Not blessed with Angelina Jolie’s sky-high cheekbones? Let’s all agree she’s a beautiful freak of nature while we fake our chiseled features with makeup. The beauty of 2019 is we’re entirely comfortable with the role makeup plays in contouring and shaping our face. We’re going to take you from the foundation straight to the setting spray for staying power in this guide to getting you supermodel chiseled cheekbones!
1. Skip the face map, follow your contours
You might have seen thousands of face maps on Pinterest and various blogs. These are the face drawings showing highlights and shadows on a face. Let’s get one thing clear. It’s not that complicated! These face maps are a general guideline where you should be placing the shadows and highlights on your face. You can follow your natural face structure to accomplish the same without following someone else’s facial structure.
2. Start with a base
If you’re contouring your cheeks, you’re likely going for a more made up look. This calls for a solid, buildable base. Ensure the formulas you’re using for contouring stay consistent, so if you use a creamy foundation, either choose a creamy shadow and highlighter or powder your face if opting for powder formulas.
3. Contour the lines
You’ll want to carve your cheeks out by sucking them in and shading directly under the high points. So, make that fish face and build on your product layer by layer in a line directly in the hollows. You’ll want to extend the line up to your temples and gently shade in to narrow the face and accentuate your cheekbones. Don’t make the shading too dark! Grab a fluffy brush and start blending out the edges, blending the product into the hairline.
4. Highlight!
You cannot skip this step if you want cheeks that pop. We recommend using powerful highlighting drops like CoverFX or a highlighter stick for maximum effect and control. Don’t spread it all over the place. Stick to one thin swipe at the highest point on the cheekbones.
5. Blend, blend, blend + seal
You can blend in some bronzer right above your shading and blend the edges, then use a little bit of blush and apply on your apples, above your bronzer and below your highlighter. Spray on makeup setting spray for staying power.
Pro tip:
You can contour with foundation. If you have a foundation two shades deeper than your regular foundation, swipe it on in your hollows before doing the above steps.
Contouring Favorites:
