Use Makeup to Contour

Filed in archive Beauty , Makeup on December 28, 2007

Just because you weren't born with cheekbones like a supermodel doesn't mean you can't own them...without plastic surgery. Makeup artists have long known how to use makeup to contour or create shadows where none naturally exist. This is a technique that takes a practiced hand; you want it to look natural, not like you're creating shadows.

So how do you define cheekbones? Use two colors of blush, close in tone (that means, if you're using one peach blush, both should be peach; two pinks; two bronzes, etc.). Suck in your cheeks and sweep the darker blush directly under your cheekbones, or where the hollow is created. Sweep the lighter color onto the apples of your cheeks. Blend, blend, blend.



Want to make a round face narrower? Again, you'll need two shades of loose powder, one only slightly darker than your complexion, the other lighter. Sweep the darker powder all the way along your jawline, using a fan brush like this instead of the normal big, puffy brush you use for face powder.

This may take some practice, so set aside a day when you have time to try these techniques and see if you can't create great angles with simple makeup application instead of expensive surgery.

'Til next time, my pretties.