Contouring is one of the most important steps in makeup. Contouring will help your face to be more defined and sharper. If in the past, shading was only used for artists performing on stage, today, shading has become an indispensable makeup habit in many people’s daily lives. Let’s learn how to create the most standard block for beginners through the article below.
What is the effect of creating blocks?
Contouring is a small “trick” widely used in makeup with the purpose of highlighting important points on the face such as cheekbones or nose bridge, making the face appear slimmer and smaller. Or in professional terms , contouring is taking advantage of dark and light pastel colors that can create a highlight effect, making your face more beautiful and perfect.
Depending on the shape of the face, the structure of the five senses, there will be different ways of creating blocks .
For example, when contouring for a round face shape, you need to focus more on the cheekbones and jawline. This will help the face become slimmer, smaller than inherently.

Popular types of contouring products
There are three types of highlighters available on the market and the most widely used today: liquid highlighter, powder highlighter, and cream highlighter. Of these three types of highlighters, powder blush is the easiest to use. However, for dry skin, dry powder is not a smart choice. Meanwhile, cream-based powder is most appreciated for its ability to adapt to all skin types even though it is a bit difficult to apply. Some of the most popular types of contouring powders today can be mentioned as:
- City Color Contour Palette
- NYX Strobe Of Genius Illuminating
- 3CE Magic Touch Face Maker 1

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- How to make natural blush
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Tutorial on how to contour the face
So what are the steps to create the most standard block?
Step 1: Apply the background

The most basic step in makeup, which is the premise for a perfect makeup layer later, is foundation. Creating a smooth base layer will make your contouring easier and more perfect. Apply a primer before applying foundation to keep your skin color and look more natural. A small note, usually block powder is often dark in color, so your foundation should not be too dark compared to your skin.

Step 2: Choose the right contour product
The beauty of contouring depends a lot on whether the line of powder you choose to use is suitable for your skin and needs. Choosing the right powder will help catch the light better, so your face will also become more perfect. For example, using a cream-based powder will help you have a smoother and brighter skin. And if you need a durable, long-lasting foundation for a long day at work, powdered powder is the perfect choice for you. If you are new to contouring, choose cream-based powder products. Because it is easier to mix and spread than many other forms. Attention :
- When buying Contour, you should buy a multi-color palette so that you can easily choose the color you want, as well as suitable for your face.
- Contour cream should be used while the foundation is still wet.
- For Contour powder, you should apply when the foundation is dry. Avoid applying Contour powder when the foundation is still wet, because it will cause smudges and damage the entire previous foundation.
Besides, choosing the right brush for contouring will also make your highlights stand out more.
The type of makeup brush that experts recommend when you want to contour is the one with a small tip and fine bristles to create perfect, precise lines.
Specifically, if you’re contouring using foundation or cream, use a large, flat brush with synthetic bristles. If you’re using powder, choose a round brush with sparse bristles. Choose a brush of different types How to use: For liquid contouring cosmetics, it is recommended to use a flat-headed brush, draw straight lines on desired areas such as cheeks, forehead, jawline, … (note always swipe. brush upwards) and then blend with another brush or also use a clean makeup sponge. With powder – based cosmetics, use a brush to apply powder under the cheekbones, forehead and sides of the jawline
Step 3: Identify the parts to block
There is no denying that properly contouring and catching light will bring unexpected results. The secret to making contouring more effective is based on the facial bone structure to find the right dark spots that need to be contoured. The dark spots commonly seen on our face are the concave bones on the sides of the cheekbones, the jawbone, the area on the sides of the nose and the sides of the temples.

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- Experience using cream blush
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Step 4: Put blocks on the parts that need to be “covered”
After determining the part to block , the next step is to create a block for it. To get the most satisfactory and perfect contour for the face, you need to determine what shape your face belongs to so that you can find the most suitable contouring method. Contouring is basically all about taking a little powder darker than your actual skin color and starting to blend it evenly over the areas to be contoured , but the point to place the brush and the finish is completely different.

- For a round face shape: when creating contours, you should focus more deeply on the forehead and jawline to help the face become slimmer, the natural contours of the face will also be more visible.

- For a rectangular face shape: apply contour around the forehead to make the face smaller. Next is the cheekbones and extends to around the jawline. This contouring will help the face become softer and less angular.

- For a long face shape: it is best to apply contouring only along the sides of the temples down to the cheeks, a little more at the chin. This will make your face less pointed.

- For the heart face shape: the characteristic of the heart face is the rather wide forehead. Therefore, focus on contouring in the temples and mid-cheek areas. Add a little in the chin area to make the face more elegant.

Note that when starting to contour, use a sponge or specialized makeup brush to spread the product in an upward direction.
This will help your facial contours look a lot sharper and more natural. Besides, applying powder in an upward direction will help the skin not sag back. Besides, you can also use a little blush to give your cheeks more vitality and look more attractive.
Step 5: Highlight for the overall face

The final step is to highlight the entire face. Highlight is roughly understood as applying the rules to help catch light by applying highlighter on different areas of the face so that you and the opposite person have a fuller or slimmer face and more depth. Therefore, in this overall face highlighting step, you only need to apply the above rule to areas such as the concave center of the center, the bridge of the nose, the tail of the eyebrows and the cheekbones. Highlight combined with contouring helps to highlight the inherent contours of the face and conceal imperfections. . Highlighting steps:
- First, you should contour your face to make your face look smaller. There is a small tip that you should lower your cheeks a little to easily determine the highest point on the cheekbones and from there to properly apply the powder.
- Then, apply highlighter for the whole jawline area
Frequently asked Questions
How to make the nose look smaller and taller?
Should I apply contour or bronzer first?
The combination of contour and bronzer will create a beautiful smooth, radiant skin. Contouring is always the step to be taken before applying bronzer on top for a radiant glow.
Use contour at what points on the face?
Aim for the high points of the face where the sun naturally hits the skin. The places you should contour are the contours of the hair, below the cheekbones, if necessary, you can add more to the contour of the lower jaw and along the 2 sides of the bridge of the nose.
Above is highlighting for those of you who are just starting to learn makeup. Hopefully the above sharing will help girls, to have a sophisticated and perfect face in the eyes of the opposite person.