What Is Contour Makeup? 

Contour makeup is used to emphasize or slightly alter the shape of your face. Strategic contouring can create the illusion of shadows to slim your nose, highlight your cheekbones or sculpt your jaw. It’s common to use contouring in conjunction with highlight makeup. Some products, such as Physicians Formula Bronze Booster Highlight & Contour Palette, include highlighters and contour-ready bronzers in one convenient package. 

When choosing contour makeup, you typically want to choose bronzers up to three shades darker than your natural skin tone or preferred foundation. You may want several shades in your makeup bag to create more natural and graduated shadowing. Switch to darker bronzers in summer when you’re more tanned and lighter shades if you’re paler during winter. 

How to Contour Your Face 

Face contouring may seem like an expert-level makeup technique, but it’s actually fairly simple. Start by applying foundation to your face to create an evenly toned base. Then, apply liquid or powder contour in the shape of the number three on the left side of your face. You’re essentially gliding color across your forehead before bringing it in along your cheekbones and then swooping along your jawline. 

Repeat the same process in a mirror image on the other side of your face. You may also want to contour your nose. Two lines drawn from the inner corners of your brows to either side of the tip of your nose will create the illusion of a smaller profile. You can also apply contour under the tip of your nose or under your chin to add angles and depth. 

Now it’s time to blend the lines into your foundation. If you’ve used liquid or cream-based contour makeup, a blending sponge or even your fingers will work best. For powdered contour makeup, pull out your favorite powder or blending brush. 

Bronzer vs. Contour 

The terms bronzer and contour are often used interchangeably, but they’re two different products. Bronzer should be used to add warmth to your final makeup look. This product is darker than your skin but often contains a bit of shimmer or sparkle that mimics a natural sun-kissed glow. Apply bronzer where the sun would hit you during an afternoon at the beach. 

Contour is used to create shadows and assist in sculpting. Contour makeup is usually matte and has cooler undertones.