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cosmetology school

A Lesson in Contouring

Contoured Face

Written by Samantha Chesley

Continue reading if you love a free makeup lesson! When applying foundation I have found it is best to use a sponge. Although some prefer a brush (which works just as well), I have found that sponges are helpful for acne prone skin. I find that sponges cover the skin perfectly by filling in enlarged pores for a flawless finish.

After the face is covered, apply a powder. For contouring, you could use a liquid or powder. I do like liquid, but with my acne problems I learned powder works best. With the liquid it clogs my pores too much, resulting in breakouts.

Right now my favorite contour palette is Shade and Light, but I wanted to try other things, so I recently purchased the Anastasia palette. I do like the Anastasia palette, it blends great. I just wish it also had highlighting colors like Shade and Light does. So when it comes to contouring, personally, I like to use three separate brushes:

  1. One brush for shading
  2. One for highlighting
  3. One brush for contouring my nose and lips

Makeup Brushes

The best way to know what to shade and what to highlight is to make a heart shape with your hands and hold them up to your face. Everything outside of the heart you will shade, and everything inside you will highlight. When contouring your lips you can use a lighter shade for the bottom of your lip and highlight the top to make them stand out more. On the nose you usually darken the sides of the bridge of your nose and highlight right down the middle. Hope you enjoyed my makeup lesson on contouring!