When it comes to contouring, there’s a fine line between enhancing your features and painting on an entirely new face. We’ve all seen the Instagram posts and the Youtube tutorials of makeup enthusiasts lining their faces with brown and white stripes and then blending like there was no tomorrow. Not only is this hyper-sculpted look incredibly time consuming (seriously though, who can be bothered?) it’s actually highly unflattering and can age you beyond your years.
The basic principle of contouring is that the dark shades recede and conceal the prominent features, and the lighter shades highlight and bring them forward. So how do you find this balance between defined features and a look that’s natural enough to wear out day-to-day? The new Instamarc contouring palette from Marc Jacobs Beauty seems to be a good place to start. It’s a silky duo of sheer contouring powders, one light, one dark, that work with the natural contours of the face to enhance dimension and add depth.
“We created Instamarc for the contouring enthusiast and the beauty novice alike,” says Gilbert Soliz, Marc Jacobs Beauty International Makeup Artist. “It has amazing artistry performance and the formula allows even the most inexperienced makeup user to sculpt and create gorgeous cheekbones with ease. The creative possibilities are endless when it comes to contouring and Instamarc light filtering contour palette allows you to do just that.”
Whether you’re a contouring pro that wants sculpting make-under or a complete contour newbie, Gilbert’s super simple tips will help you get a gorgeous, defined look, perfect for day or night.
- Apply foundation and perfect your complexion with powder
- Start by using the darker shade just below the cheekbones to hollow them out and define the cheeks
- Swipe the dark contour shade down the sides of the nose for the perfect shape
- Then simply highlight all the high points of the face using the lighter shade to bring all your beautiful features forward
You can easily adjust your look according to the occasion or time of day.
For Day:
- Apply less pressure
- Start from the outer perimeter when contouring then blend and work your way in towards the centre of the face
- Avoid contouring jawline and temples
- Focus on a single feature like your cheekbones
For Night:
- Layer the product for more definition
- Contour temples, cheekbones and jawline
- Use long sweeping motions with the brush to elongate the lines
- Highlight the centre of the forehead
- Highlight and contour the neck and décolleté
Do you contour? What’s your favourite product?
