Highlighting & Contouring 101

Hello everyone!




So for a little while I've been thinking what to do on the blog, and I came across this idea!
It's not something that I use everyday at all, but it is nice to know, when you are doing your makeup, either a party or just for fun. It really can transform your face shape and features. 


Below, on the two pictures, you can see what I'm talking about.

Highlighthing & Contouring 101

Where, what and how?

Rule #1 : Darker colors push back areas while lighter colors bring them forward.

What You Will Need
* To contour, you will need a color that is one to two shades darker than your foundation or powder. You can use a brown eyeshadow, bronzer or a darker foundation. I prefer a matte or very little to no shimmering bronzer. This will look the most natural.

* To highlight, you will need a color that is one to two shades lighter than your foundation or powder. You can use a shimmery white/beige eyeshadow, a lighter foundation or a highlighter.

* I highly recommend using pressed powders or liquid formulas as they are the easiest to use. Remember to pick a color that is neutral, i.e. one that is not too yellow or too pink.

Areas to Highlight

* Front of the forehead
* On the bridge of your nose
* Right above your cheeks
* Inner corner of your eyes
* Browbone
* Center of your chin
* Cupid’s bow (above your lips)

So are contouring and highlighting necessary for everyone? No but everyone can definitely benefit from a little contouring and highlighting. All you need is practice and make sure everything is well-blended (seriously, who would want lines on their faces?!)

Contouring and highlighting also look best under evening lighting so if you are going to be in an environment with really bright light, I would recommend keeping it to a minimum.

Some of my favorite highligthers are:

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in 'Soft and Gentle', which you can get here.
This is a powder highlighter in a light golden colour.

Benefit 'High Beam' which you can get here.
This is a pinky toned liquid highlighter.



Areas to Contour

* Under your cheekbones
* Along both sides of your nose
* Bottom of your chin
* Jawline
* Creases of your eyes
* Temples (the sides of your forhead)

Some of my favorite contour/bronzing powders are:



You start off with just foundation, concealer and powder on your face. (or maybe as I do, only with powder and concealer)

ELF 'Blushing and Bronzing Powder', which you can get here.
It has the perfect bronzed colour with a tiny bit of shimmer and suits many skin tones.



MAC 'Harmony' Powder Blush, which you can get here.
The medium matte brown colour makes it easy to contour naturally with.



Then now, you would maybe use a bronzer, to warm up your complexion a bit. BUT! Now to the fun(and a little tricky part)


Take your bronzer or what ever you are using, and lightly dipping your brush in the product(remember to tap off the excess, the same goes with eyeshadow!!! That way you wont get too much on, it's always easier to build up the colour than removing the entire thing) and apply it, the places thats darker on the photo.

Do the same thing with highlighter, just with a light eyeshadow, highligther or whatever you'll find in you makeup bag, thats lighter than your skintone, and apply it where the lightest areas on the photo is. Sometimes when I highlight my eyes, I like to use a white eyeliner as a base so the highlight is more visable.

I hope you found this post useful somehow. Its just the basics of this subject, and I can maybe do a full-face-makeup tutorial with everything that belongs to that.


Good luck!


Much love and XOXO,

Camille