The word, “contour” gets passed around a lot in beauty circles. Some people follow it like the holy makeup bible, others reject it as an overdone gimmick, and many still don’t fully understand it. No matter where you stand, there’s one crucial element to creating the perfect contour: the right brush. Perhaps one of the most underrated beauty hacks, using a contouring brush for makeup is the key to achieving natural-looking definition.
Many of us, at some point, have had lousy luck with contouring. Ideally, you want to achieve seamlessly blended and sculpted shadows to enhance your facial features. But with a less-experienced (or distracted) hand, your expectations don’t always meet reality. If you’ve ever looked back on your photos and noticed an obvious muddy-toned streak under your cheeks, you know that shame-on-me moment of messy contour.
To avoid these blunders, investing in a high-quality set of contouring makeup brushes will transform your look. Here are the top reasons you need this beauty tool according to renowned makeup artist, Ashleigh Ciucci.
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You can achieve the perfect shape
Without the help of a contour makeup brush, it’s harder to achieve a natural sculpting effect.The curved form of the brush is slightly oval and angled, helping to sweep smoothly under the hollows of the cheeks or along the temples or jawline. A regular dome brush, on the other hand, might be too circular and fluffy to create a carved look along the facial features.
“The contour brush’s angled shape hugs the hollows of my cheeks, so I can put my bronzer right where I need it to be to get that chiseled effect,” explains makeup artist Ashleigh Ciucci. “MAC makes a number of good contouring brushes”, she adds. Many people prefer a wide brush with a slanted tip, which allows you to control the width to produce a lovely contour application.
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Your features look naturally defined
Contouring sometimes gets a bad rap for being a tacky celebrity trend. But truth be told, the art of sculpting your features has been around since the era of Queen Elizabeth (for stage makeup). So fast forward to today, contouring has evolved into a more precise way to flatter your facial structure— and no, we’re not referring to that overdone, visibly drawn look, like regions on a map.
The current version is all about emphasizing your cheekbones, shaping your face to create believable illusions. Basically, “It’s no longer about carving a line into your cheek,” says Ashleigh. Today’s contouring brushes let you achieve this subtle technique with ultra-soft yet durable bristles. Furless Cosmetics designs a wide range of affordable vegan makeup brushes designed for contouring.
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You can get to the hard-to-reach places
For defining the small crevices of the face, you need small tools. A mini contouring brush with a narrow tip lets you reach all those hard-to-reach areas: nose tip, eye crease, and brow bone area.
By providing more control over your makeup application, you can be more detailed when making your features appear more chiseled.
A popular area to contour is the nose. Ashleigh uses a small contouring brush to define the sides of the nose, creating the illusion of a slimmer bridge. You can also add more structure to the nasal tip by tracing around the cartilage to enhance the shape.
But remember to be wary of your contour color. Anything that appears too obvious against skin is going to look fake. Since the goal is creating well-placed shadows, the color should be look a grayish-beige hue, suggests Ashleigh. She recommends The Sculpting Contour Powder because it provides a natural depth of color. Ultimately, you need to stay clear of anything too red or orange, like most bronzers.
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You can be a contouring multi-tasker
Contouring isn’t only meant for faces. The body can be defined too! By using a large contouring brush for makeup on the body, you can sculpt any asset, including the shoulders, collar bone, decollete, and abs.
Although this technique might be too extreme for some, it’s interesting to see the wide range of application possibilities for this shaping technique. Australian beauty blogger Chloe Morello made a complete-body contouring video on YouTube which shows how she controls her figure. The video is quite entertaining, but generally, it’s intended for light-hearted fun.
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The results are more flawless
Using special sculpting brushes will create the most convincing contour. Unless you’re a makeup artist with extraordinary skills, it’s hard to apply a feathery-light contour with any other generic makeup brush such as a dome, flat or round version. These types of brushes will either apply pigment too heavily or cover too much surface area.
However, a contouring brush is angled, which lets you swivel around the grooves and crevices of your more flawlessly. Ashleigh’s favorite area to contour is the temples and beneath her cheekbones. As she explains, “by beneath, we mean directly on the edge of your cheekbones, so much so that your brush should be skimming your cheekbones as you swipe it.” She then blends the contour with blush or bronzer, applying with the brush in repeated circular motions to layer over the shadow she just created.
Never underestimate the power of a good contouring brush for makeup. With the right technique and enough practice, you can slim and sharpen your features more realistically than ever. And if you’re careful budgeter, you can find a variety of high-performance brushes from smaller indie brands that don’t overcharge on beauty tools. Consider Morphe, Furless Cosmetics and E.L.F– all brands that value affordability and honest quality.
