How to Contour

My sister Taylor is great at contouring and gifted me my own contouring kit this year! Only problem – I have no idea what to do.  So Ta is taking over the blog today for a little Contour How-to Guide.  Take it away Ta!

Hi, Everyone.

Nothing gets me giddy like logging into Whitney’s account, clicking drafts, and seeing what feels like 3,000 photos of my dehydrated post drinking face and newly developed arm rosacea on the page! Lets do this.

The title of this post should be “How to Trick Boys with Optical Illusions on your Face.” I love contouring; it is totally forgiving (unlike eye/ lip color), you can darken it for night or to match your summer tan or winter paste (mine, clearly, the later), and it makes you look 5 pounds thinner and AT LEAST 3 times prettier. Disclaimer: I have no make up background and am not a professional; this is what works FOR ME… and my mother who I do make up for on occasion….but she looks exactly like me so I guess that makes sense….

Where I’ve gathered most of this knowledge from:

1. Watching/ asking the few make up artists I have ever had contact with

2. Television; namely Keeping up with the Kardashians, and more importantly, RuPaul’s Drag Race

3. Hashtag searching “#contouring” on Instagram (highly recommend… these Russian girls know WHAT IS UP)(and Russian boys too)

4. Doing exactly what my little pamphlet on the inside of my contouring kit says to do

Alright, here are my steps:

Step 1:  Look at the mirror. Tell yourself you should have worn more sunscreen from ages 14-24. Tell yourself your pores would shrink if you stopped drinking 7 nights a week. Take a deep breath, you are 20 minutes away from the best you will look today.

Also, moisturize and prime your skin.

Step 2: Paint your face like a warrior princess; ready for fighting she-battles for the next 6-10 hours. Use your light foundation, and rather than rubbing it all over your face like a heathen and coming out looking like a ghost like you did for 2 WHOLE YEARS; harness the evil powers of the lightness and instead use it to your advantage. Highlight the parts of your face you want hit with light. Even if they won’t be, you now give the illusion that they are. Strike the bridge of your nose, eyebrow arch, CHEEKBONES, and chin. ALSO, as you can see, if you have adult acne, HIDE IT NOW.

Step 3:  Realize you will never find a life partner with images like these circulating the internet.

Side Note: This is the foundation I use….as you will come to find, this particular product, on me, works wonders. I realize this picture is a bit out of order but I’m this far now!!!!

Step 4: Blend it. Use your finger, or one of those cool egg sponges your mother has but you can’t afford. If you had any extra foundation left over; go absolutely bananas on your cheekbones. Blend blend blend. Layer mineral powder on top of this, everywhere. Neck also, guys. And because I was about 16 and acne-ridden when it hit the shelves, not to mention PERFECTLY marketed to like the rest of you, I like to use Bare Minerals!

Step 5: Now your canvas is ready to contour. If you have a contouring kit, now is the time to use it, but sometimes I just use bronzer if I am in a rush or IF I FEEL LIKE IT. Make a fishy face and start massaging (with your brush) the powder up into your cheekbones from underneath, working it into the natural crevice that your face (now) makes. I have found if I do the “plant and drag” I end up looking like a B&Ter circa 1994. Sometimes I want that look though, so I do that.

Step 6: Create a jawline. Highly recommend if you are wearing your hair up. A strong jawline is EVERYTHING. As you can see, I am going a little dark here for presentational purposes; I wouldn’t go quite this strong for a daytime look.

Step 7: You don’t really have to do this step, unless you are going “all the way” into this look. Good for night time, good for tan skin. Good for showing LIL viewers a step by step on how to contour. All I did here was take a shade lighter and swipe it right above my initial dark line. Easy.

Step 8: Hand the camera to your little sister, RUIN previous aperture settings in the process, take a photo that looks completely unlike the rest of the photos , but you are starting to look alright at this point so IT STAYS.

Here are the final reasons why I look good in this final photo and everyone should not be fooled by the internet.

a) I added powder highlight via my contouring kit, roughly, on top of all the places I already highlighted (see Step 2). Mainly focus on getting the tops of your cheekbones and under your eyes (the Victoria Secret Angels are fabulous with this).

b.) Eyeliner/ Lip gloss/ blush

c.) Camera settings that miraculously make me look tanner

d. ) I’m slightly out of focus

e.) I shaded my nose (dark on the sides, light on the bridge…. use a smaller brush for precision… this honestly could use its own post but everyone’s nose is different and I can’t have that incredible responsibility weighing on my shoulders)

f. ) I shaded my temples (from above arch of eyebrow to end of it), and my hairline a TINY bit

f.) why is my hair uneven….MOM!

Here is all the stuff I use (clockwise from top left): Countouring kit from Smashbox (this makeup artist who was a drag queen recommended this to me…love), BareMinerals medium beige powder, Kabuki brush, Youngblood blush, contouring brush that came with my Smashbox Kit.

This could and will probably be the last time Whitney let’s me guest post, so it’s been really lovely, you guys. Best of luck, and send Whit some before and after pics so we can see how you all look! (boys invited too)

-Taylor