Start by contouring with bronzer as your base, paying attention to the hollows of your cheeks, jawline, and hairline. Then flush your cheekbones with blush just above the bronzer to finish.
Where to Apply Bronzer. A bronzer looks best when applied lightly to all of the spots where the sun naturally shines, including the temples, cheeks, nose, and chin. Some makeup artists also like to brush a bit onto the eyelids if the eye makeup is going to be light.
No, bronzer is meant to be put in specific areas to give a glow. Using it all over will look fake and weird, trust me I tried it. And your skin tone is lovely, embrace it!
The intention behind bronzer is to add warmth and color to the face. If applied correctly, you'll look like you spent just the right amount of time in the sun (wearing SPF 30 or more of course). Contouring is all about adding dimension to the face by sculpting the features and enhancing your face shape.
Regardless of what type of makeup product you choose to contour with, you should really only go one or two shades darker than your skin tone—otherwise, the end result won't look natural.
Contouring makeup is usually applied after foundation and concealer. Cream, liquid, and stick contours can be applied directly on top of foundation and then blended out for a seamless finish.
Therefore, it's extremely important to know where to apply contour and highlighter and to only apply it in those areas. Contour should be applied on the sides of your nose, under your cheekbones, around the top of your forehead, and the bottom of your chin and jawline.
To apply makeup to dark skin, apply a light foundation shade to the lighter parts of your face and a dark foundation shade to the darker parts of your face. Then, blend the shades together where they meet to get a natural, flawless look.
An easy way to remember the right order is to separate your products into two separate routines. Moisturizer (or sunscreen) should always be the last step in your skin care routine. Primer should always be the first step in your makeup routine.
The result: plump, glowy skin, Lee says. On a makeup-related note, toner is like a primer for the rest of your skin-care routine like serums and moisturizer, New York-based dermatologist Arielle Kauvar tells Allure.
Primer is the first step of your makeup routine and it should be applied after moisturizer. Applying moisturizer first hydrates the skin and prepares it for makeup application. The first step in any beauty routine is making sure your skin is clean and well prepared for the makeup.
If you have a light brown skin tone and you are looking to achieve a natural makeup look then using a rose-pinkish blush is the best option. If you have used darker undertones then going with peach blush and spineless apricot will boost your skin shine.
Using a shade that is too dark.
“One of the big mistakes women often make with contouring is that they use a shade that is too dark, which looks dirty on their skin rather than looking like shading or shaping of their face,” says Susan Posnick, makeup artist and founder of Susan Posnick Cosmetics.
BASIC STEPS IN HOW TO CONTOUR
This is where we blend; using your fingers, blend the line upwards. If you blend down, you will lose the height of your cheekbone and your face will look muddy. Blend the contour colour into the hairline. This will help give your skin a healthy glow and disguise a large or flat forehead.
The most common areas on the face to contour are your cheekbones, forehead, nose, jawline, even the chin. No matter your face shape, contouring is something you can utilize to enhance, define, or even recede your own facial features, yet it's certainly not necessary to do every single day.
Contouring and the bare-faced trend can co-exist—the trick is using sheer, tinted skincare instead of shimmery bronzers and highlighters. The real key to getting this no-makeup look is working with a shade that's close to your natural skin tone.
Step #1: Contour Your Cheekbones
Contouring goes hand-in-hand with baking powder makeup. After your face is baked, you'll want to sculpt your cheekbones to perfection. Since you've already applied powder, follow suit with a contour or bronzing powder to avoid ruining your makeup look.