Highlighting and Contouring

Highlighting and Contouring

For this lesson, Branka taught us how to highlight and contour the face.

We looked at a variety of different products that can be used as a highlighter such as MAC vanilla pigment, Revlon highlighter photo ready skin, Ben Nye luminar looks powders and Revlon highlighter photo ready skin in colours 200 pink light and 100 bare light.

We looked at two different approaches to highlighting and contouring. Firstly, a softer, natural look and then secondly a heavier look.

Natural Look

Model: Rowan Lennard
Makeup by: Branka Vorkapic

This is Branka's demonstration showing a natural highlight and contour. As you can see the look is very subtle and portrays a healthy, natural looking glow.

Health and Safety:
-Ensure all brushes are clean
-Ensure all kit is clean
-Ensure work station is clean and tidy
-Ensure model is at the correct height

Products used
-Le Maquillage foundation palette
-Makeup mixer
-MAC concealer palette
-MAC Translucent powder
-Revlon highlighter
-Kryolan blush palette

Step by step
-Cleanse, tone and moisturize the models skin.
-Ask the model to look down and check in the mirror for any dark areas under the eyes, conceal if needed using the MAC concealer palette.
-Conceal any additional areas that need it, be careful to not use too much product as this is a light look.
-Mix 3/4 makeup mix to 1/4 foundation from the Le Maquillage foundation palette. (If makeup mixer is not available, use moisturiser)
-Use the dark powder from the Kryolan blush palette to contour the face in areas that need it. (under the cheekbone, lightly on the jawbone)
- Feather the foundation onto the skin using a foundation brush, use the warmth of your fingers to correct and streaky makeup to ensure a clean finish.
-Take the Revlon highlighter and use your ring finger to apply the highlighter.
-Apple the highlight to the cheekbones, under the brow on the brow bone, slightly on the length of the nose, the top of the lip, and the chin.
-Set with translucent powder.

Model: Rania Ali

 

Evaluation

 

Personally, I felt that this lesson was not very successful for me however I did learn a lot from my mistakes. The positives of the look I achieved was that I think I managed to match the models skin tone well. This is something that I do not have great knowledge on yet but I know that with practise and time, I will improve and it won't take me as long to match foundations to different skin tones. A mistake that I made when creating this look was failing to recognise the models skin type. Although we were asked to use MAC face and body foundation for this natural look, this type of foundation is not great for my models skin as hers is quite oily and the foundation is water based. MAC face and body is a liquid foundation that creates a sheer, dewy finish. Although you can make it matte with powder, I feel that the product did not work well on the skin and if you look closely, especially around the nose area, you can see that the foundation has begun lifting off the face.

 

Although I followed Branka's technique when contouring the face, I think that I was not strong enough with the colour as it is barely noticeable on my model. I was happy with some of the highlighting and think that the photograph shows the areas that I highlighted well. Some of the highlight I created has become lost in the shine on the face so overall, I was not happy with the finished outcome. In future, when dealing with a client with oily skin, I would select a matte foundation for the skin and also use a primer to prep the skin before hand.

 

 

Further Development

 

As I wasn't entirely happy with my finished natural look, I decided to revisit it later.

I created this natural highlight using the same techniques and products as before but this time, I analysed the models skin type before choosing a foundation. This model had a dry/normal skin type so I hydrated the areas that needed attention with a extra moisturiser and used MAC face and body foundation on her skin. I built the product up and it really suited her skin which I was pleased about. I lightly contoured the face using a darker powder from the Ben Nye palette and applied a powder highlight (Kryolan) to the bridge of the nose, the upper lip, the brow bone and C section. I really love the Kryolan highlighter because it adds a subtle highlight that looks natural and healthy. As it is powder, it is easily buildable and light so I had better control over how much to apply. Overall, I was happy that I re-visited this technique and thought the models skin looked beautiful.

 

 

Model: Charlotte Searle

 

Heavy look Highlight

 

 

Model: Rowan Lennard
Makeup by: Branka Vorkapic

 

Products used
-Kryolan ultra foundations
-Translucent powder
-MAC vanilla pigment
-Kryolan concealer palette
-Kryolan blush palette

Step by step
-Cleanse, tone and moisturise the skin.
-Conceal areas that need attention using a concealer brush and D32 from the derma colour palette.
-Apply a medium/full coverage foundation (Le Maquillage palette) to the face using a foundation brush. Feather the foundation on lightly and use the warmth of your thumb to get rid of any streaks.
-Fill in the eyebrows using the Kryolan concealer palette. Choose a colour that matches the models natural hair colour. Use a spooley to blend the colour into the brow and set with an eye shadow that matches the colour used.
-For the contour, using the Le Maquillage palette, chose a colour that is three shades darker than the foundation used.
-Ensure that the colour chosen has cool tones as warm will look bronzed.
-Add foundation to the contour colour and apply to the areas that need it. (under the cheekbone, lightly on the jawbone, sides of the face, down the sides of the nose.)
-Buff the contour colour into the skin using a buffer brush. (The Sigma angled Kabuki brush works well here)
-Set the makeup with MAC translucent powder and a large powder brush.
-Create a highlighting colour by choosing a shade three shades lighter than the foundation colour used. Mix it with some foundation.
-Apply the highlight to the areas that need it using a large concealer brush. (Bridge of the nose, brow bone, temple, cheekbone)
-Enhance the highlight with MAC vanilla pigment. Use your ring finger to apply. Enhance the brow bone and C section.

               

Evaluation: 

I found the heavy look much more challenging than the natural look. Although Branka told us to go three shades darker than the foundation, at first I felt that the colour was too subtle so added a darker tone. It was important to not use a warm toned colour for the contour because it would make the face look bronzed. I used the Kryolan concealer palette and chose a brown with a grey undertone but looking at the photography it still looks very warm. I was happy with the contouring of the side of the head and under the neck but I think I brought the contour under the cheek bones too far down. Next time, I wouldn't extend it as far as I did as I think it has the opposite effect to contouring the face, losing the definition. 

I was happy with the highlight on this look but think I could have made the look more defined as in Brankas tutorial. I really love using the MAC vanilla pigment and think it works well to enhance the highlight created. It is easy to apply and sits on the face really nicely. I do think however, it should be used minimally as a small amount of product tends to go a long way. 

I found concealing difficult in this look, in the photograph you can just about see a redness around they eye which is the D32 concealer from the Kryolan palette. I had difficultly blending this in and think it was because I used too much product. Next time, I would use minimal product on the brush and build it as needed. 

 

Overall, I was pleased with this look but think there are many aspects that I need to improve on. Highlighting and contouring is important to most makeup looks so I am eager to perfect my skills.