How to Contour your Body
You might have already seen our post about how to contour you face, but did you know that body contouring is now all the rage and it can help to give you a little extra definition on areas you aren't as confident with? Today, we're going to show you how to master this technique and the tools you'll need to do so! these looks are great for those that have a special occasion coming up and want to enhance a little in their special outfit and its also great for costuming and cosplayers!
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
The first step in sculpting your body is to have the right kit to hand. Arm yourself with a set of great brushes (Bella&Bear Kitten 15 piece brush set anyone?!) and then go in and choose which product works best for you.
Bella&Bear Ocelot Brush / Bella&Bear Golden Cat Brush / Bella&Bear Fishing Cat brush / Bella&Bear Jaguar Kabuki /
1.Sleek Cream Contour Palette / 2.Smashbox Contour Stick trio / 3. Makeup Revolution Contour Duo Stick / 4. NYX Wonderstick / 5. Barry M Chisel Cheeks Kit / 6.Barry M Contour Cream Sticks / 7. Clinique Chubby Contour Stick / 8. City Colors Contour Palette / 9. Benefit Hoola Quckie Stick / 10. Maybelline Master Contour V Stick / 11. Freedom Makeup Contour Stick /
Cream contour products are best to work with when sculpting the body, they have a high pigment and are easy to blend and work into the body's twists and turns. You can top them off with a powder once you're done if you like, to keep them in place. You may prefer to choose a stick product which can be applied directly to the skin or you may prefer a palette where shades can be blended and customised before being applied with a brush.
We love our Bella&Bear Ocelot and Golden cat concealer brushes for working the contour onto the skin, they can twist and turn to match your body's shape and the bristles blend to perfection. Out Fishing Cat flat definer brush is also great for contouring smaller areas of the body such as the sides of the nose. We round things off by using our Jaguar angled Kabuki to blend it all together for an undetectable finish.
THE METHOD
NECK
Let's start by working on that neck - a bronzed and defined neck will give a youthful look. Using your contour product create lines on the areas of the neck and the decollage which would naturally create shadow - think the hollow points. Leaning forward slightly when applying your product will help you to see and feel these areas
Balance the shadow you have created with some light. It's time to pick up that light contour shade and apply it to the high points of the neck area - think the collar bones, and down the sides of the throat.
You can then take your blending brush and blend it all together for a natural finish. If you feel you need to intensify the colour you can repeat the steps - just don't forget you only want to look slightly more defined, not cartoon character like.
CHEST
Most women will go for a lifted and separated look when contouring to enhance the chest. You can make things easier for yourself by standing in front of a tall mirror rather than using a hand held mirror, and it may help you to occasionally look downward onto the area to get the best idea of where you want the lines to go.
Start by using your dark contour product to create a straight line from the collarbone, all the way down between your breasts and continue it to just under your bra line. Then create two half circles where you want the top of the breasts to appear. You can then go in with your lighter product and highlight above and below the darker lines. Blend everything together and you will have higher and firmer looking breasts.
Please remember this is only for fun and you are perfect the way you are!
STOMACH
It can be scary to reveal this area for a a lot of women (check out our mummy tummy here!) and a little body contouring could make you feel that little bit more confident, so give it a try, but please remember it is just for fun and you are perfect the way you are!
Use your dark product to create a line from the breastbone, down through the tummy button and down to just above where your underwear would sit. Then go in and draw an oval shape around where you can feel your the inner side of your rib cage down to the centre of the hip bones. You can then go on and draw a few sets of small upside down curves for 'abs'. Finally, create two diagonal lines just under the ribs which meet your oval. Add lighter product around the darker lines and then go ahead and blend!
Be sure to keep blending until the lines are apparent but not obvious, again, you dont want to look like a cartoon character!
We hope you enjoyed this tutorial and we just want to remind you that you are beautiful - make up isnt what makes you beautiful, its a just a tool to enhance your beauty! You can find all of the Bella&Bear tools used today in our online store right now - plus lots more!