We’ve seen it on the ramps from the best fashion houses around the world but now with the access to numerous online videos everyone seems to be giving it a try.
Make-up contouring is now moving beyond the models on the runways as celebrities — and brides — are now experimenting with the technique.
From reality TV star Kim Kardashian, who tweeted a 2012 picture of herself where her make-up artist Scott Barnes contoured her face effectively to create razor sharp cheek bones and a sculpted nose, to Emma Watson who uses bronzer and blusher to enhance her cheek bones.
“I’m a creature of habit. I like to find what works and keep buying it. I like a bronzer or blush because I am so pale and English,” says the Harry Potter star.
“Always bronze underneath your jaw-line — it contours the face and adds depth. The bridge of the nose, cheekbones and temples are also essential,” says actress Sienna Miller.
Singer Nicki Minaj denies all the rumoured cosmetic surgeries and says that it is contouring which makes all the difference. Actress/singer Jennifer Lopez too has been known to enhance her features through contouring.
But, what is contouring?
“Contouring is to define and sculpt the face and it can bring out certain features we want to highlight. Contouring is a correction,” says Farah Yazbeck, regional beauty expert at Sephora.
The reason for the growing popularity of contouring is that female celebrities — or even non-celebrities — can now look different and change features they are unhappy with without having to go under the knife and, at the same time, look natural.
“If a woman has a long face she needs to contour her forehead, the hairline, the width of the chin and jaw. If she has a round face she has to always contour the temples to make her face oval,” Yazbeck explains how women can now get the desired look through few strokes of a brush.
This technique, however, takes up a large amount of time, patience and practice. “Contouring is difficult to learn. It is crucial, you have to practice. Otherwise the face will look dirty. If you’re a beginner stick to powder contouring and then slowly move to contouring with creams,” Yazbeck says.
Contrary to what many of us believe, contouring does not follow a strict or specific pattern. It rather differs from one make-up artist to another and what they are used to or comfortable doing.
“There is no right and wrong in make-up, as long as the result is good. For me personally I prefer to start with foundation, I apply the liquid foundation, then I contour with powder, concealer, highlighter or bronzer. I sometimes match powder and cream. Its not a must to apply only cream or powder, we can mix and apply them together and blend and then put finishing powder,” says the Sephora make-up artist.
Different products can be used depending upon the skin type. For instance, if you have oily skin use an oil free foundation but if you suffer from dry skin avoid using too much powder since it will show the dryness and dehydration even more.
What is crucial in this technique is choosing the neutral colour that goes with your skin tone, she says. “Then choose a highlighter which is two-three shades lighter than the skin tone and the contouring which is four to five shades darker.”
Keeping any kind of make up on for too long can damage your skin and contouring is no different. “I personally prefer to remove eye make-up first with eye make-up remover and cotton pads,” says Yazbeck. “If you have oily skin, use face wash and a toner after that to balance the ph and prepare the skin to absorb the cream faster while people with dry skin should use milk to remove the make-up followed by the toner.”
— Ragini Katyal is an intern at Gulf News.
