Show Us Your Contouring Skills

We got five make-up artists to reveal their secret to achieving a chiselled face. Bookmark this page—these techniques will come in hella handy!

- Meghna Sharma

CHANDNI SINGH

The Dot Technique

“This is a great technique for those who find it difficult to draw precise lines on the forehead, under the cheekbones, and on the jawline. By drawing dots all over your face, you basically map out the areas where you need to contour and highlight. Don’t go by the amount of product I have on my face—I have used more than required to demonstrate what colour to use where and how it helps in lifting the face. Remember, while applying make-up, less is always more.

The key lies in using a contour stick or foundation that’s two to three shades darker, and a highlighter two to three shades lighter, than your skin colour. If you have a contour + highlight stick, then dot the edges of the forehead, jawline, under the cheeks, and on the sides of the nose and neck with the darker shade, and use the lighter shade under the eyes, on the chin, forehead, and neck as shown in the photograph. If you are using a liquid foundation, you can use a dome-shaped brush to create the dotted effect.

Now, take an angled foundation brush and start blending the darker dots in an outward motion. And then, use an angled concealer brush on the highlighted area to blend it out. (Remember, blending is crucial here or you could end up with a disaster!) You can use a small eyeshadow brush to blend the nose contour and highlight. The highlight and contour points of the lid are very important, as they make your eyes pop.