Contouring your face is a makeup concept deemed too intimidating, hard, and even impossible by beauty neophytes. Newbies, don’t fret. We’re here to break it down for you.
Face contouring is a very important, albeit overlooked, step in one’s makeup routine. It is all about adding dimensions to your face by playing with light and shadow. Truth be told, once you get the hang of how to contour your face, you will never skip this step since it brings out the exquisite bone structure of your face. It is NOT about caking product on, it is about creating angles and enhancing your natural beauty.
If you’re a face contouring newbie, it is advisable to start out with cheaper drugstore beauty buys. It might take you a while to get the blending right, and you wouldn’t want to waste expensive product right? What you need to invest in are the makeup brushes as well as the beauty sponges. The quality of your brushes is what’s going to spell the difference in your application and technique.
If you want to splurge a little, here are the best products for face contouring:

Image from: Nars
NARS Contour Blush Duo

Image from: EaiBleza
MAC Cream Colour Base

Image from: Nordstrom
Smashbox Step by Step Contour Kit (Contouring shade, bronzer, highlighter and brush)
So let’s get down to brass tacks ladies. First, apply foundation normally all over your face, this will serve as your base. Then simply follow this infographic on how to properly contour your face. There are no set steps. The key here is to blend properly at the end. This tutorial uses 3 products and 3 brushes, but you can easily achieve this look with just a light and dark foundation. You can even use your fingers or sponge to blend, if that’s more comfortable for you.
This infographic also shows the basic tools you’ll need.

Image from The Beauty Department
Eventually you should adjust your contouring technique to your face shape. This infographic shows you the key areas to highlight, add blush, contour according to your face shape:

Image from Pinterest
Before we part, here some quick expert tips:
- Pick a single makeup texture and keep it consistent. Powders are the easiest to blend, creams have good coverage, and liquids last really long. Sticking to one texture will prevent caking.
- Light in the center, darker around the periphery
Remember to always adjust to how your face is structured. All of this information is merely basic guidelines to get you started. Always go with what works best for YOU.
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