5 Reasons Your Contour Looks Tragic

Unless you're photographed every time you walk your dog, you don't need a super-pronounced contouring roadmap drawn on your face. While shading your nose, hairline, and jaw creates a smooth look for photos, up close, the effect is more like what you see here (aka dark streaks that border on Halloween makeup). "In real life, you can see those harsh lines," says makeup artist Vincent Oquendo. "It looks weird — they make your nose look like it's behind bars." So, to avoid these telltale signs, give your schnoz a get-out-of-jail-free card and stick to a subtle cheekbone contour.

If you're tempted to make your bronzer moonlight as a contouring powder, you've been warned: There will be a not-so-pretty result. Bronzer and contour powders really are two different products — and that's not just marketing spin. Bronzers warm up your skin, often with terra cotta or orange tones, and you brush them where the sun would naturally hit, at the on top of your cheekbones. Contouring products create the illusion of depth below the cheekbones using cool tones. So bite the bullet and buy a shade specifically whipped up for contouring to make sure your end result looks natural.

It's true that highlighting and contouring go hand in hand. A touch of highlighter at the top of your cheekbones can help them pop, while contouring has the opposite goal: to create a contrast and shadow in the hollows of your cheek. But any time you apply shimmery powder, you have to be conservative, since highlighter draws attention to every area you brush it on. Overdo the shimmer, and you'll lose the shadow you're trying to fake. The solution? "Stick to a matte powder for the contour, and don't bring the highlight too low or too forward," Oquendo says.

"If your foundation, tinted moisturizer, lotion — whatever you have on your skin — is too emollient, the contouring powder will catch on it," Oquendo warns. At best, you'll end up with a slightly uneven application. The worst-case scenario is visible here: See all those patches and streaks? Because these can't be blended out, it's best to run interference before you contour. To eliminate excess moisture from the get-go, press a dry tissue on each cheek or brush on transparent powder to set your base.

"Often women pick too deep a contour because they think it's a one-size-fits all product, like a clear brow gel," Oquendo says. "But the shade needs to be tailored to your skin tone. If you look in the mirror, and you can see it — meaning the color is too attention-grabbing — it's too dark." The safe strategy: Always go for the softer shade that's more likely to blend right into your skin. After all, your contour should be subtle and natural-looking.

The secret to contouring perfection? It's all in the way you apply it, and thanks to the V-shaped brush that comes with L'Oréal Paris Infallible Pro Contour Palette, swiping on highlighter and contour just got a whole lot easier.

How to apply it: Dip the V-shaped brush into the two-tone product (the highlighter is positioned above the contour powder). Next, position the brush (with the highlighter on top) below and slightly in front of your temple, and swoop the brush down in a curve, so it hugs your cheekbone. Don't swipe too far down: "Contouring too low can make you look like you're sporting a 5 o'clock shadow," Oquendo warns. Finally, using only the contouring end of the brush, blend the contour a tad further under your cheekbone, stopping just before you hit the hollows of your cheek. Voilà, you just nailed contouring.