Skin Contouring – Definition, Causes, Purpose & How To Do It?

What Is Skin Contouring?

In order to re-define the structure of any part of your body, contouring is a makeup technique used. Contour is a light-weight cream that hides ones' fine lines, skin disruptions like pimples, acne, scars or wrinkles. Contour has skin-reconstructing properties, that work on affected skin cells and pores.

To put it in simple words, contour is like the chocolate or strawberry syrup that you put on your ice cream. If ice cream is the base (primer and foundation) of your makeup, contouring comes next to hide all the flaws of your skin and give it a right structure.

What Are The Different Types Of Contours Available?

Contour in makeup comes in three primary types - powder, cream, or pencil.

Depending on your skin type, pick your contour. Powder contour is for oily skin, cream is for dry skin and pencil for those with acne, pimple and marks problem on the skin.

Once you've decided on the type of makeup contour you want to buy, you have to decide on the shade next. The shade of your contour should be two shades darker than your original skin tone.

Which Parts Of The Body Need Contouring?

All parts of the body do not require contouring during makeup. Contour during makeup is only applied on the face. Contour should be applied on the nose, forehead, chin, and cheekbones of your face. Contour alone can change the shape of these areas, and thereby make your face look thinner or plumper (as you want).

How To Apply Contour On Face?

There are three simple steps to apply contour in the right way on your face. Though it is recommended to go for a stick contour, yet you can pick the one that suits your skin type. Note, the amount of contour you apply on the face and how you blend it ultimately determines the shape of your face.

a) As mentioned earlier, first you have to plan where you want to apply the contour on face. Contour is usually applied on the forehead and blended towards the hairline, to make it appear small. Contour is applied on the hollow sides of your face. Lastly, contour is applied around the end of your nose, by the sides, to make it appear sharper.

b) At the second level, you have to blend the contour into your base foundation. To do this, you will need a wet sponge. Strain the extra water from the sponge and then move it in a circular motion on your contoured areas to blend it well. This might be time taking, but the more you blend it, the more thinner your face will look. By the end of this step, your face might be a little muddy.

c) To manage the wetness that the wet sponge will create while adjusting the contour, dust some translucent powder from top using a fluffy brush. Here, your base makeup ends and you can move on to adding colours like blush, eyeshadow, lip colour and so on.