Mastering Contouring and Highlighting Techniques for Dark Skin

If you're familiar with the power of contouring and highlighting, you might be curious about the best shades and methods for dark skin tones to achieve a flawless, radiant look. Don't worry – we've got you covered! Follow our step-by-step guide, starting from applying foundation to blending your final look, and you'll be contouring and highlighting like a pro in no time.

Begin with your usual foundation base. Apply your regular foundation that matches your skin tone to even out your complexion and conceal any imperfections, such as blemishes or acne. Use a makeup brush or sponge for application, ensuring smooth coverage by blending in circular or patting motions.

Begin with a lighter shade than your natural skin tone. When contouring dark skin, opt for lighter shades to create definition. Lighter concealer applied strategically can enhance facial contours, making your face appear slimmer and more defined. Choose a concealer or foundation that is two to three shades lighter than your skin tone.

Locate your natural cheekbone structure. Before contouring, identify your cheekbones, which are key to the process. Sit in front of a mirror and observe where light naturally hits your face to locate your cheekbones.

Strategically apply the highlighting shade. Using a lighter foundation or concealer, strategically apply the highlighting shade to accentuate facial features. Apply triangular shapes under your eyes, along your cheekbones, down the nose bridge, on the chin, and under the eyebrows.

Apply the contouring shade. After highlighting, apply a darker foundation to contour around the highlighted areas. Contour along the cheekbones, temples, nose sides, forehead, chin, and jawline to add depth and dimension to your face.

Begin by blending your highlighting makeup. Take a clean makeup sponge or a large kabuki brush and gently dab it onto the highlighting makeup. Remember, the highlighter makeup is lighter in shade. Work in small, delicate dabs, moving around your face until the highlighted makeup is evenly blended and looks smooth.

Proceed to blend the contouring makeup. Once you've blended the highlighting makeup, move on to blending the contouring makeup. This is the darker makeup applied around the highlighting shade. Use gentle circular motions to blend the contouring makeup until it appears seamless on your skin.

Use a smaller brush to blend makeup on your nose and brow bone. For makeup around your brow bone and nose, opt for a small makeup brush as it's challenging to use a sponge in these areas. Move the brush in small circular motions along your nose and under your eyebrows until the makeup is well blended.

Blend until your makeup looks smooth and natural. After blending both the contouring and highlighting makeup, blend any areas where the color contrast appears unnatural. Use a sponge or brush to blend between the two makeup shades and ensure there are no stark color changes. Keep blending until your makeup looks natural and seamless.

Opt for matte shades. When contouring, choose matte shades as they reflect less light and provide a more natural look. Shimmery or glossy foundations and concealers may appear cakey when used for contouring.

Adjust your mirror angle. Ensure your mirror is positioned correctly to see the natural angles of your face. Contour where the light hits your face and accentuates your cheekbones. Contour while looking straight into your mirror.

Invest in quality brushes. Contouring requires precision, so invest in high-quality brushes. Opt for higher-priced tools as they contour more accurately and cause less damage to your skin. Cheaper brushes can irritate your skin during the contouring process.