By now almost every college girl has heard about contouring. It’s the celebrity secret to a perfect face! Unfortunately when you’re a makeup beginner, it may feel like contouring is a little out of your league. Don’t worry; here are four simple steps to a flawless face!
Step 1: Even Out Your Skin Tone
Everyone can do this step, and probably has done it before. All we’re doing is applying foundation or tinted moisturizer. If you’re on a budget (like every college student), the drug store has a lot of great options! Milani Conceal + Perfect 2-in-1 foundation is my favorite. This can be as simple as using your fingers and rubbing it onto your face. If you’re feeling fancy, pick up a brush or makeup sponge. Kabuki brushes buff your foundation in like a dream.
Step 2: Conceal and Bake Yo Face
Yes I know, baking your face sounds totally crazy, but I promise it’s not as scary as you think. For this step you’ll need concealer, loose powder, and a brush or sponge. Conceal all the areas you normally would. I always go down the edge of my nose, under the eyes, and up toward the temple. This creates a triangle of concealer making your face appear more lifted after it’s blended out. Then the fun part!
Use your brush or sponge to pick up a lot of loose powder and then stamp it onto the under eye area. The powder will “bake” your concealer. No, it won’t get hot or hurt you. It simply makes your concealer stay in place all night, highlights the area, and prevents your concealer from creasing. All things every girl needs for a night out! After letting your face bake for a few minutes wipe the excess powder off with a fluffy brush.
Step 3: Contour
This is probably the most daunting step for most people. Trust me, its not that bad. The key is make sure there isn’t lot of product on your brush and blend, blend, blend! Take a medium-sized brush and a cool-toned, matte brown powder. There’s no need to spend $40+ on a contour palette! Expensive palettes are great, but Wet n Wild’s $5 MegaGlo contouring palette is just as good. It’s actually an almost exact copy of the Marc Jacob palette. Or in other words, save your money girl!
When you dip your brush into the contour color, lightly tap the brush on your arm. This will get rid of the excess product and make your contour look more realistic. Feel your cheekbones and find their bottom right above the hollows of your cheek—that’s where your contour will go. Contouring is just about making a shadow on your face. More than likely you already have a slight shadow, so we’re just extenuating it. Then, lightly rub the powder on the bottom part of your cheekbone. Blend the powder between your hairline and outer edge of your eye along your cheekbone. Keep blending until the contour looks somewhat natural. Blending will prevent a harsh, brown line from forming on your face.
Step 4: Blush and Glow like J-Lo
Throw a little of your favorite blush on right above your contour. Wet n Wild and NYX make gorgeous, cheap blushes. Then it’s time to highlight! This is my favorite part. I like to use a fan brush to apply my highlight, but any brush or your fingertips will work. Take a reflective, shiny powder and lightly sweep it on the high points of your cheekbones. If you’re feeling a little extra you can even highlight your nose. This will make your face look more symmetrical. Who doesn’t want that? Plop a little highlight on the tip of your nose and blend it up the bridge of your nose. You’ll be glowing like Jennifer Lopez after this step.
You’ll be ready to own the night after finishing these easy make up steps. Happy highlighting!