All about contouring

To hide all the imperfections of the facial skin, you can learn such a technique as contouring. This type of makeup is considered one of the types of sculpting, in which the change occurs with the help of special cosmetics and brushes.

Contouring is a special makeup technique that makes it easy to correct the shape of the face, as well as smooth out all existing imperfections... For this, not only a variety of tools can be used, but also special cosmetic brushes.

The type of contouring will depend on the skin type and the type of makeup (daily or evening). The easiest option is suitable for every day. A more thorough contouring is used for beautiful photo sessions, make-up.

There are 2 main types of contouring in total:

• dry;
• cream.

In the first case, makeup is created using dry cosmetics. Most often it is powder and blush. They must be applied with simple brushes.

If you plan to apply cream substances, then the powder should be used after using them. Before applying the contouring powder, you need to treat your face a little with a simple powder. Otherwise, the sculpture will simply stick to other textures and will not be able to distribute evenly.

If you have rather oily skin, then sculpting powder is best combined with a satin highlighter.... Otherwise, you can only highlight the oily sheen.

If you plan to accentuate the cheekbones, then you should use a sculpting blush. In this case, it is better to choose products of cold shades.

To accurately determine the part for which you want to use blush, you should focus on the shape. For girls who have it oval, the product needs to be applied to the apples near the cheeks.

If you have an elongated shape, it is better to carefully apply the blush with horizontal strokes. They do this in the direction along the hair growth to the middle of the frontal part, they should be applied under the cheekbone and then go to the auricles, a small amount of the product should be distributed on the chin. If the face is round, then the strokes should be vertical.

The following contouring scheme is perfect for owners of a rectangular type: first, the blush is carefully shaded over all protruding zones (cheekbones, jaw).

Creamy contouring is performed using dense decorative compositions. The most popular are such means as concealer, foundation and contour stick.

Stick and cosmetic pencil have the densest consistency, so it is important to especially carefully control their shading. Most often, it is performed using thin sponges, but it is permissible to do this simply with the pads of the fingers.

Please note that creamy textures can sharply highlight the existing skin defects of the face, including flaky areas, and such formulations are usually not suitable for problem skin.

If you don't have a product specifically designed for contouring, you can use a liquid concealer. It should be 1 or 2 shades lighter or darker than the skin color.

There is another type - clown contouring. It involves the use of cosmetics without subsequent shading. In this case, various colored textures are applied. The result is a makeup that resembles a clown mask.

Before you start contouring, you need to prepare the basic cosmetic formulations. The TOP of the most popular includes the following tools.

• Base... As a rule, a foundation is used as it. BB cream is also suitable for these purposes.
• Sculptures... This product can be dry, liquid, cream. Also, when contouring, various friable compositions are widely used.
• Highlighter... It is used to highlight specific areas. Highlighter allows you to create accents in your makeup.
• Blush... They are used to complete the makeup anyway.

Dry sculptures are great for beginners. They easily fall on the skin covered with a thin layer of cream. In addition, dry formulations are easily and quickly shaded.

Creamy textures fit the skin more tightly... Most often, after application, they look as rich as possible, hold well. But cream-based products need more intense shading. Otherwise, the makeup will lie in separate spots.

Liquid cosmetics for contouring are distinguished by the fastest and most flexible shading... It provides a light and translucent coverage on the face, a natural finish to the make-up.

Loose textures also guarantee the finest and easiest application possible. You can also blend them with your fingertips.

Sometimes girls use and bronzer... It allows you to hide the soreness of the face. Moreover, it helps to create a tanning effect. In order to achieve a beautiful result, you need to pick up a bronzer a couple of tones darker than your natural skin tone.

Anyway it is important to choose the right shade of cosmetics... If your skin is light, you should be especially careful with the selection. In this case, the best option would be a brown cold shade.

If you have normal or darker skin, then preference should be given to different warm tones.... Owners of dark skin should also dwell on light colors. If you apply such cosmetics to the cheekbones, chin area and bridge of the nose, then a slight reflection effect will be created.

Currently, in cosmetic stores, you can buy whole sets with various means for contouring. They include formulations with different shades and textures.

For contouring, it is important to choose the right tools.

