5 Celebrity Make-Up Artists Show Us Their Contouring Techniques

We got five make-up artists to reveal their secret to achieving a chiselled face. Save this link—these techniques will come in hella handy!

28 October, 2020
5 Celebrity Make-Up Artists Show Us Their Contouring Techniques

We got five make-up artists to reveal their secret to achieving a chiselled face. Save this link—these techniques will come in hella handy!

1. Chandni Singh: The Dot
“This is a great technique for those who find it difficult to draw precise lines on the forehead, under the cheekbones, and on the jawline. By drawing dots all over your face, you basically map out the areas where you need to contour and highlight. Don’t go by the amount of product I have on my face—I have used more than required to demonstrate what colour to use where and how it helps in lifting the face. Remember, while applying make-up, less is always more. The key lies in using a contour stick or foundation that’s two to three shades darker, and a highlighter two to three shades lighter, than your skin colour. If you have a contour + highlight stick, then dot the edges of the forehead, jawline, under the cheeks, and on the sides of the nose and neck with the darker shade, and use the lighter shade under the eyes, on the chin, forehead, and neck as shown in the photograph. If you are using a liquid foundation, you can use a dome-shaped brush to create the dotted effect. Now, take an angled foundation brush and start blending the darker dots in an outward motion. And then, use an angled concealer brush on the highlighted area to blend it out. (Remember, blending is crucial here or you could end up with a disaster!) You can use a small eyeshadow brush to blend the nose contour and highlight. The highlight and contour points of the lid are very important, as they make your eyes pop. 
 I have used a mix of a medium-sized tapered brush and blush brush to blend the contour lines to make it feel more like a bronzing technique—it adds depth and dimension to the face. Also, taking this technique down till your neck ensures it appears slender. Some of my favourite products to contour are LA Girl Pro Conceal Palette in Beautiful Bronze, Huda Tantour in Shade Light, and Fenty Beauty Contour Stix in Truffle & Suede.” “Remember, blending is crucial here, or you could end up with a disaster!”
11. Chandni Singh: The Dot“This is a great technique for those who find it difficult to draw precise lines on the forehead, under the cheekbones, and on the jawline. By drawing dots all over your face, you basically map out the areas where you need to contour and highlight. Don’t go by the amount of product I have on my face—I have used more than required to demonstrate what colour to use where and how it helps in lifting the face. Remember, while applying make-up, less is always more. The key lies in using a contour stick or foundation that’s two to three shades darker, and a highlighter two to three shades lighter, than your skin colour. If you have a contour + highlight stick, then dot the edges of the forehead, jawline, under the cheeks, and on the sides of the nose and neck with the darker shade, and use the lighter shade under the eyes, on the chin, forehead, and neck as shown in the photograph. If you are using a liquid foundation, you can use a dome-shaped brush to create the dotted effect. Now, take an angled foundation brush and start blending the darker dots in an outward motion. And then, use an angled concealer brush on the highlighted area to blend it out. (Remember, blending is crucial here or you could end up with a disaster!) You can use a small eyeshadow brush to blend the nose contour and highlight. The highlight and contour points of the lid are very important, as they make your eyes pop. 
 I have used a mix of a medium-sized tapered brush and blush brush to blend the contour lines to make it feel more like a bronzing technique—it adds depth and dimension to the face. Also, taking this technique down till your neck ensures it appears slender. Some of my favourite products to contour are LA Girl Pro Conceal Palette in Beautiful Bronze, Huda Tantour in Shade Light, and Fenty Beauty Contour Stix in Truffle & Suede.” “Remember, blending is crucial here, or you could end up with a disaster!”
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2. Ashima Kapoor: 
The Traditional
“Considering that I have an oblong face, the areas that need to be contoured with a dark shade are the forehead, hollows of the cheeks, and the jawline. And the areas that need to be highlighted with a lighter colour are the centre of the forehead, the ridge of the nose, the tip of the chin, the cheekbone, and the area above the jawline. I use a contour and highlight stick for the same—they tend to have a creamy formula that is very easy to blend. Once you have drawn the rough lines as shown in the picture, blend the contour colour into the highlight area using either a foundation brush or a Beautyblender, creating an ombré effect. This makes the face appear more sculpted. I am not a fan of baking and prefer a creamy finish, but if you like a matte face, dust translucent powder with a fluffy brush to set the base.” “I use a contour-and-highlight stick because they tend to have a creamy formula.”
22. Ashima Kapoor: 
The Traditional“Considering that I have an oblong face, the areas that need to be contoured with a dark shade are the forehead, hollows of the cheeks, and the jawline. And the areas that need to be highlighted with a lighter colour are the centre of the forehead, the ridge of the nose, the tip of the chin, the cheekbone, and the area above the jawline. I use a contour and highlight stick for the same—they tend to have a creamy formula that is very easy to blend. Once you have drawn the rough lines as shown in the picture, blend the contour colour into the highlight area using either a foundation brush or a Beautyblender, creating an ombré effect. This makes the face appear more sculpted. I am not a fan of baking and prefer a creamy finish, but if you like a matte face, dust translucent powder with a fluffy brush to set the base.” “I use a contour-and-highlight stick because they tend to have a creamy formula.”
3. Manjari Singh: The Warrior Princess

