Practical session: Contour and Highlight

Contouring and highlighting is an important step to take after base application. By contouring and highlighting the face, you are giving the face more dimension and depth. It will emphasise existing features or create the illusion of features e.g high cheek bones or slimmer face. 

Image from: kats-kreation-world.blogspot.com / Last accessed: 4th Nov 2013

Tools needed for contouring and highlighting:

Contour cream/Foundation 3 shades darker than skin tone

Cream highlighter 

Powder Bronzer and Highlighter 

Flathead brush

Angled brush

Blush brush 

1.  Load brush with contour cream

2. Swirl on the back of your hand to take away some intensity, make sure that you do not apply too much at once - you can always build up. 

3. Start by outlining the hairline

4. Tell the model to suck in her cheeks and continue just under the cheekbones. 

5. Sweep the brush under the jawline 

6. Blend well, add more product if needed. 

7. Load flathead brush with highlight cream or foundation that is 2-3 shades lighter than the natural skin tone. 

8. Follow the natural high points on the face: nose bridge, forehead, eyebrow bone, chin, cupids bow and cheekbones. Again, make sure you do not use too much product at once as the face might look greasy. 

9. Blend well, make sure there is no harsh lines. 

10. Load a large angled brush with bronzer and apply to where you applied contour cream. 

11. Load a clean angled brush with highlight powder, and retrace where you applied highlight cream. 

Note: You can use a small fluffy eyeshadow brush to reach into the corners of the eyes to give eyes more light and on the eyebrow bone, you will have more control this way.

By using both contour and highlight creams and powder, you are ensured to have a longer lasting effect.

I find the following image helpful in showing you the areas of contour and highlight: 

From: http://leadingladymakeup.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/contouring-diagram.jpg?w=540
Last Accessed: 8th November 2013

Recently, I have been very inspired by Rupaul's Drag Race: Season 5. 

Q. What is Rupaul's Drag Race? 

A. RuPaul's Drag Race is an American reality competition television series produced by   World of Wonder for Logo. RuPaul plays the roles of host, mentor, and source of inspiration for this series, which details RuPaul's search for "America's next drag superstar. 

In this show you will witness amazing transformations, as men transform into women using make-up, wigs and clothes and battle it out in a series of performing acts. 

My favourite Drag Queen from the show has to be Vivienne Pinay. 

 Drag makeup is all about contouring and highlighting, the perfect Drag Queen is able to completely change the shape of their face and create new features. 

In this case - feminine features. 

The amount of contouring and highlighting is extreme and looks amazing on camera. 

You can see the huge difference between the photo on the right and the photo below, trust me - its the same guy. 

>Images from Vivienne Pinay Facebook Page

I decided to challenge myself and have a go at extreme contouring: 

As you can see from the before and after pictures, I have attempted to slim down the face and nose and create a more profound cheekbone. I have also practiced covering the brows with the glue stick method. I feel that I should have blended better as there are prominent streaks on the side of his face which makes the overall image look more editorial. However, I feel that I have created a good base to work on top of, with the addition of eye makeup, eyebrows and wig, this could work!

Colour Theory and Contour

'Colour is the perceptual characteristic of light described by a colour name. Specifically, colour is light, and light is composed of many colours—those we can see are the colours of the visual spectrum: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.

Objects absorb certain wavelengths and reflect others back to the viewer. We perceive these reflected wavelengths as colour.'

My objectives this week are: 

1. TO SHOW AN UNDERSTANDING OF BASIC COLOUR THEORY IN RELATION TO MAKE UP ARTISTRY
2. TO DEMONSTRATE AN ABILITY IN THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF CONTOURING AND HIGHLIGHTING

During class, we focused on the use of complementary colours for colour contouring. complementary colours are colours that are opposite each other on the colour wheel:

For example: 

Purple & Yellow

Red & Green

Orange & Blue

During the practical, I used the colours blue and orange to contour the face: 

I used the Kryolan Aquacolour palette, for the first time. I did not like the consistency of the colours, it is very hard to blend. I would much rather have used powder makeup. When I tried blending the colours it would appear as a murky brown colour and was not attractive at all. I think the shapes that I have created are far too bold and abstract they don't do with the flow of her natural face structure and there is little gradient. Unfortunately, I also didn't have time to complete the look

As a result, I went home and practiced on myself, this time with powder makeup, something I am more experienced with. Here is the outcome: 

Sleek Palette Ultra Matte V1 730
Mac lipmix

I am happy with the outcome, I feel like the colours blend in well and the bold accents work by emphasising certain features like the eyes and cheekbones, adding more definition and dimension. I also feel that the asymmetrical aspects work and gives the overall look more edge. However, I would still like to improve on the blending on the eyes and nose and give it more of a clean feel. I need to learn to stop rushing and pay more attention to detail, for example, making sure the lines are crisp and clear. I feel like a pair of white eyelashes would further more complete the look, I could also extend the use of colours down the neck and onto my collar bone. 

When creating makeup looks, we need to consider four major colour spectrums: 

1.COMPLIMENTARY COLOUR

2.MONOCHROMATIC COLOUR

3.ANALOGOUS COLOUR

4.NEUTRAL COLOUR 

I have created four face charts representing each of these:

Note: I have drawn the faces freehand so excuse the asymmetrical-ness!

Neutral Colour

This look is a very romantic and soft look. The colour palette consists of warm nudes, browns and reds. There are no harsh edges to this look, the eyeshadow is very blended and subtle, keeping the eyes very light whilst the dark red lips gives a pop of colour, making it the main attraction. This look is inspired by the Elizabethans as this look is made up of very pale complexion, dark lips and light eyes. 

Complementary Colour

This is the complimentary colour look that I have come up with. It consists of very warm reds and oranges which collides with cool blues and greens. The Elizabethan aspects of this look would be the very rosy cheeks and dark lip. I feel that the warm reds reflect royalty and richness, whist the cool tones reflect the cruel aspect of the elizabethan age. It has an almost angry attitude.

Analogous Colour

This is the analogous colour look, I have used very cool tones. The eyebrows are fierce and I have chosen cool purples and pinks because those colours represented status in the Elizabethan Era because only those with a very high stature could wear these colours. I have also used cool tones to represent Queen Elizabeth's cold harsh appearance in order to be seen as a powerful leader who holds no mercy. 

Monochromatic colour 

This look is once again very soft, I have used warm red and pinks. The eyebrows are thick and droop a little, creating a sad emotion. The eyes are kept subtle and warm and paired with bold lips feathered out to create a softer gradient look. I feel this look will work with very pale almost white skin. The Elizabethan aspects originate from the very pale skin and overall rosy-ness of the look representing Queen Elizabeths weak feminine romantic side. The thick eyebrows and cheeks also represent youth.

The monochromatic colour is my favourite look, so I chose to recreate it: 

I feel that the look worked, it looks like a contemporary Elizabethan look, however, it also looks a little space-agey. I feel that the main improvement is the lips: the rest of the face is made up of cool pinks but the lips are more of a red, and does not match the intended ombre look. I feel that the lips should be a darker raspberry red, with the colour focused on the centre of the lips.