Hello ladies! Today I am going to be sharing the second part of 3 in my little contouring series. Please remember I am not an MUA, Pro or specially training. I’m simply a makeup lover who has trialled and error-ed her way through YouTube tutorials and a bunch of bronzers, and now I want to share my tips and methods.
2. Light and Natural Contouring
When I first started writing this up I thought about how I lightly contour and I was sure I would only be writing about cream products, but I have two methods, one that should perhaps have been in the first post (quick contouring) but anyhoo.
I like to lightly contour is when I’m going for a minimal makeup look or I just want to bronze up my skin and achieve a very natural look. I’m always amazed by how realist contouring with creams can appear and I enjoy that effortless makeup look too. I was always a little unsure about cream products, perhaps because I didn’t know the best way to apply them but I’m pleased to say I love me some cream bronzer!
How:
- I like using my fingers, the E.L.F angled contour brush or the E.L.F small stippling brush
- I dab on the cream bronzer along my cheekbones, the temples of my forehead and a little along my jawline. Don’t be worried if it looks too harsh against your skintone because cream products blend in a lot easier than powder and with the right brush or sponge you can blend it to the exact intensity you’d prefer.
- I then take a larger stippling brush (the e.l.f one) and blend out the cream bronzer to my hearts content! Sometime I will blend the cream bronzer in a wider area around my cheek giving it that sunkissed look and then go in again with a second layer of the cream product, concentrating it on where a shadow would fall (the hollows of the cheekbones) and adding a bit more of a sculpt to this still very natural looking contour.
The best thing about using a cream rather than a powder is how natural the warmth on the face looks. Powders can look very harsh and obvious, but a cream product blended in well with a duo-fibre brush or a damp sponge gives a stunning warmth to the face, and if you use a darker shade that leans to the cooler spectrum, it can add definition perfectly.
I USE AND RECOMMEND:
- Bourjois Bronzing Primer (£9.99): Firstly I should comment on the texture of this, it’s like a moose and quite funny to swatch because when you put your finger in the pot all the product wobbles haha. Colour wise one layer is a little too light for me, but two layers is the perfect soft contour as it dries to a medium subtle warm brown tone. Like I stated earlier I like to apply this with my fingers first in my cheekbone area and then go over my cheekbones with the E.L.F Angled Contour Brush which is the PERFECT size to trace out and define cheekbones!
The texture of this and the beautiful colour still makes the whole effect look very natural but it does make a lot of difference. I especially love using this product when I’m using a lighter base like my bourjois CC cream. This would be great for fair to light/medium skintones . I’d recommend google image searching this as you’ll be able to see how people use it add that natural warmth.
- E.L.F Contouring Blush & Bronzing Cream - St. Lucia (£3.95) : I ADORE this cream duo! The contour shade is quite dark when first applied but it dries to a slightly darker shade than the Bourjois bronzing primer. This one would be great for NC35+ but as I said it really can be blended in duo to its consistency. I love how it adds a wonderfully healthy warmth to the face as well as subtly contouring, and again I always use this with the E.L.F Angled Contour Bronzer to apply this as it is darker then the above and so needs a little more precision. I also love the blush with this, they compliment each other perfectly and I’d highly recommend anyone with a medium/olive skintone to pick this up next time they have an awesome sale, for less than £2 this is a total steal ^_^
The Second Way:
So the above is the main way I achieve a natural contour, however sometimes when I’m feeling very lazy or I’m in a rush but I want a little bit of definition I grab my Real Techniques Powder Brush and apply the Calvin Klein Bronzer in Sun Bathe (available HERE) which does have some shimmer but remember dusted lightly or the Rimmel Bronzing Compact Powder Medium Matte. Both of these are darker bronzers and I firstly dust one layer all over the cheekbones, jawline, forehead and a little on my nose. This gives that warmth and healthy appearance. I then concentrate the second sweep directly along the cheekbones which adds a little definition without a precise line along the cheek.
Those are my way to create a ‘natural contour’ if those two words can even be in a sentence at the same time! These ways are perfect for girls who want a very subtle but still pulled together look, who dislike that Kim K obvious structure and would rather have some warmth but not completely lose the definition! The cream method isn’t the quickest at first but once you get used to it, the process becomes effortless and the darker bronzer is a lazy girl’s best-friend! Tip: Stay far AWAY from orange-toned bronzers when using this method, ain’t nobody wanting to look like a cheese puff ._.
Stay tuned for my final contouring post - the full on contour coming soon! And if you missed my guide to how I contour quickly/day-to-day have a read right here. I hope this was somewhat helpful!
Thanks for reading!
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