”I find make-up extremely empowering, especially the contouring bit. It gives you the power to enhance your features by just drawing and blending. The technique I follow is big on highlighting the face (using a concealer), and I use thin contour lines to make my cheekbones appear chiselled and jawline sharper. It is fairly simple! I use a concealer (about three to four shades lighter than my skin tone) and swipe it on the high points of my face—middle of the forehead, under my eyes, over the Cupid’s bow, and on the centre of my chin—using thin lines, almost in warrior-esque strokes. Then I use a dark contour stick to line my nose, cheekbones, and jawline. I blend it all using my favourite tool, the Beautyblender, and bake it with loose powder for about 10 minutes to seal the products in. I dust off the extra powder using a fluffy brush to reveal a flawless face.” “I find make-up extremely empowering, especially the contouring bit.”
33. Manjari Singh: The Warrior Princess
”I find make-up extremely empowering, especially the contouring bit. It gives you the power to enhance your features by just drawing and blending. The technique I follow is big on highlighting the face (using a concealer), and I use thin contour lines to make my cheekbones appear chiselled and jawline sharper. It is fairly simple! I use a concealer (about three to four shades lighter than my skin tone) and swipe it on the high points of my face—middle of the forehead, under my eyes, over the Cupid’s bow, and on the centre of my chin—using thin lines, almost in warrior-esque strokes. Then I use a dark contour stick to line my nose, cheekbones, and jawline. I blend it all using my favourite tool, the Beautyblender, and bake it with loose powder for about 10 minutes to seal the products in. I dust off the extra powder using a fluffy brush to reveal a flawless face.” “I find make-up extremely empowering, especially the contouring bit.”
4. Pooja Khurana: The Shape-Shifting
“My face is oblong, and through contouring and highlighting, I work on balancing it into an oval shape. To minimise the length of my face, I mark my forehead and chin with the darker shade. On my cheekbones, I dab just a bit of contour—ensuring I don’t go too far down the centre as it adds more length. While blending, I smile and swirl the brush in an upward, circular motion from the apples of my cheeks to the top of my ears (making a tick mark), lifting the contour to avoid making my cheekbones appear as if they are dropping lower. Next, I contour the tip and edges of my nose, but avoid going all the way up, as my nose gets quite narrow towards the eyebrows. As my eyes are slightly ‘down turned’, I contour just the upper lids to create a crease. For a more natural, 3D finish, and to make the high points of my face pop, I highlight the centre areas (as seen in the picture). I apply highlighter under my eyes, and lift it up towards the tragus of my ears—this lifts my eyes and make them appear fresh. I also apply highlighter on the tip of my chin, above the Cupid’s bow, and underneath the contour applied along the cheekbones, to mimic 
natural definition!” “My face is oblong, and through contouring and highlighting, I work on balancing it into an oval shape.”
44. Pooja Khurana: The Shape-Shifting“My face is oblong, and through contouring and highlighting, I work on balancing it into an oval shape. To minimise the length of my face, I mark my forehead and chin with the darker shade. On my cheekbones, I dab just a bit of contour—ensuring I don’t go too far down the centre as it adds more length. While blending, I smile and swirl the brush in an upward, circular motion from the apples of my cheeks to the top of my ears (making a tick mark), lifting the contour to avoid making my cheekbones appear as if they are dropping lower. Next, I contour the tip and edges of my nose, but avoid going all the way up, as my nose gets quite narrow towards the eyebrows. As my eyes are slightly ‘down turned’, I contour just the upper lids to create a crease. For a more natural, 3D finish, and to make the high points of my face pop, I highlight the centre areas (as seen in the picture). I apply highlighter under my eyes, and lift it up towards the tragus of my ears—this lifts my eyes and make them appear fresh. I also apply highlighter on the tip of my chin, above the Cupid’s bow, and underneath the contour applied along the cheekbones, to mimic 
natural definition!” “My face is oblong, and through contouring and highlighting, I work on balancing it into an oval shape.”
5. Umang Vanshika: The Sculpt and Conquer Technique
“My go-to technique to contour my face has always been to draw around the periphery of my forehead, cheeks, and under my jawline with a foundation stick (at least four to five shades darker than my skin tone). I like to push all my features ‘in’, and cast a slight shadow because I have a broad forehead and fuller cheeks. I then use a concealer two to three shades lighter than my skin tone in the centre of my face to bring it forward and highlight my features and bone structure. Once I have marked out the contour-and-highlight areas on my face, I take a big, fluffy stippling brush to buff the product and melt everything into my skin with careful strokes. Finally, I set it with some loose setting powder and add a hint of glow with a make-up fixing spray.” “I like to push all my features ‘in’ and cast a slight shadow because 
I have a broad forehead and fuller cheeks.”
55. Umang Vanshika: The Sculpt and Conquer Technique“My go-to technique to contour my face has always been to draw around the periphery of my forehead, cheeks, and under my jawline with a foundation stick (at least four to five shades darker than my skin tone). I like to push all my features ‘in’, and cast a slight shadow because I have a broad forehead and fuller cheeks. I then use a concealer two to three shades lighter than my skin tone in the centre of my face to bring it forward and highlight my features and bone structure. Once I have marked out the contour-and-highlight areas on my face, I take a big, fluffy stippling brush to buff the product and melt everything into my skin with careful strokes. Finally, I set it with some loose setting powder and add a hint of glow with a make-up fixing spray.” “I like to push all my features ‘in’ and cast a slight shadow because 
I have a broad forehead and fuller cheeks.”
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