Face contouring: The magical trick professional makeup artists use to completely transform people’s faces and turn even the most #BasicBitch into a supermodel.
Or Lana Del Rey…
Ok that was dramatic (and I also just wanted an excuse to hashtag #basicbitch), but seriously…makeup (and specifically face contouring) can do some crazy shit, proven by the photos in this San Francisco Globe article.
If you’re not familiar with face contouring, it’s an art form that, whilst in progress, basically looks like you were trying to do makeup for some animal Halloween costume but had 17 shots of Fireball first and went overboard.
It involves different shades of concealer/foundation, crazy nose wizardry, masterful blush/bronzer application, and expert blending as demonstrated by my Internet pal Thu Do of Blush.com in this video:
Of course she’s super naturally pretty to start, but you get the point.
Let me admit that as someone who doesn’t wear heavy makeup 90% of the time, this overwhelms me.
Also:
But I have taken away a few tricks of the contouring/highlighting trade I can do quickly and easily. I use a foundation/BB cream a few shades lighter than my skin and apply/blend it under my eyes and on the tops of my cheeks, on my chin, and between my eyebrows and blend.
You can do this after you’ve applied your matching foundation, which I’m clearly not wearing above. Most of the time I’ll just do this (sans foundation) after my majestical Gleam routine.
This brightens up your face and especially makes you look better in photos/on video. Any time I’ve gotten professional makeup done for TV (ahem, Fox News), they’ve gone to town in these areas. So if you’re interested but intimidated by contouring, start small. Here’s another great instructional video to check out, too. And just in case you’re looking for the hands-down best brush kit on the planet for the best price, it’s THIS ONE.
For the record, I’m all about embracing your natural beauty, and girls who spend an hour (or more) each day turning into someone else just aren’t my cup of tea, but if there a few easy tricks out there you can use to simply enhance what you’re working with, why the hell not?
And seriously…
David Blaine ain’t got nothing on Bobbi Brown.
LYLAS,
Ashley
Photos (except the one of me) courtesy of sfglobe.com.