighter on the tops of the cheekbones, the bridge of your nose, the brow arch, and the corners of your eyes. After this, use a bronzer to dust the areas around your neck and forehead, adding warmth to the skin. Last, take your blush and brush it across your cheekbones, adding a pop of color.
Highlighting and Contouring
Once you’ve mapped out the areas that need special attention, it’s time to start highlighting and contouring. To do so, take a contour brush and apply the contour powder along the hollows of your cheeks, temple, and jawline. Make sure to blend the product evenly. Then, pick up some of the highlighter with a fan brush, and lightly blend the product onto the tops of the cheekbones, the bridge of the nose, the brow arch, and the corner of your eyes. With this technique, start light, and build up the product for a more defined look. After this, use a bronzing brush to add warmth to the face, and finally top it off with a blush across your cheekbones.
Setting Your Look
Once you’re finished highlighting and contouring, it’s important to set the look in place. Using a setting powder, dust the product in a thin layer across your face. This will help the makeup stay in place. You can also use a setting spray to lock everything in. Once your makeup is set, you’re ready to go!
Final Touch-Ups
Finally, for the finishing touch, you can add some color back into your cheeks with a blush. And if you like, you can add a few swipes of bronzer to bring some warmth and depth to your face. Then, finish it off with a lip color and a pop of mascara. And that’s it – your look is complete!
No makeup look could be complete without the perfect highlighter and contour. With the help of these illuminating highlighting and contouring techniques, you’re sure to glow! Shine your brightest with a radiant look.