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May 10, 2024

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If you're new to face contouring, there are plenty of techniques to familiarize yourself with as you aim to highlight the best features of your face. From cream sticks to powders, contouring makeup

If you're new to face contouring, there are plenty of techniques to familiarize yourself with as you aim to highlight the best features of your face. From cream sticks to powders, contouring makeup can help you create the look you desire. However, knowing how to use these products correctly is essential to nailing your ideal look. Whether you want to highlight your jawline or make your cheekbones shine, understanding proper application techniques is essential.

Much of contouring is based on the idea that when you use base makeup, such as foundation or BB cream, your appearance becomes flat. In turn, you can end up with a one-dimensional look that doesn't pop like you expect. Contouring helps you define the natural shadows that fall on your face, such as those beneath your cheekbones. The jawline, sides of the nose, and brow bones are other areas that are typically targeted while contouring.

However, creating the appearance you want isn't just about having the right makeup and tools on hand. Depending on the formulas of the products you're using, a little warmth may go a long way in terms of application. One TikTok influencer has earned over two million likes upon proving it with her own contour stick in a video.

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In a video uploaded by makeup artist Katie Farhood on TikTok, the benefits of warming up a contour product before application are demonstrated. As the content creator shows, blending contour makeup endlessly with a brush typically doesn't work. Not only does it create an uneven appearance, but it can potentially ruin the foundation you put effort into creating. To skirt disaster, Farhood shows in her video that all you have to do is warm up your contour sticks.

In the clip, Farhood runs her contour stick over an area of her hand a few times to help it pick up her body heat. Once it's been warmed up, she lightly spritzes a makeup brush with a mystery product, though as Cover FX explains, this may be setting spray to help the contour better adhere. She then rubs the brush onto the contour product that she rubbed on her hand. To apply it, Farhood gently taps it underneath her cheek and notes that she's using a "tap and drag" method in the video to apply the contour makeup exactly where she wants, before adding blush in the same way.

To blend, all you need to do is grab your sponge and let it go to work. However, you'll likely notice that you don't need to put nearly as much elbow grease into it — the makeup should be smooth and easy to tweak as necessary, thanks to the warmth from your skin.

Even if you've been contouring for ages, there's no harm in altering your technique, especially if it can save you time and effort. In addition to adding a bit of warmth to your contour sticks before application, there are a couple of other tricks you might want to try. First, keep in mind that the type of makeup you use should be based on your skin's needs. For instance, oily skin may do better with a powder contour product, while dry skin can benefit from a cream formula, per Trinny London.

Next, remember that it's always best to use a light hand when it comes time to apply your makeup. Having a light touch while using your makeup brush can help you ensure that the end result looks more natural. This approach is also more forgiving while you're sculpting.

Finally, don't skip your highlighter. Using a highlighter on areas such as your cheekbones and brow bones can help you emphasize the shadows you deepened in other parts of your face with your contour. Finish it off with a setting spray or powder, and you're ready to turn heads.