While I’m a seasoned pro when it comes to applying eyeshadow (I learned a few things back in my modeling days), I am definitely still a newbie to the world of contouring — which is actually kind of crazy, considering how much more a little contouring can do to emphasize your strong points and change the way you look for the better. I also wear very minimal makeup usually, so a refresher on how to create a full-faced glam look was definitely in order.
For someone who loves the natural look, and is always pressed for time, contouring has become my magic secret, thanks to the tutorial I got from Make Up For Ever. With just a few strokes of bronzer and maybe a little blush and highlighter, I can make myself not only look much prettier (especially in photos), but still look completely natural, as if I wasn’t wearing makeup at all — in about 2 minutes flat. Brilliant!
I’m sure you’ve already heard of the super-famous makeup brand called Make Up For Ever. Their Director of Artistry, Lijha Stewart recently taught me a few new tricks for my beauty arsenal. Specifically, she showed me the best ways to contour, while giving me a “modern Grace Kelly” look. The end result was pretty glamorous, if I do say so myself!
Here’s a fun little video they put together of my transformation from a plain Jane to glam starlet:
Here’s a quick rundown of what they taught me:
1. Foundation doesn’t have to look obvious. You can put a lightweight foundation all over your face or just on certain spots (which is what I normally do) …but that’s a bit more risky and could end up looking blotchy, so if you’re going to be on a red carpet, make sure to check yourself in natural light and take a quick selfie to see if it shows up on film before you go out. Make sure you match the color exactly to your chest so your face doesn’t look like a different color than your body.
2. Contouring can subtly modify your face shape and nobody will know. All you have to do is use some contouring powder or bronzer with brush-strokes from the middle of your ear to the side of your mouth, and from the outside of your eye in a half-circle to the top of your head. See the video for more details on that.
3. A great brow and false eyelashes can make a huge difference. Seeing is believing. My straight eyelashes were given major Oomph! with false lashes, and my brows were filled in with brow pencil (but eyeshadow applied with a small angle brush works just as well).
4. Shiny lips and flush cheeks are uber sexy. Try a few to find the perfect shade that looks natural on you. The result? Va-va-voom!
Contouring and bronzing is important because it brings the color back to your face.
I love how the foundation sat on your skin perfectly. As if it wasn’t there, but your skin looked way flawless!
Make Up Forever excels in their bases. It’s a brand that doesn’t need constant advertising but would do great in sales.
My only issue with Make Up Forever is that it’s a little pricey for my budget. But I’ve heard that it’s really worth it.
You said it, even if it’s quite a pain to buy regularly, I found myself not wanting to try other brands because it could never perform as good as Make Up Forever.
I was also a late bloomer for contouring. I thought I could live without it because I hate extra steps in my makeup routine. But once I started learning how to contour and I’ve bought my first contour palette, I couldn’t live without it anymore. I feel like my face looks bigger and my nose feels wider! It’s so funny. Makeup could really make us feel twice as comfortable in facing other people. I feel twice as confident when I’m wearing makeup. So for those who judge people who loves wearing makeup, I don’t care what you think.
You look like Audrey Hepburn here! So pretty OMG.
Make Up Forever is a really great cosmetics brand. I swear their foundation is one of the best there is, even better than Mac if you ask me.
Mac isn’t even all that great. It’s just overrated.
Here I am thinking that matte lips are still trendy. I’m honestly starting to dislike it because matte lipsticks are a pain for the lips. I still love my glosses and moisturizing lippies. I think glossy lips make you look youthful and matte lipsticks make you look sophisticated. It honestly depends on your preference, but I was so annoyed when a co-worker of mine told me that glossy lips are so 90’s. I wanted to kick her face right off the bat. Let women wear whatever lippies they prefer!
What? Your co-worker is rude. I switch from matte to glossy whenever I feel like it. It’s my lips, who cares if it’s so 90’s? I like it, you shouldn’t give a damn about it.
You look really stunning in full glam makeup. I think you look good without makeup as well, but a change of look can sometimes be nice too.?
I don’t have much to cover up on my face, but I also don’t like the idea of putting foundation only on certain spots on my face. I would rather just thin out the coverage using a damp beauty blender to avoid looking cakey. I also find that setting your face with a setting spray/mist works wonders to make everything else blend seamlessly. Blending is also the key here since you don’t want to end up with streaks of unblended contour. That’s definitely not glam at all.
Blending really is key to make everything look seamless and natural.