Beauty vlogger Rachel Cunningham teaches us the art of contouring
Contouring, highlighting, sculpting and, more recently, strobing have exploded onto the makeup scene in the last few years. Almost-white concealer, sparkly cheeks and orange bronzers all add to the illusion of having high cheekbones and chiseled jawlines. The aim of highlighting is to bring out certain areas of your face and the aim of contouring is to sink them back in. With that said, here’s how to try it for yourself:
Step 1: Highlight
I use liquid concealers first and then powder products. A favourite of mine is MAC Pro Longwear concealer but if that’s not in your budget then Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer, NYX HD concealers and Catrice Liquid Camouflage are also great substitutes. Highlight under your eyes, the top of your cheekbones, down your nose, between your brows, your chin, around your mouth and between your jaw and cheekbone (see image 1). You then highlight with your shimmer products on the top of your cheekbones, tip of your nose, your cupids bow, above and below your brow bone and your inner eye (and anywhere you want to glow, really).
Step 2: Contour
Put down anything orange or anything with shimmer, glitter, sheen or shine- please! You want a cool toned shade to mimic what a natural shadow would look like. Cheekbones and jaws are the most popular areas but you can also contour your nose, temples, underneath your bottom lip and all around your forehead. (see image 2)
Once you’ve mastered the basics it’s time to give ‘clown contouring’ a go. This is essentially colour correcting on top of contour and highlight and can be done in a “clown” makeup style
(see image 3&4). For a step-by-step guide to this I recommend searching online for @belladelune on Youtube and Instagram who has several videos and pictures showing you how it’s done like a pro. Here’s my take on it:
Learning any type of contouring requires a lot of practice as well as lots of looking like a Cirque du Soleil extra. Make sure to take some before and after photos to add some fun to the process!
