CONTOURS OF BEAUTY
‘ Contouring’ and ‘ strobing’ are the two new make- up trends staging a dialogue across the globe with women seeking either angular perfection or natural enhancement
What you want is not a plastic surgerylevel metamorphosis but subtly more sculpted features MEGHNA GHOSH,
STYLIST
He goes on, “If you want to highlight your cheekbones, find the hollow part just below them by gently pressing down with your fingers on the sides of your face. Apply a little bit of the darker foundation on the spot just above where you feel your skin dip. You can do the same to shape your nose and trace the foundation all the way up to your eyebrows to add length or width to it. Now with either an angled blusher brush or a damp beautyblender, merge the dark patches into your base foundation with firm but measured strokes. Use small, circular movements. Now, take the lighter foundation and apply it underneath your eyes, in the centre of your forehead, on the bridge of your nose and on your chin. Then, with a fluffy brush, dust your whole face with loose translucent powder and highlight the appropriate areas with a touch of blush if you want a little colour. Et voila!”
Stylist Meghna Ghosh, however, cautions that contouring needs to be done with a lot of care because it is all about subtlety — something easier said than done when it comes to make- up. “What you want to achieve is not a plastic surgerylevel metamorphosis but subtly more sculpted features. You’d be surprised how attainable a more angular face actually is if you know how to work your make- up right. If you don’t, however, you could end up walking around with a striped and patchy face with three different shades blotching your features out entirely. Thankfully, makeup companies are today offering products intended specifically for contouring and I’d recommend you use those instead of trying to experiment with your regular make- up kit. Beauty tutorials may have made this celeb makeup secret more accessible, but the products will still need to be chosen with care and might require some investment too. The right steps followed with the wrong tools will do you more harm than good,” she affirms.
Media professional Megha Verma chooses strobing over contouring because it is premised on the idea of bringing out the features you are naturally blessed with instead of making imperfections disappear and perfections appear where they don’t actually exist. She says, “I don’t like the idea of contouring at all. It’s too artificial for me, like I’m trying to look like someone else. I’m all for make- up, but of a kind that enhances what I look like already instead of giving me a new face altogether. I don’t have a sharp nose or high cheek bones and am happy that way. What I look like is a part of who I am — why should I want that to be any different? That’s why I like strobing so much. It lets me look like myself and glow, enhancing the features I already have.”
Tarun, on the other hand, avers that both techniques are ultimately about looking your best and choosing which one to go for needs to depend on what you’re comfortable with and what suits your overall personality. He shares, “If you’re one for the natural look with minimal make- up, then strobing is definitely for you. It’s a technique that lends radiance to your complexion and that’s what — in my opinion — is making it popular at the moment too. You begin with moisturiser instead of foundation, so it’s admittedly healthier for your skin as well. You don’t want to look greasy, just gently hydrated and even. On this, you’ll need to use an illuminating product — powder, cream or liquid highlighter with shimmer or a little glitter, even. For Indian skin, the hue to go for is a warm bronze or subtle gold. Use your fingers to add a little highlighter above your cheekbones and along the temples. Use some blush over this to avoid looking too washed out, and head out for that party with an enhanced natural glow!”
If you’re one for the natural look
with minimal make- up, then
strobing is definitely for you TARUN KAPOOR MAKE- UP ARTIST