Blush Highlight
Contouring and highlighting your face
Contouring and highlighting can be used to hide flaws. The purpose of contouring and highlighting is to achieve a balanced face. Everyone has a different face shape and to achieve a balanced face you must know your face shape first.
You will need a contour powder or foundation slightly darker than your skin tone. You can use any matte bronzer or blush for this. I prefer using a foundation, it blends easily. You also need an angled blush brush and a highlighter (shimmery, illuminating light powder or cream). There are six basic face shapes: oval, round, oblong, square/rectangle, heart and diamond.
Oval shaped face: the forehead and jaw are almost the same width. Prominent cheekbones, rounded hairline and the jaw are slightly narrower than temples.
Contour this face shape lightly right below your cheekbones. Apply a highlighter to the top of your cheekbones and bring it to the brow bone in a C shape around the eye.
Round Face: Characterized by equal length, and width. Fully rounded jaw, small rounded forehead, and full wide cheeks.
Contour this face shape on either side of the jaw up to the earlobes. Also contour along the hollow of your cheeks (right below the cheekbones). Highlight above your cheekbones, middle of forehead and center of chin.
Oblong: Long, and slender narrow chin and forehead.
Contour this face shape along the hairline and haw line. Highlight on top of your cheekbones.
Heart: Wide hairline and temples, narrow pointy chin.
Contour this face shape on the sides of your forehead and temples, Blend temple contour along outer cheekbones. Highlight jaw line.
Diamond: Narrow forehead and chin, wide cheekbones.
Contour this face shape along the outer corners of the cheekbones. Blend out towards the hair line. Highlight the sides of your forehead and jaw.
These techniques should enhance the overall look of your makeup. Don't forget to blend, blending is key to all makeup applications. No harsh lines should be visible. Sometimes your face may have a combination of some of the basic shapes. Combine the techniques for those shapes. Practice makes perfect, see what works for your face shape. Have fun!
About the Author
Angelica Vargas is a certified free lance makeup artist. She resides in New York City. www.myspace.com/makeupbyangelicav , www.facebook.com/beautifiedyou
How To: Contour/Bronzer, Blush, Highlight
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