Extreme contouring look and how to contour!

Today I fancied a change to what look I created, so I went for a extreme contouring look that only consisted of using 2 foundations, 2 powders and 1 pigment. This look was so simple and can be worn so naturally but I really amped it up making it look insane! I was inspired to do this look when I was looking through google images on contouring and this one just stood out to me and I really wanted to try it out.

Products Used-
Illamasqua rich liquid in RF140 & RF323
Illamasqua powder blusher in Intrigue
Illamasqua pure pigment in breathe
Mac Nw55 studio fix powder
Bourjois clubbing mascara

This look reminded me of the famous Kim Kardashian contouring method and also catwalk makeup! This heavy contouring looks so crazy up close, but from a distance it looks stunning, making features pop! I did highlighting and contouring but I will cover highlighting in another blogpost.

I have to warn you in advance, contouring is not easy- well maybe for some. I have been doing and practising makeup for ages and I have always found contouring difficult, but now I have mastered it & thought why not share my technique with you all.

So for all you beginners out there here are some questions you may want answering...

What is contouring?

Gives the appearance of a slimmer look, a straighter nose, slender cheeks, larger lid space, prominent cheekbones and even the reduced appearance of a double chin! It can be used for almost anything you want to blank out. It is basically shading our face.

Why do I need it?

I personally don't think anyone needs contouring because everyone looks beautiful natural. You don't always need makeup to make yourself look beautiful. You may want contouring to do anything of the above. Or maybe just to add that extra into your makeup so you can walk out the door feeling confident!

Where should I contour?

Brown colour contour, white is highlight

Sides of the nose, eye socket, underneath the cheekbone (hollows), temples, jawline, underneath bottom lip to create shade so it looks fuller & chin- but remember you don't have to contour in all these places- if you don't need it all, leave it girl!

What products do I need?

To contour you need a matt bronzer or matt brown toned blush shade a 2 or 3 shades darker than your skin tone. 

What products would you recommend?

Mac studio fix powder (get 2-3 shades darker than your natural skin tone), Sleek contour kit (comes in 3 shades and includes highlight!), Mac Harmony matt blush, Bourjois chocolate bronzer.

Sannas top tips & tricks for contouring

I contoured my bottom lip, cheekbones, eye socket, temples, jawline, neck and nose.

• Use a light hand!  We don't want a harsh line where we are going to contour which is going to be such a pain to blend out and just end up looking so false!
• Use buffing circular motions with your brush- When contouring the cheeks or temples using round motions with your brush this will prevent that harsh line and it will allow us to blend as we go along.
• Follow your natural shape- don't try and contour to make your face appear so dramatically different! Just stick to your natural contours of the face and build on that to make them appear more distinctive. Going too over the top will just lead to a big mess!
• In my opinion, never use a shimmery contour colour- Contour is going to create a shade which is why we need a matt colour- a shimmery colour defeats the purpose, you will just end up looking like a glitter ball! I think subtle shimmer is okay, only if your going for a natural contour look.
• Spend time blending- Its worth it! For the eye sockets one of my tricks is winging the contour shade out to elongate my eyes, and apply the colour slightly above my socket to make my lid space appear larger.
• Use soft brushes! I love the real techniques contour brush for my face and for my eyes and nose I love any tapered but fluffy & soft eyeshadow brush thats going to blend the colour out so nicely.
• Use your finger to blend out that contour line! For my nose especially I create two lines going down each side of my nose to slender it and then I simply use my finger and run this on top of the line once or twice and it blends it out perfectly!
• Don't use too much product on your brush! You will either get loads of fallout or a really dark line which is such a pain to blend and will look odd.
• Use small even strokes applying the same pressure- You don't want a wonky line and this technique will help you get a straight line that will allow you to blend really easy after!
• Practise- You need to practise to get it perfect. Practise a more natural contouring look first, then learn how to go dramatic with it and how to build it up which will look great on special occasions or events.

Good Luck with contouring, I hope you learnt something!

 Let me know how it goes in the comments below

Love Always 

xxx

Sanna