How to Choose Contour Makeup for Your Skin Tone | Makeup.com by L'Oréal (2024)

If you’re going for a full glam makeup look, highlighting and contouring are key parts of achieving a flawless base. But with so many sculpting shades and products to choose from, it can be tricky to find the right match for you. Here, we break down the differences between cream and powder highlight and contour, how to find the best shades for your skin tone and the brushes you need for the most chiseled effect.

When in Doubt, Go Gray

Repeat after us: I shall not contour with shimmery bronzer. Because your contour is supposed to look like a shadow, matte products with a gray undertone work well for most skin tones — simply choose one that’s two shades darker than your skin. While these gray contouring colors may look flat in the pan, they add dimension to the face in a natural way when applied under the cheekbones, along the sides of the nose and jawline. If you have deeper skin, you’ll want to avoid this tip altogether, though, to ensure that your contour doesn’t appear dull or ashy.

Blush Is Absolutely Key to Making Your Contour Pop

Adding a pop of blush to the apples of the cheeks is a great way to add color and soften your overall contoured look. The easiest way to do this is to smile and apply blush where you see your cheek becomes the most round — that’s considered your apple. The Maybelline New York Cheek Heat Gel-Cream Blush will get the job done in no time and is one of our go-tos for adding color to the face.

Good Contour Brushes Are an Investment

Although this step has nothing to do with color selection, it’s important to mention. Using quality brushes that blend well is essential to contouring because blending is the most important part of the process. When working with powder, natural brushes are best as the hairs have cuticles that absorb and release powder easily and accurately. Apply your contouring powder onto the hollow of the cheeks and blend until you see definition, not streaks — we love the IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Sculpt & Define Blush Brush #25 for this.

Photo: Melissa San Vicente-Landestoy

How to Choose Contour Makeup for Your Skin Tone   | Makeup.com by L'Oréal (2024)

FAQs

How to know what shade of contour to get? ›

To find the right contour colours for your skin tone, take help from your foundation shade. While picking a contour shade, keep in mind that the colour should be at least two shades darker than your foundation to create the necessary shadows. But be wary of going too dark as it will end up looking harsh and patchy.

Which contour is best for my skin tone? ›

Skin Tones Aren't One-Size-Fits-All

Baribeau suggests that “if you have fair to medium skin, think of neutrals, taupes, and contour shades that lean on the cooler side. For more tan/olive complexions, you can tend to go a little more golden, as these tones naturally have more warmth in the skin.

What colour is best for contour? ›

Make sure you test multiple colors on your skin until you figure out which shade works best with your skin tone. For highlighting, pick a powder that is one to two shades lighter than your foundation, and for contouring go with a powder that's one to two shades darker.

How to pick makeup for your skin tone? ›

How To Match Makeup To Your Skin Tone As The Seasons Change
  1. Identify Your Skin Tone By Brand. ...
  2. Determine Your Undertone. ...
  3. Patch Test Foundation On Your Best Spot. ...
  4. Match Your Concealer By Brand. ...
  5. Opt For Translucent Powder Over Pigmented Pressed Powders.
Oct 29, 2021

Is cream or powder contour better for mature skin? ›

Cream contours offer more precision and a dewy finish, suitable for dry or mature skin, while powder contours provide a matte finish and are ideal for oily or combination skin types.

How do I know my concealer and contour shade? ›

Concealer to highlight and contour

If using concealer to highlight your facial features, apply a concealer that is 2 shades lighter than your natural skin tone. To contour, sculpt and add definition, apply a concealer that is 1 shade darker than your natural skin tone.

What is the best contour for mature skin? ›

Best Contour Makeup for Mature Skin

Erin finds that cream or gel contour products are best for mature skin. In general, powders and some liquids are less forgiving, and they can sometimes settle into fine lines. So, if you are new to the contour game, we recommend starting with a cream or gel stick.

What is the most popular contour? ›

The 9 Best Contour Sticks That Sculpt And Define Features
  • Best Contour Stick Overall: Fenty Match Stix Contour Skinstick.
  • Best Drugstore Contour Stick: NYX Wonder Stick.
  • Best Luxury Contour Stick: Westman Atelier Face Trace.
  • Best Contour Stick For Beginners: Rare Beauty Warm Wishes.
Jan 23, 2024

Do you use foundation or powder for contour? ›

Really, it depends on your skin type, and how sharp you want your cheekbones to be. 'A cream contour is better for someone with a normal to dry complexion and a powder contour is better for someone with a normal to oily complexion,' says Findlay.

What is the color code for contour lines? ›

The typical colour for topographic maps depicts contours in brown, bodies of water in blue, boundaries in black, and grids and roads in red. Topographic maps may use different colours to represent area features. Most topographic maps will use green for vegetation or national parks and wildlife management areas.

How do I contour my face? ›

Contouring Makeup for Beginners
  1. Step 1: Draw “3” shapes. Using a concealer one shade deeper than your skin tone (a subtle difference tends to be better for beginners), draw your contour in the shape of a 3 on each side of your face. ...
  2. Step 2: Blend out your contour. ...
  3. Step 3: Add your highlighter.
Feb 19, 2024

What color is my skin tone? ›

Hold a white t-shirt up to your skin. If your skin looks a bit rosy next to it, you're likely to be cool toned. If your face looks more yellow, you're likely to be warm toned. If you don't see a change, you're probably neutral.

What color matches my skin tone? ›

There are several hues that work well with different skin undertones. Warm-toned individuals should opt for earthy colours such as amber and beige, or pastel shades like peach and lavender. Cool-toned individuals look stunning in jewel tones like emerald and ruby, or blush and pink undertones.

How do you know your skin tone is warm or cool? ›

Take a look at the veins on the inside of your wrist. Do they appear more blue or green? If your veins appear more blue, you're cool-toned but if you see more green, you're warm-toned. If you see a fair amount of both both green and blue, you have a neutral undertone.

Should contour be darker than concealer? ›

You'll need one concealer in a lighter shade to highlight and a darker shade to contour. When choosing your concealers, look for one that's two shades lighter than your skin tone, and another that's two shades darker than your skin tone.

How do you know how do you contour your face? ›

Begin by sucking in your cheeks just slightly to identify where the hollows of your cheeks are. Once you find that line, lightly apply contour in that area on both sides of the face. “Softening the temples and the jawline with contour is a great area for placement,” Hurkman says.

How many shades lighter should contour be? ›

Although this should be at least two shades darker than your base, you'll want the contouring concealer to contain the same undertones as your own—whether that's cool, warm, or neutral. This helps the formula to blend in with your natural skin tone or foundation, giving you a more seamless look.

Am I cool or warm toned? ›

Take a look at the veins on the inside of your wrist. Do they appear more blue or green? If your veins appear more blue, you're cool-toned but if you see more green, you're warm-toned. If you see a fair amount of both both green and blue, you have a neutral undertone.

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