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So, other than painting your face by numbers, beauty enthusiasts have come up with weird and wonderful contouring tricks by using ordinary everyday tools.
Drawing a line
As simple as it sounds, drawing a straight line from between your eyebrows, to the tip of your nose and one diagonally across cheekbones towards your lips is one of the best ways to find your ‘contour spot’. If you are determined to draw the perfect line, you can use the side of a pen or a pencil to help get your line in shape.
Sellotape contouring
Instagram beauty blogger, Huda Kattan introduced a simple hack in 2015 to give you Kardashian-inspired cheekbones. All you need to do is apply adhesive tape to various points on your face i.e. cheekbones, nose and forehead, then apply your makeup around it. Once complete, remove the tape and blend. Our editor tried it and works really well!
GIF: Self
Cotton swabs
Yes, they do more than clean your ears, they also provide ideal guidelines, as they are the perfect length when applying your bronzer or foundation. Another added bonus of using a cotton swab is that you can use the tip to blend your makeup, especially those finer, diminutive areas.
The number 3 formula
Becca Cosmetics style director, Kerry Cole, told US Weekly that drawing a number 3 with a loaded brush of makeup is the best way to go about it – plus it deters from the confusing contour chart that we often see. By drawing the number 3 on both sides of the face in one continuous motion you will be covering the hairline, cheek and jaw line at the same time. Using numerals have never been so fun!
GIF: PopSugar
READ: How to do your makeup in 2 minutes or less
Using a knife
This is one of the techniques that we really don’t understand or recommend. Youtuber, Barbie Gutz shows us how to use a knife to contour your face by placing the sharp utensil in various areas around your face. Eeek!
Spoon hack
Believe it or not, you can actually contour your face using a spoon! The spoon cups your cheekbones, which gives you a great angle to apply your makeup, similar to how people pull duck faces or smile whenever they apply blusher (I’m not the only one, right?).
GIF: Allure
The no brush technique
Get your hands dirty by contouring your face using your hands. This allows the makeup to penetrate the skin and you are able to customise and sculpt your face. A brush can only get you so far, while your hands can give a neater effect, plus you can control the amount of pressure and the way the makeup is blended on your skin.
Cutting your way
Live Glam recently posted a video on Instagram showing makeup artist, Jose Martinez, using a pair of scissors (we don’t recommend this either) to create the perfect angle. By opening up the blades, you can not only create three different layers for contouring, you can also sculpt your cheeks, which will leave you with poker straight coloured in blocks and lines.
