Contouring

How To Get Grips Of.. Contouring.

It may be one of beauty’s most enduring looks, but contouring remains the one tricky make-up look that most of us have tried but few of us have mastered.

From the contoured eye to that beautiful cheekbone (think Kim Kardashian for the full on effect), what always looks so easy on a super model on the catwalk rarely translates into reality for those of us who try it at home. So for the real low down on how to get this look right, here is our guide to fool-proof face contouring.

The One-step Contour:

Take a tip from the make-up pros and forget about all that tricky shading under the hollow of the cheekbone (the truth is it works for evening but rarely for daytime) and concentrate just on highlighting your face. A favourite A-lister Red Carpet trick (they always want their skin to look naturally fresh and dewy), the ‘Hollywood Contour’ is about only using a glitter-free sheen or light shimmer in a C-shape from the brow bone, around to the top of the cheek bone. The secret is to then bend it in (a fluffy brush works best) so it looks like glowy skin, not glittery make-up.

The Easy Eye Contour:

Now you’ve mastered the intricacies of the cheek contour, the final touch is on the eye to get that beautiful up-date on the Sixties inspired look (think everyone from Marilyn to Twiggy). Daniel suggests choosing a matte shadow, one to two shades darker than your skin tone so you get that natural shadow rather than eye shadow effect.

“Find the area just above your eye socket (the bone above the eyelid creases) and using a small eyeshadow brush, blend the shadow working from the outer corner inward,” explains Sandler, across the bone.