Do you want your complexion to be radiating with perfection? If so, highlighting and contouring are the secret weapons you need to sculpt the appearance of your skin. Read on to find out exactly what glowing skin is, how it’s achieved, and the transformative power it holds to take your complexion to the next level.
1. Getting Started: Highlighting & Contouring Basics
Ready to learn the basics of highlighting and contouring? Highlighting and contouring are makeup techniques that can create definition and structure to the face. With a few skills, a few products, and a good understanding of the facial structure, anyone can have fun exploring these versatile makeup techniques.
- Understand facial structure: Before getting into the finer details of light and shadows, it is essential to understand the shape of your face and features. Locate your cheekbones, the center of your forehead, the nose, and your jawline as reference points.
- Essential products: To execute highlighting and contouring, your makeup kit needs to include the right tools: a matte bronzer, a light, shimmery highlighter, and a foundation shade that is either two or three shades darker than your natural skin tone.
- Pro techniques for blending: When it comes to the art of blending, your best bet is to use a tapered brush to blend out harsh edges and lines to achieve a natural-looking effect.
Decide where to highlight and contour, based on your face shape and features. Contouring should be done along the areas of your face that you want to look more shadowed or minimal. These areas include the hollows of the cheeks, underneath the chin and jawline, and along the sides of the nose. Highlighting should be done in the areas that can benefit from an extra glow, which includes the bridge and tip of your nose, your cupid’s bow, the inner corner of your eyes, and the apples of your cheeks.
Don’t be afraid to have a little fun with highlighting and contouring. With the right technique and the tools in your makeup bag, you can channel your creativity and master the makeup skills of a professional. And best of all, you can get exotic and bold with highlighting and contouring, or keep it simple and natural looking, depending on the occasion and your personal style.
2. Beyond the Basics: Tips for a Flawless Look
- Wear the right foundation. Foundation should be used to even out your skin tone, without hiding your pores or looking heavy or caked on. Make sure to use your fingers or brush to evenly distribute the foundation for a flawless look.
Contouring and highlighter can pull a look together, giving you a more sculpted and defined face. Start by applying bronzer below your cheekbones and chin. For a subtle look, use highlighter above the cheekbone and along the bridge of your nose. But, don’t go overboard, or your makeup will look forced and unprofessional.
Blush adds a flush of colour to your cheeks. Brighten up your face, by adding blush to the apples of your cheeks, blending it outwards. Be conservative with your blush, as too much can look unnatural.
Finally, an important part of any beauty routine, is eye makeup. Trace along the lash line with a soft pencil liner, as close as you can to the lash. This will make your eyes look slightly more dramatic. To complete the look, go over the liner with a black liquid liner. Finish with a few coats of mascara.
- Include setting spray. Setting spray ensures makeup blends in seamlessly and sets in place reducing the appearance of fine lines.
- Use concealer. Concealer should be applied after foundation, to cover up blemishes or redness.
3. Power Up Your Glow: natural and chemical-based Products
Just when you thought you’ve got the top of your skincare routine mastered, here comes the question of products! Are you a late-night chemist, mixing and matching different gels and creams to achieve the look you’re going for? Or are you an all-natural devotee, using ingredients like waxes and natural extracts to achieve a healthy sheen? Or maybe you’re a bit of both! What matters most in the end is that whichever route you take, power up that glow!
Natural Products
If you’re going for the all-natural route, you’re in luck! From coconut oil to beeswax, natural products have been around for ages and can offer you a great glow without the use of harsh chemicals. Coconut oil, for example, is a great natural moisturizer that can help hydrate skin and lock in moisture. Beeswax is great for sealing and protecting skin against the elements while providing a natural sheen.
Chemical-Based Products
If you’re into a chemical-based skincare routine, there are plenty of different products out there that offer great results. From glycolic acid exfoliants to hyaluronic acid serums, you can give yourself a smooth, glowing complexion with the help of these ingredients. Glycolic acid exfoliants work to break down dead skin cells, while hyaluronic acid serums help lock in moisture and deeply nourish skin.
Another popular choice is retinoids, which help to promote cell turnover for a smoother, brighter complexion. Retinoids are also great for targeting acne breakouts as they help keep oils and dirt in check.
- Coconut oil: natural moisturizer
- Beeswax: seals skin, provides natural sheen
- Glycolic acid exfoliant: breaks down dead skin cells
- Hyaluronic acid serum: lock in moisture, deeply nourish skin
- Retinoids: promote cell turnover, target acne breakouts
So there you have it! Natural and chemical-based products are both great options for powering up your glow. Do your research and experiment with different formulas to find out which works best for you!
4. The Finishing Step: Post-Contouring Skin Care Tips
Now that you have completed the contouring process, the final step is to ensure that your skin looks great and that all of the makeup sits perfectly. Here are some tips to help you through it.
- Clean and Moisturize: Start off by washing your face to ensure that all of the makeup, oils and sweat from the contouring process are all removed. Then apply a generous layer of moisturizer to ensure your skin stays healthy and happy.
- Setting Powder: After moisturizing, take a bit of setting powder and press that into your face. This will not only help the makeup stay in place, but will help all of the harsh lines from the contouring to blend in perfectly.
- Blend Away: To give your face an even more blended look, take a damp beauty sponge or makeup brush and blend the powder into the skin. Do this in circular motions until you have a nice even complexion.
- Finish it off: Finally, use small spritzes of your favorite setting spray and apply over the face. This will help ensure that your look stays put for hours at a time.
These steps will help you to perfectly complete your contouring. Even if you have made some small mistakes, careful post-contouring skin care will help to cover up any imperfections. Try to keep a regular routine in order to maintain the desired look.
In addition to the steps above, use a facial sunscreen every day to ensure the makeup stays put and your skin remains healthy. You can set it with a bit more powder, if needed.
The most important thing to remember is to have fun with the contouring look you have created! Mastering the art of contouring takes time and effort, but when you get it right it can be the perfect finishing touch to any beauty look.
Finish off your glowing complexion look with an egalitarian nod- moisturizer. Keeping your skin moisturized is the ultimate way to maintain a healthy-looking canvas that no amount of highlighter or contouring can substitute. More than any beauty trend, having radiant skin is a reflection of understanding the importance of proper skincare. Give your skin a little extra love and it will thank you by sustaining a glowing complexion for many years to come!
