Contouring is all about creating shadow and light to alter the shape of the face, maybe to give the illusion of higher cheekbones, a slimmer face or to shorten the nose.

Makeup artists use many different methods to contour the face; I prefer to use powders after I’ve applied foundation, whereas some will use a cream coverage under or over the base. 

Below is my step by step guide in how to contour and highlight.

BASIC STEPS IN HOW TO CONTOUR

1. Sweep your contour colour (a dark, matte shade) under your cheekbone using a soft, angled brush. You can find your cheekbone easily using your fingers – the colour should go in the hollow just beneath it. At this point the colour will look quite strong, but don’t panic! This is where we blend; using your fingers, blend the line upwards. If you blend down, you will lose the height of your cheekbone and your face will look muddy.
2. Blend the contour colour into the hairline. This will help give your skin a healthy glow and disguise a large or flat forehead.
3. To make your nose look straighter, use your fingers to rub a little contour powder along the sides of your nose. Blend well. Don’t go right to the tip of your nose or it will end up looking too thin. If you want your nose to appear shorter, run a little contour along the nostrils.
4. If your chin is starting to droop a little, just sweep a touch of contour powder under the jaw line to instantly hide any saggy bits and look years younger.
5. My top tip when contouring: to get that celebrity look, brush a little bit of the contour powder above the inner corner of your eye up to the brow – you’ll instantly see your eyes look more defined and really pop!
6. To make your cheekbones really stand out, using a large powder brush, sweep a face powder like my Invisible Veil Blotting Powder along the lower jaw, under where we’ve applied the contour for the cheekbone.

BASIC STEPS IN HOW TO HIGHLIGHT

1. Highlighter reflects the light well, so only apply it to the places you want to draw attention to. Sweep it above the cheekbone, along the brow bone and down the centre of your nose to give the impression of a rounded surface.
2. As a finishing touch, dab a little bit of highlighter onto your cupid’s bow (the little dip in your upper lip).

For more top-tips, check out our post on How To Contour According To Your Face Shape.