20 GAME-CHANGERS
TO CONTOUR LIKE A PRO
Up till now, contouring has been all about the chin and cheekbones. But what if you could also contour your eyes and lips as well? The next generation of makeup lets you add definition to just about any part of your face. Here are 20 products to help you take your contour game to the next level.
LET YOUR EYES POP
Once upon a time, eyeshadows were only sold in single color pans. Or 3-color palettes of coordinating (but highly similar) shades. But no longer! Nowadays, twelve to sixteen shades are de rigueur. This means that shade ranges are now so wide that you can effectively contour your eyes as well.
Just check out 1 Too Faced Glitter Bomb Prismatic Glitter Palette , with its bone-white Brightening Base and its jet black Intensifying Base shades. Or 2 By Terry Eye Designer Palette in Smoky Nude, which offers everything the whole gamut from pale lilacs to smoky greys. For an injection of color, you can't beat 3 TheBalm Meet Matt(E) Shmaker Palette with its fun range of range of preppy shades.
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Prefer a matte look? 4 Tarte Tarteist Pro To Go Amazonian Clay Palette delivers in both pigment and staying power, while 5 Smashbox Cover Shot Eye Palette in Matte lets you go stay neutral or go full out with pale highlights and a charcoal so black it could double as eyeliner. Offering a range of pale-to-black shades lets you define your eyes any way you choose and gives you an even bigger variety of looks. So whether you're heading to the office or vamping out for Halloween, you're bound to look gorgeous. |
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MAKE YOUR POUT STAND OUT
Ever heard of the gradient lip? This new trick is all the range this year in Korean makeup tutorials (if you don't believe us, check out the YouTube videos). The key is to start with a darker shade at the center, and then let it fade to a lighter shade as it moves towards the outside edge of your lips. This makes your lips look just-bitten, or like you've just eaten a cherry popsicle.
Get the look with a duo-tone lipstick like 1 Benefit They're Real Double The Lip or 2 Laneige Two Tone Lip Bar, which lets you create the gradient in one easy swipe. Prefer to use your regular lipstick? Start with a dewy, translucent lipstick like 3 Jill Stuart Lip Blossom and then add a drop of solid pigment to the inside edges with 4 Givenchy Le Rouge Liquide. Blend and you're ready to go!
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A third way to achieve the look is to apply a lip liner to the inside edge of your lips, then slowly tap the color outwards with a finger. Blur any hard lines with a Q-tip, so that the color fades gracefully at the edges. We like 5 NARS Velvet Lip Liner because it's buttery smooth. Of course, the traditional way of applying lip liner to the outer edges of your lip is always on the table, especially if you're looking to plump up the shape of your lips. Either way, using two shades as opposed to one is the quickest way to hop on the contoured lip trend. |
PUT ON A 3D FLUSH
If you want your blush to look totally newsworthy, why should it all be one color? The latest trend is to blend two shades of blush together to create a more three-dimensional flush. Some of our favorites even include highlighter so you can have it all in one palette. Here are the best ways to get the look.
1 YSL Baby Doll Kiss & Blush Duo Stick gives you two bold shades with one swipe - one light and one dark. To get the perfect blush contour, angle it so that the darker shade is applied along the underside of your cheek, and the lighter side along the top. If you prefer your blush in powder form, try 4 NARS Dual Intensity Blush or 5 Clarins Blush Prodige Illuminating Cheek Color - both also come in contour-ready shades.
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Want even more shades to choose from? 2 Jill Stuart Mixblush Compact More Colors is packaged like a gem and offers up a selection of colors you can either apply individually or mixed together for a more customized shade. 3 Guerlain Meteorites My Palette is the latest addition to the famous Meteorites family and features a jaw-droppingly gorgeous palette that contains blush, highlighter, and light-revealing powder to make your complexion looked airbrushed. |
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GET A CHISELLED FACE
If you're ready to up your game, try these trendsetting contour palettes on for size. The new generation of contour palettes doesn't assume that one shade fits all. If you're into powder, try 2 Tarte Park Ave Princess Chisel Palette or 1 Bareminerals Barepro Contour Face Shaping Powder Trio. The former contains 6 shades in a magnetic pan including both shimmery and matte colors, while the latter is travel-size and ready to accompany you on your next vacay. Prefer a creamy, long-lasting formula? 3 Make Up For Ever Pro Sculpting Palette 4 In 1 Face Contouring Palette lets you blend with your fingers for an even silkier finish.
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Don't forget to finish off with a dusting of highlighter. We like 5 Urban Decay Afterglow Highlight Palette because it delivers the perfect soft-focus glow, and 4 TheBalm The Manizer Sisters for its finely-milled, super wearable shades. And remember: when contouring, less is more. Pick just one part of your face to play up, and you'll look stunning and unique. |
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