In early 2014, contouring revolutionized the makeup game, bringing about a way to accentuate your facial features. With the help of several different brushes, highlighters and shades of brown, anyone became capable of getting the off-the-runway look. So what could possibly be next? That’s where strobing came in. Instead of the chiseled contour, strobing uses an illuminating highlighter to give your face a natural glow. Although the two techniques are consistently compared with each other, they both have different purposes. So, there really isn’t a determining factor that makes one superior.
In order to better understand strobing and contouring, below are six different occasions where one technique is preferred over the other.
Lunch vs. Dinner
On the left, supermodel Miranda Kerr is shown having lunch rocking the strobing look. By using an illuminating highlighter, you can see she has added a dewy glow to her cheekbones, under her eyebrows, as well as the corners of her eyes. On the right, a woman has used contouring to show prominence in her cheekbones and a bronzer that surrounds the top of her forehead and chisels her jawline.
Night In vs. Night Out
Karlie Kloss, on the left, has used the effect of strobing to highlight her facial features. Since this look is more natural than contouring, I would say strobing is suited for a casual night in with friends. The woman on the right, who seems to be going out to somewhere fancy, has contoured her face. You can see that that her cheekbones are darker and more shaped than Kloss’ dewy look. Although the two looks are almost opposite in this picture, it is possible make either work for a night in or out.
Spring Formal vs. Date Night
When I think of spring, sunny and colorful pop into my head. A great way to balance out the color of your spring formal dress and the bright sun is by using strobing which will bring a natural glimmer to your face just like it did for the woman in the picture on the left. On the other hand, model Hailey Baldwin contoured her face for what seems to be a similar look to a date night. By contouring, she has tricked her face into a more angular and chiseled appearance that is apt for an elegant night.
So which technique are you going to use next?