• Beveled cosmetic brushes. They are great for a variety of dry formulations. With their help, it is convenient to apply cosmetics under the cheekbone. In addition, beveled brushes provide the most uniform coverage and high-quality feathering.
• Sponges... They allow you to shade both creamy and dry formulations. With the help of a sponge, you can create a light and beautiful blurring of the borders, as a result, the makeup is more natural.
• Kabuki... These tools are ideal for applying and blending cream and liquid formulations. Kabuki should be used in conjunction with hammering movements.
• Fan brush. This cosmetic product is a large fluffy brush. It is well suited for even application and distribution of highlighter.
• Silicone sponges. Most often, such products are small in size. They help to work out the contour of the entire face, nose, chin. As a rule, silicone sponges are used for applying concealers, correctors.
• Flat brush. It allows you to lighten and darken certain areas of the face.

First you need to decide which areas on the face you want to highlight, and which, on the contrary, hide. Nowadays, professional makeup artists prefer natural forms.

The product should soften the contours. You can add a little face oil to it before use. This will make the skin slightly glowing.

After that, a special base is applied to the skin. It should be transparent or translucent. A light cream with a moisturizing effect or a primer is often used as it.

Sometimes the first is pre-mixed with a small amount of foundation. The resulting composition is evenly distributed over the entire surface in the thinnest possible layer. Also "bags" under the eyes, slight redness, black spots are masked. To do this, use a concealer.

Next, we will look at the most simple step-by-step contouring scheme for beginners. It takes place in several stages.

• The highlighter is applied first.
• Next, bronzer is distributed. In this case, it is not necessary to shade the light areas.
• After that, you need to carefully distribute the highlighter and bronzer. You need to do this with a brush.
• At the end, blush is used.

This simple instruction will work for almost any girl.

To make a beautiful clown contouring, you also need to follow a few steps.

• A dark tone is taken first, it should be applied to the base of the nose, its sides, the entire oval of the face, as well as the lower part of the cheekbones.
• Next, a light tone is taken. It is used to brighten the upper cheekbones and is also applied to the forehead and bridge of the nose.

To make your makeup brighter and more interesting, you should choose cosmetics in rich orange, purple shades. Do not forget that such compositions neutralize yellowness, so they are applied to those areas that need to be given freshness.

Next, we will take a closer look at how to perform such a make-up of individual parts.

• Nose... To visually shorten the nose, it is worth applying a dark color corrector to the very end.To slightly narrow this part, a dark concealer is also used: it is painted on the sides, and then carefully shaded. If you want to make the "potato" neat, highlight it with a highlighter. Dark makeup is applied to the wings and sides. If you have a hump, then paint it with a dark sculpture to make it invisible.
• Lips... A highlighter is used to visually enlarge the lips. They paint the area just above the upper lip and the center under the chin. For the same purpose, you can outline the lips with a dark pencil.
• Cheekbones... Contouring this area will make it stand out as much as possible. In this case, dark-colored cosmetics are taken. A line is drawn from the top of the ear; it should be slightly below the cheek.

The contouring pattern may differ depending on the shape of the face.

This type must be visually narrowed a little, which is easy to do with a dark tone. It is applied to the entire lateral surface of the face, from the temporal region to the chin. Cheekbones are especially worth highlighting. For this, a bronzer is used, it is applied to the cheeks.

The areas of the chin and forehead must be carefully brought to the fore. For these purposes, light-colored compositions are taken. This technique will lengthen the face. Similarly, it is better to express the bridge of the nose.

These two forms are almost identical to each other. The main goal is to hide large cheekbones and angularity.... Areas in the corners (places above the temples and below the cheekbones) are first darkened with a cosmetic cream.

Light-colored textures are applied to the frontal region, chin. This technique will give these parts a bulge.

Minimal makeup is used for this type. It is better to put a light emphasis on individual parts (zygomatic bone and the contour of the face below). You will also need to hide problem areas of the skin.

The first type is distinguished by a large jaw, so it is precisely this that will need to be hidden.... To do this, darken the lateral part of the face (from the cheekbones to the jaw). Next, a highlighter is taken, it is applied to the center of the forehead, under the lower eyelid, and also in the middle of the chin. It is worth highlighting the cheekbones.

The diamond-shaped type is characterized by rather sharp features, including prominent cheekbones. The main purpose of contouring is to smooth out the angularity. The final stage will be the application of the highlighter. It should be shaded horizontally on the chin.

Many girls make a number of serious mistakes when contouring.

• Excessive rigidity... All contour lines should be carefully shaded. Too hard strokes will look very unnatural and ugly. Good contouring shouldn't be conspicuous.
• Maximalism... Many imperfections can be easily corrected with the right hairstyle, rather than a lot of makeup.