What is Contouring and do I need to do it?

Contouring, contouring, contouring! This has taken the make-up industry by storm! It’s everywhere and everyone loves it! But what actually is it?!

Contouring is the art of creating light and shadow on the face to enhance features. By making areas lighter, they appear more prominent on the face, whereas shading creates depth and structure. This is why you will always see ‘highlight’ on the high-points of the face – cheekbones, brow bones, bridge of the nose, chin & forehead! The lightness will bring those areas forward & enhance them. Adding shadow underneath the cheekbone and jawline will push these back, creating structure and ultimately slimming the face. Adding shadow to the nose, forehead & chin often makes the area appear smaller or narrower.

You should ideally contour the face to create an oval shape. If you naturally have a wide forehead but a smaller chin, you would add depth to the temples but highlight the chin area to create balance. If your forehead is small, but you have a wider jaw line, you would highlight the centre of the forehead and contour the jaw line to appear smaller and balance the face.

Contouring isn’t for everyone and you don’t have to go crazy with it! Adding subtle structure or using your normal concealer in these places will usually do the job for a day-to-day look! The lightness often brightens the face and will make you look more awake. Team this with a peachy blush, your favourite mascara and a good lipgloss and you’re good to go!