With the right products, tools and a little know-how, contouring is actually a lot less complicated than it sounds.
I love makeup. There, I said it. I may not be your typical girly-girl, and I don’t feel the need to wear it every day, but I do love that a perk of my job is getting to try out some of the newest products that hit the market every month.
Lately, I’ve found myself stepping out of my makeup comfort zone. I used to only use foundation, blusher, and liquid eyeliner, but I’ve been experimenting with stronger looks. I’ve swapped my trusty liquid eyeliner for a pencil to create a subtle smoky eye, have started lining my lower lashline, and take every opportunity I can to wear bright lips.
But since I started wearing makeup at 18, there’s one territory I haven’t dared venture into: Contouring. Until recently, I wouldn’t touch bronzer with a ten-foot pole, simply because the margin for error is just too large. I didn’t know how or where to start applying it, and had resigned myself to the fact that contouring was something only professional makeup artists would be able to achieve.
So when the invite to Collection Cosmetics’ session on contouring came along, I jumped at the opportunity to attend, as I was curious to see if it really was possible for an amateur like myself would be able to recreate the look at home.
Makeup artists Fynn and Rei from The Make Up Room were on hand to demonstrate some contouring tips and tricks on a volunteer. Let me be the first to say it: It seemed like a really complicated process. Here, the steps:
1. Use Collection Primed and Ready Primer to mattify skin.
2. Using a brush, apply Collection Bright & Glow Brightening BB Cream. Rather than spreading it all over your face, you should only use it on your T-zone and the area under your eyes till where your cheekbones begin. This will help conceal dullness and make skin glow.
Collection Bright & Glow Brightening BB Cream, $16.90
3. Blur out imperfections with Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer using a small flat brush, concentrating on areas like the sides of your nose and around your lips to neutralise redness and discolouration. You can also use it to further brighten up the under-eye area.
Lasting Perfection Concealer, $14.90
4. To make your cheekbones stand out, go for a foundation two shades darker than your skin tone (I used shade 6 of Collection’s Cover & Go Foundation and Concealer Duo). Brush it downwards from the side of your face close to the hollows of your cheeks, as well as along the jawline; this will shape your face to make it look slimmer. When applying it on your jawline, be sure to blend it downwards towards your neck so the colour contrast doesn’t look so stark.
Collection Cover & Go Foundation & Concealer Duo, $16.90
5. Dust on a compact powder such as Collection Bright & Glow Brightening Compact Foundation on your T-zone to soak up excess sebum if you have oily skin.
Collection Bright Glow Brightening Compact Foundation, $18.90
6. As an optional step, you can lightly brush some bronzer at the hollows of your cheeks for even more definition.
Gulp. That’s a lot of steps … was I going to be able to recreate this look for myself? Rei helped me along by recreating the look on the right side of my face, and I attempted to do it myself on the left.
Whaddaya know? It was actually less daunting than I thought it would be. I think the results of my efforts came pretty close to Rei’s! Sure, it did take quite a bit of time, though I think I’ll be able to halve the amount of time needed to do it with a little practice. You’ll also need a basic brush set at the ready because it’s just not possible to contour with your fingers. The effort, however, was worth it as I felt it gave my features a more 3D effect.
Before: no base makeup
After: The magic of contouring. My face looks so much sharper, and check out that glow! (We adjusted the white balance, but otherwise, this picture was not in any way retouched)
I like the fact that contouring had everything to do with knowing where on your face to apply the respective products, rather than piling on many base layers.
As it is pretty time-consuming, I’ll realistically only do it at home if I have a little bit of time to play with. But the one product I see myself using on a daily basis is the Bright & Glow Brightening BB cream. It made my skin look radiant, yet had a natural finish for that “no makeup” look. And, because it has hydrating properties (thanks to vitamin E and sodium hyaluronate) I’d feel confident to pass on the moisturiser on days that I’m in a rush to get to work.
Be Among the First to Preview Makeup from Collection Cosmetics!
Still feeling less than confident about your contouring abilities? Then you need to head down to BHG Clementi this Saturday, March 29, as makeup artist Marie Soh will be on hand to do contouring demos, consultations and mini-makeovers. You’ll also be among the first in Singapore to try out the products featured in this post for yourself. Pencil in the following details now!
Date: March 29, Saturday
Time: 3 – 5pm
Venue: Level 3, BHG Clementi
The products showcased in this post are available from April 3, 2014 at selected Watsons stores, BHG (Bugis and Clementi) and the Collection pop-up store at level 2 Cineleisure. Limited stocks are available for sale at the BHG (Clementi) preview.
Win a Collection Cosmetics hamper!
5 lucky Material World readers will each win a Bright & Glow Brightening BB Cream and Bright & Glow Brightening Compact Foundation, worth $35.80! To enter the draw, simply follow these steps:
1. Download the Material World app on iTunes or Google Play. On the Contest tab, enter “Collection” as the Contest Name. Then key in your answer to this question: “Name two ingredients in Collection’s Bright & Glow Brightening BB Cream.”
2. Like Material World and Collection Cosmetics on Facebook.
3. Click on the Facebook Share button below and share this post with your friends. Tag “Material World” on your post and remember to set it on Public.
This contest ends Tuesday, 1 April 2014, and is only open to followers of Material World and Collection Cosmetics Singapore. Only entries submitted via the Material World app will be accepted. Please read our terms and conditions here.
Material World worked with Collection Cosmetics to bring you these contouring tips. All opinions are the author’s own and were not vetted by the client. You may read our advertising policy here.
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