MAC make-up artist, Emma Cox, reveals how to achieve the contoured look, every day…
As a make-up artist, I’m asked at least twenty times a day how to achieve a Kim Kardashian contour look, with minimal effort: ‘Do we use concealer?’, ‘Do we use bronzer?’, ‘Creams or powders?’ or, ‘Can us normal ladies really achieve chiselled cheekbones, perfect face shapes and smaller noses in 5 minutes?’
The answer for the majority of us, is sadly, no. The technique Kim Kardashian’s make-up artist uses, is tailored for extreme lighting and cameras and looks slightly ridiculous in everyday life.
Go grey
But the great news is, quick, easy and foolproof products to contour and highlight are ready and available to everyone, hooray!
The first rule of contour, is not which products you use – that’s down to personal preference – but about getting the right tone for your skin. Ditch the bronzers and think GREY! Yes, grey.
Contour should look like a natural shadow on the face, and MAC ‘Omega’ or ‘Concrete’ eyeshadows, both £13, are amazing for creating that perfect chiselled cheekbone. Both are matte and small enough so you can only swipe a small amount onto the brush – making it much harder to build too much product and apply a ‘muddy stripe’ across the face! These are used by professional make-up artists for the catwalk. Another MAC failsafe product is, ‘Harmony’ matte blusher £18, which is easy to blend with a nice fluffy brush.
My all time favourite cream contour is Tom Ford’s ‘Shade and illuminate’ (£56, Selfridges). This is slightly more warm toned than the powders, but a dream to apply and comes with a exquisite highlighter too. All in a gorgeous, luxury compact, as you would expect from Mr. Ford.
Another cream must-have has come from brow expert Anastasia Beverley Hills, a palette of 3 contours and 3 highlighters, a little daunting for a novice but perfect for finding your exact colour and a favourite of all beauty bloggers and make up artists, £45 available in the UK from www.cultbeauty.co.uk.
The first rule of contour, is not which products you use – that’s down to personal preference – but about getting the right tone for your skin. Ditch the bronzers and think GREY! Yes, grey.
Contour should look like a natural shadow on the face, and MAC ‘Omega’ or ‘Concrete’ eyeshadows, both £13, are amazing for creating that perfect chiselled cheekbone. Both are matte and small enough so you can only swipe a small amount onto the brush – making it much harder to build too much product and apply a ‘muddy stripe’ across the face! These are used by professional make-up artists for the catwalk. Another MAC failsafe product is, ‘Harmony’ matte blusher £18, which is easy to blend with a nice fluffy brush.
My all time favourite cream contour is Tom Ford’s ‘Shade and illuminate’ (£56, Selfridges). This is slightly more warm toned than the powders, but a dream to apply and comes with a exquisite highlighter too. All in a gorgeous, luxury compact, as you would expect from Mr. Ford.
Another cream must-have has come from brow expert Anastasia Beverley Hills, a palette of 3 contours and 3 highlighters, a little daunting for a novice but perfect for finding your exact colour and a favourite of all beauty bloggers and make up artists, £45 available in the UK from www.cultbeauty.co.uk.
Highlight
In my opinion, this simple part of a make-up application changes a face from amateur to pro in 30 seconds, you create luminous skin, high cheekbones, smooth eye area, a youthful glow that you will pay £££ for in moisturisers and facials.
My all time favourite highlighters are available from Becca, the ’Shimmering Skin Perfectors’ are two of my favourite ever products, ever. They come in cream for £28.50, or powder for £30 from Space NK. The creams are such a gentle illumination, no glitter and easy to blend with or without make up. The powders are more intense, but still so wearable and easy to work with. Opal is my favourite shade and Rose Gold for a darker skin tone, foolproof highlighting with a huge impact. The packaging is sleek and discreet and worth every penny.
My all time favourite highlighters are available from Becca, the ’Shimmering Skin Perfectors’ are two of my favourite ever products, ever. They come in cream for £28.50, or powder for £30 from Space NK. The creams are such a gentle illumination, no glitter and easy to blend with or without make up. The powders are more intense, but still so wearable and easy to work with. Opal is my favourite shade and Rose Gold for a darker skin tone, foolproof highlighting with a huge impact. The packaging is sleek and discreet and worth every penny.
Less is more
The only principle you need to remember when applying a contour or highlight is to highlight the features you would like to bring forward and contour the features you would like to push back.
Use a soft, fluffy brush, such as the MAC 224, and repeat to yourself, less is definitely more! Get yourself some hero products and sit in front of YouTube until you feel confident. It’s fun, I promise.
2014 is the year of the contour and highlight, A/W 14 is the time to get involved. Minimal make-up, sculpted faces, for every age, for everyone.
Use a soft, fluffy brush, such as the MAC 224, and repeat to yourself, less is definitely more! Get yourself some hero products and sit in front of YouTube until you feel confident. It’s fun, I promise.
2014 is the year of the contour and highlight, A/W 14 is the time to get involved. Minimal make-up, sculpted faces, for every age, for everyone.
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