That’s right, celebrities such as Tia Mowry and the Kardashians weren’t simply born with that incredible bone structure, and Megan Fox’s perfectly oval face isn’t entirely down to nature either!
Even JLo’s signature ‘glow’ doesn’t ooze naturally from her pores! Oh no, it’s all an illusion folks, an illusion created using the art of contouring!
Contouring is a beauty technique that enhances, slims, defines, re-sculpts and adds dimension to the face, and it’s been a Hollywood trick of the trade for years!
But, despite having been used on pretty much every celebrity we can think of, the art of contouring has remained curiously under the radar – a secret seemingly not meant for everyday people like you and I.
Lucky for us, Kim Kardashian recently brought the technique to our attention by posting photos of herself mid-contour to Instagram.
With dark lines here and white smudges there, Kim’s pre-blended face got us all excited; could it be that we now know her secret to looking so flawless?!
Yet even more exciting is the possibility of trying it out ourselves! Yes, you’ll be pleased to know that it isn’t just celebrity makeup artists who can use the contouring technique!
You too can master it at home and we’re going to show you how with 7 easy steps!
Our Step-by-Step Guide to Kardashian ‘Kontouring’
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Based on light and shade, the rules of contouring are simple yet can be hard to get right! You ultimately want to highlight the areas of your face where the light hits and contour the areas where shadows form.
However, there is a big difference between enhancing your features and painting on an entirely new — and potentially quite scary – face (Nicki Minaj stepped out with ludicrously obvious nose contouring back in 2011; seriously, she looked ridiculous!).
So remember, yes you are trying to enhance your best features and create definition, but subtlety is the key ladies!
#1 Apply Foundation
Start by simply applying the foundation that you’d usually use (hopefully it matches your skin tone). Apply it as you usually would except hold back on the coverage just a tad because you’re about to add many more products to your face.
#2 Lighten Up – Highlight!
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This is the highlighting step, the stage where you focus on the areas of your face that the light hits first.
You’ll need:
- A cream foundation much lighter than your natural skin tone (I find a concealer works just as well. I love Bobbi Brown’s Creamy Concealer Kit).
- A flat concealer brush. Take a look at Illamasqua’s flat brushes; I find they are the perfect size and good quality.
Method: Apply the lighter foundation under your eyes, gliding it up toward your temples; be generous with the quantity for this part. Go ahead and also apply it above your cheek bones and on the bridge of your nose. Finally dab a little on your Cupid’s bow and brow bones.
#3 Take it Down a Shade – Contour!
This is where the actual contouring comes into play! Master this and you can make your nose look smaller, your face look less round and your eyes look larger, so take your time.
Tools:
- A colour 1-2 shades darker than your natural skin tone, so either a darker cream foundation or cream bronzer for instance, though even a brow gel pencil will do the trick!
- A contour Brush. I like MAC’s range of contour brushes the best!
Method: Using your brush, apply the darker colour to the hollows of the cheeks and down the sides of the nose. You can even apply it along the hair line to make your forehead appear smaller or sweep the brush under the jaw line and in the crease of the eyelids to make these areas more pronounced (you’re going to be blending soon so don’t panic about how harsh the colour or sharp the lines appear.)
#4 Blend Blend Blend!
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I cannot stress enough how important the blending stage is; after all it’s the key to the finished flawless look!
Tools:
- A buffing foundation brush
Method: Take your brush and move it in a circular motion until everything looks nice and blended. Work hard on this part and really make sure the colours merge well so the look is seamless.
#5 Set! Stay!
Once you’re happy with your blending, you can set everything in place with powder.
Tools:
- Kim uses Ben Nye’s Banana Powder to set her concealer so check out his other shades to find one that matches your skin tone.
- A powder brush
Tip: Don’t go overly crazy with the powder, you don’t want make your face all one colour and undo the all work you’ve just done!
#6 (Optional) Accentuate with Blush!
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To avoid looking too neutral, blush can be used to make your cheeks really glow.
Tools:
- I suggest a cream blush for a more dewy effect but a powder blush would work just fine.
- A stippling brush or a round blush brush for powder.
Method: Adding blush to the mix has the potential to tip this look over the edge in to creepy doll territory so if you’ve decided to go for it then avoid bright pinks at all costs!
Instead use a touch of creamy pink blush on the apples of the cheeks and blend upwards for a healthy flush. You can also optionally add a little bronzer below the cheek bone to intensify the contouring and make your cheekbones appear even more defined.
#7 (Optional) Illuminate!
The last of the steps, illuminating, is also optional but recommended as it really does give that little extra sheen!
Tools:
- It’s all about Benefit for me when it comes to illuminators! Benefit’s High Beam,Moon Beam and High Brow are all exceptional! It has to be said that NARS Copacabana is a beautiful pearly option too though.
Method: For optimum radiance, dab a little highlighter to the top of the cheekbones and brow bones. Use sparingly though, you don’t want to end up looking like a walking disco ball!
So why not create a Kardashian-style flawless complexion and sculpt yourself some fabulous cheekbones! With a little practice and the right tools, you too can contour like the pros; just give it a try!