All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Ever wondered how to contour like a pro? Thanks to the billions of ace makeup artists on YouTube, everyone's becoming a bit more of a beauty expert these days. This is great news: Pro techniques are now available to everyone, which means we can all look Instagram-ready at every opportunity. But on the other hand, if you're not paying careful attention (or you're watching the wrong tutorial), things can go from pretty to pretty scary in a flash.
Contouring, a technique previously reserved for runway models and fancy photo shoots, is now becoming part of many people's daily routines — thanks in part to celeb and Instagram makeup artists who share the same love for the chiseled look. Soooo, what is contouring, exactly? "Contouring is giving shape to an area of the face and enhancing the facial structure through makeup," says Beau Nelson, Kristen Stewart's longtime makeup artist. "It's not supposed to be noticeable — just a subtle definition."
So, how exactly are you supposed create the subtle illusion and not a full-on Instagram filtered face? Read on to learn how to contour your face and create a natural, pretty-looking result.
1. Create a Base
After you apply your foundation and concealer, brush on a light layer of translucent powder to your face to create a clean base so the contour can go on smoothly.
2. Choose the Right Product and Brush
"If you're using powders to contour, you'll get a more matte finish. If you use creams, the result will be more dewy," says pro makeup artist Pati Dubroff, explaining that it's best for beginners to start with creamy products, since they're easy to blend and build.
No matter what formula you choose, however, it's best to stick to matte finishes. "Always avoid shimmery products," says Pati. "Contours are meant to be matte, while highlight is meant to have shimmer."
Contouring isn't a job for full, fluffy brushes. "Start with a smaller, fluffy eyeshadow brush so you have more precision," Beau says. "You should buy two, one for contouring and one for highlighting." Just about every makeup artist in the world swears by MAC 217 Blending Brush. Another great trick is to adapt a fan brush into your routine — E.L.F Cosmetics has a fantastic, low-priced option that's great for feathering products into the hairline, under the jawline, and around the cheekbone for a precise, airbrushed finish. You also might want to check out E.L.F.'s affordable Blush Brush.
3. Map Out Your Face
When applying the contour itself, build pigment as you go and use your bone structure as a guide. Use circular motions to sweep color to the areas you want to look smaller or hollow out. The basic places for contouring include the area under the jawline, the sides of the temples, and the hollows of your cheekbones. The sides of the nose and the hairline are also areas people sometimes choose to contour.
4. Build Then Buff
If you have a lot of sharp lines from applying your color, Pati recommends using a clean cotton pad to remove excess product. "Use a regular foundation brush or a damp egg sponge and tap it into the contour to make sure there's no demarcation," Pati advises. In other words? You absolutely need to blend it in. "Don't forget to add some happy color to the apple of the cheek and a bit of sheen to the cheekbones to further enhance the complexion." Opt for a peachy-pink for a natural-looking flush (we like Tarte's Amazonian Clay Blush in Peaceful), then add luminizer just at the top of the cheekbones, down the bridge of the nose, along your cupid's bow, and a hint on the chin for super-fresh skin. Our longstanding favorite is RMS Living Luminzer, and both Pati and Beau suggested Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Powder in Candlelight.
5. Highlight
Highlighting is a great complement to contouring. Where contouring basically darkens the areas of your face that are in shadow, highlighting lightens the areas that the light would naturally hit. Taking the extra step of highlighting enhances the overall effect of contouring. To highlight, take a clean brush and apply a light shade of color to the brow bone, the top of your cheekbones, the center of the forehead, the bridge of the nose, the center of your chin and the top of your cupid's bow.
Choosing the Right Contour Color for Your Skin Tone
Now that you've got the basics of how to contour down, it's time to choose the right color for your unique skin tone. This might seem like it goes without saying — but how many times have you seen someone walking around with the dreaded foundation line? With contouring, one shade most definitely does not fit all.
This all said, we know how difficult the shade-picking process can be, what with the myriad of hues that all seem to blend together. It’s stressful stuff. So, to demystify how it’s done and teach you lovely peeps how to contour based on skin tone, we turned to celebrity makeup artist, Nick Barose, who works with stars like Lupita Nyong’o and Brie Larson. Full disclosure: Nick’s contouring philosophy is all about enhancing your natural, already-beautiful features rather than creating a drastic new shape or drawing harsh lines — which is really the whole point of contouring, no? Without further ado, check out his foolproof guide ahead.
Fair and light-skinned ladies, you have to be extra wary when deciding on a contour color, as anything too brown or too orange will read all wrong on your skin. “For fair skin, you want to look for a taupe contour — they tend to work best and don’t turn red,” said Nick. He recommends Chanel Les Beiges in 40, but if you’re looking for a decent drugstore dupe, try NYX Cosmetics Powder Blush in Taupe for a similar effect. Nick also notes the importance of not going in too heavy or harsh with your contour, as it can easily appear too obvious or blotchy. To ensure everything looks seamless, he suggests going over the edges with a damp Beauty Blender.
Medium and tan skin tones definitely have more range in what you can get away with, but with that said, you should always take a product for a test-drive first to see how it looks on your face before you shell out for it. “For medium, tan skin, I usually go for a bronzy contour and use it as part of the bronzing,” said Nick. “This way, you can sculpt your features and have them look sunkissed, too,” he explained. Charlotte Tilbury’s infamous Filmstar Bronze & Glow in Medium to Dark is his contour color of choice for medium/tan skin, but if you find the sculpting shade to be a tad too dark, the light to medium version will likely be a perfect fit for you.
For dark and deep skin tones, Nick flips the switch and uses highlighter rather than a contour color to create definition. "On dark skin, it’s the reverse — you’re working with the darkness in your skin, but adding highlighter to sculpt the face instead — usually a coppery bronze shade that flatters your skin,” he explained. As for his top picks, he recommends NARS Contour Blush in the shade Gienah for dark skin and a highlighter like L’Oreal’s True Match Lumi Liquid Glow Illuminator in Rose for deep dark skin à la Lupita. As for application, it’s all about balance. “Adding a sheen on the bridge of nose, cheekbones, and chin really helps with sculpting the face, but dark skin can look shiny because of the way it reflects light, so you may have to dust a bit of powder on top of the highlighter to tone down the shine,” Nick explained.
Related: Clown Contouring Tutorial: How to Clown Contour
WATCH: How to Contour Like Beyoncé
