How to: Contour for a thinner face

Kim Kardashian's perfectly contoured face
Kim Kardashian’s perfectly contoured face/inspirationsandcelebrations.net

Many of us often suffer from a bloated face and most of the times, it comes out swollen in the pictures. This dilemma can be solved by contouring, so we got ace makeup artist Priya Kapur on board to help us contour like a pro. Learning how to contour your face isn’t easy, especially if you are a beginner!

What is contouring?
The very first thing that you’ll need to learn about is what exactly is contouring? It’s all about the shading ! It’s to creat an illusion that your nose is smaller, that your don’t have a double chin, that your face isn’t really shaped the way that it is. Now that you know exactly what contouring is, let’s talk about how to contour your face!

Contouring wheel by Kryolan
Contouring wheel by Kryolan

What all do you need to contour perfectly?
Here is what you will need:
1) Foundation matching your natural skin tone.
2) Cream Foundation in a much lighter color than your natural skin tone.
3) Cream Foundation in a much darker color than your natural skin tone.
4) A Setting Powder.

How to contour like a pro?

The idea is to highlight the areas on your face that you want to pop; this is where the light would normally hit your face. As well as the bridge of your nose, your cheekbones, your temple, your brown bone and along your jaw line.
1. Apply your foundation that matches your skin tone. Always match it with your neck because you never get sun on the face so it is always a couple shades lighter and you do want it to match the rest of my body.
2. Starting with your light foundation take a flat foundation brush apply it under your eyes and on your cheekbones all the way up to your hairline. Apply it in the middle of your forehead, down the center of your nose, underneath your eyebrows on the brown bone, along your jawline and on your collar bone. Do not blend yet.

How to contour
How to contour

3. Next using your dark foundation and flat brush, apply it in the hollows of your cheeks (under your cheekbones) down both sides of your nose and on the tip (this makes it look smaller) under your jawline at the very top of your neck (this makes your jawline more defined) at the top of your forehead around your hairline and in the crease of your eyelids (this makes your eyes more defined) and above and below your collar bone. Right now you will most likely look like a clown, but that’s ok. Actually that means you did it right!
4. Time to blend. Taking your foundation brush, in a circular motion blend everything in. You will be surprised how easy this is and how great it looks instantly!
5. Apply powder. Now you need to set all the work you just did in. It’s important to use a powder brush to do this not a puff. After you have gone over your face and put a good amount under your eyes and on m your cheekbones, leave it unblended while you do the rest of your make up and blend it at the end. This gives your cheekbones that extra pop, it goes on great and is translucent but when you apply more under your eyes and on your cheekbones it gets lighter. Whatever powder you use make sure the powder under your eyes is light, this brightens up your face and makes your eyes pop.

Ace makeup artist Priya Kapur
Ace makeup artist Priya Kapur

Finish this look with a little shimmer or bronzer on your cheekbones and a touch of blush on the apples of the cheek. This makeup trick always looks really amazing in photos as well so try it for your next special occasion or if you just want to look stunning going for coffee. It’s great for day and night. Just make sure to blend!

Hailing from Mumbai Priya Kapur has an immese knowledge of makeup and is great at it. Know more about Priya Kapur at her website: www.priyakapur.co.in