June 5, 2013

The Art of Contouring Your Cheeks

Media Room At "Chime For Change: The Sound Of Change Live" ConcertNot all of us were blessed with supermodel cheekbones, but thanks to a little thing called contouring, you can totally fake it!

The endlessly gorgeous Freido Pinto is the perfect example for a little cheek contouring how-to. Sure, she has great cheekbones to begin with, but at the Chime For Change concert this weekend, she used makeup to accentuate them even more.

Contouring your cheeks should be done after you apply your foundation, concealer and eye makeup. It’s the final step of your makeup routine.

While you can use either cream or powder bronzer for contouring, I have found that a powder is easier to control and blend, so it’s best as you are learning the technique.

Chose a bronzer that is two shades darker than your natural skin colour, and also, be sure to use a non-shimmer bronzer, since the shimmer doesn’t blend well and makes the bronzer too obvious in the hollows of your cheeks. I love Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder, and the Bobbi Brown Bronzing Brush is the perfect applicator.

To find the correct place to apply the bronzer, make a fish face, and you’ll see that angled indentation below your cheek. Then follow that ‘line’ with the bronzer, starting by your ear and swiping down toward your chin.

After applying the bronzer (Start lightly! You can apply more if you need.) to both cheeks, then use a kabuki brush like Make Up For Ever HD Kabuki Brush to buff it and blend it in. You want the definition, but not the noticeable line.

Finally, apply blush to the apples of your cheeks. Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Colour gives a light wash of colour (no one wants clown cheeks), and Buxom True Hue Blush Brush helps control the application (you want to make sure you don’t get any blush onto your contouring line). Remember never use the same brush for bronzer and blush, as the colours will get muddied!

The result will be a more defined cheekbone and a more dramatic look that you’re sure to love.

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Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder
Bobbi Brown Bronzing Brush
Make Up For Ever HD Kabuki Brush
Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Colour
Buxom True Hue Blush Brush
Credit: Getty

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