How To: Highlight & Contour

Hi beauties! Today we will be talking all about HIGHLIGHT & CONTOUR! Highlighting and contouring is a technique used by pretty much every model, actress, and celebrity that brings light toward particular features of the face, while casting shadows on others. Highlighting and contouring makes a huge difference in the appearance of one's face, and trust me once you master this technique you will be absolutely addicted! You can make your nose appear smaller, your cheekbones more defined, your eyes brighter.. Simply amazing!

 Kim K is infamous for her beautiful highlighted and contoured look!

Let's Begin!
First, we need to make sure we have the right tools. Below are some recommendations:

Highlighters:
NARS Albatross, $29
Sephora Collection Microsmooth Luminzier, $12
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish (I love the shade "Soft and Gentle), $30
NYX Mosaic Powder Highlighter, $7

Bronzers/Contours:
Smashbox Halo Perfecting Bronzer, $39
Benefit Hoola, $28
MAC Matte Bronzer, $24
NYC "Sunny" Bronzer, $3

Brushes:
An angled blush brush - Sephora Pro Angled Blush Brush #49, $32
A blending brush - Sephora Pro Airbrush Concealer Brush #57, $24
A shader brush (if contouring your nose) - Sephora Pro Shadow Brush #14, $20
A fan brush - Sephora I.T. Highlighting Fan Brush, $9 (Only on Sephora.com, soon to be discontinued)

Here is a picture of me with just foundation, no highlight or contour:

Just wait until you see the difference highlight & contour will make at the end!

First, you'll have to find the hollows of your cheekbones. As a rule of thumb, your contour should start right by your ear and follow along a diagonal toward the tip of your mouth. (If in doubt, you can just make a fishy face to find your hollows.) Using an angled blush brush, apply your contour shade starting by your ear and working your way downward.

It should look something like this:

Then taking the brush, blend that out so we don't have any harsh lines:

I used Smashbox Halo Bronzer for this step with my Sephora Pro #49 brush.

Next, you can contour your nose by taking some of your bronzer on a small-medium shader brush, and draw lines on either side of your nose, starting at the uppermost outer edge of your nose and working your way down toward the tip.

Can you see the difference from one of my nose to the other?!

Next, you're going to want to add some highlight just below my eyes to really brighten them up. Take a highlighting pen, such as Yves St Laurent Touche Eclat (which is what I used, in #1), and draw upside down triangles underneath your eyes. You may also draw a straight line down the center of your nose, a line down your cupid's bow, and a bit underneath your chin to highlight. Blend these out with a blending brush, such as Sephora Pro #57.

I'm so fair, you can barely see the highlight.. But this is before blending!

Then, you may want to add some blush as well. For my particular face, I like a really contour look, so I'm going to go back with my angled brush and add blush just above where I put my bronzer, following along the same shape of my contour, but working from the apples of my cheek back. I used NARS Orgasm blush.

This is where I start the application of my blush, and I work back toward my ear.

Finally, add some extra highlight just above your cheekbones to create a beautiful glowy look! Taking a fan brush to ensure a light application, apply your highlighter right above your blush and contour.

And now you are a highlight and contour pro!! Here is the finished results..

Enjoy loves! XOXO