Discover the art of contouring - a makeup technique without which your makeup look won’t come together as it should. It allows makeup artists to enhance and define their clients’ features by playing with light and dark. Contouring gives dimensions to the face and even the body which is essential especially when the model or client is moving around in a highly contrasting light environment or if they have to be on camera with lots of light directed at their face. Middle Eastern people are known for their sharp features, almond eyes, beautiful noses and high cheekbones, contouring for them is a powerful tool to enhance their natural beauty.
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But what should you do correctly to achieve a perfectly sculpted face? Learn the key steps and expert tips for achieving a perfectly sculpted face that stands out, particularly in high-contrast light environments or when facing the camera.
Foundation Mastery for Middle Eastern Skin:
Ensure a flawless base starting with a cleansed, well-moisturised and primed skin to ensure the products you put on top go smoothly. Match your foundation shade to your natural skin tone, it’s important because the dark and light contour shades will be picked accordingly as well. It's essential to maintain the natural warmth of Middle Eastern skin.
The Dynamics of Dark Contour Shades:
Next comes the exciting part, adding light and dark to bring dimension to the face. There’s a misconception, and people usually refer only to dark shadows as contour, when in fact, it’s the highlights (matte) along with the dark shadows that make up the entire technique of contouring. So, where do the dark shadow parts go?
Under The Cheekbones
Middle Eastern faces often have high cheekbones. Locate the hollow space on the underside of your cheekbones; to do so, you may use a makeup brush or a writing pen. This is where you add dark shadow to contour cheekbones. As a rule of thumb, it starts at the top of your ear and goes straight towards the edge of your mouth but not all the way to the mouth.
Sides of Nose
Middle Eastern noses are often prominent and well-defined. To add definition use a contour shade that is slightly lighter than the contour of your face. Start at the sides of the nose on the inner part of the eye area and go all the way down towards the tip of the nose. Blend to remove any harsh edges.
Under the Jawline:
Another common mistake people make while contouring the jawline is applying it above the bone. Instead, when contouring the jawline make sure you put the product under the jaw bone and blend it down slightly coming on the neck. This adds definition to the face and also helps receding any loose skin.
Enhance Socket Bones
Middle Eastern women have naturally beautiful almond-shaped eyes. Their socket bones are already prominent, and with just a little bit of contour shade, they can be made more attractive. Locate the eye socket in the hollows under the brow bones and apply your contour shade there.
Add Light or Highlight Shade
The highlight points are where you add the lighter shade to bring in light. This lighter shade together with the dark contour shade, will give you a completely contoured face.
Middle Eastern women are mostly warm or neutral-toned. Keeping that in mind their highlight shade should lean more towards a warmer undertone. You can either use a powder highlight – matte or a cream concealer for that purpose.
Apply the highlight shade under the eyes all the way to the high points of your cheeks. This colour also goes on the bridge of the nose and inner corners of the eyes, in the centre of the forehead and chin as well. You may also accentuate cheekbone contour by applying the highlight shade directly under the contour shade making it crispier and stronger.
Unlock the secrets to perfect contouring with these comprehensive tips and tricks. Tailor the application to your unique features, allowing your makeup to highlight, not alter, your natural beauty.
Remember, makeup is a form of self-expression—feel empowered to experiment and find what works best for your individual beauty.
