I've received so many requests to make a contour and highlighting post but I felt a bit comprehensive because I know how high expectations can be of such posts. First of all, I'd like to state the obvious – I'm a natural type of girl. I prefer subtle make-up and my motto is ‘enhance instead of completely alter’. What always has put me off from all those You Tube contouring videos was the fact that an extreme amount of make-up was used in most of them. Sure, some state that it's a make-up for special occasions but contouring doesn't have to be limited to special occasions only. I lightly contour almost on a daily basis and I'd even dare to say that there's not much science behind it. It's all rather simple and in my mind you don't need five shades of foundation, heavy layers or tons of different brushes. Most importantly, contouring isn't something you can achieve with expensive make-up only. There are some excellent drugstore offerings and even though I do love some of Sleek action, I'd say that NYX is the reigning king of the drugstore contouring world. So there, here's my take on the entire contouring thing in the NYX For The Contour Maven content you'll read below.
U posljednjih par mjeseci sam dobila iznenadjujuce mnogo zahtjeva za clankom na temu konturiranja lica no neko vrijeme sam odlagala tu ideju posto znam kolika su ocekivanja od takve vrste postova. Prije svega, istaci cu nesto dosta ocigledno – ja sam tip zene koji voli prirodan make-up i moj moto je uvijek ici na blago isticanje umjesto kompletne izmjene strukture lica. Ono sto me najvise odbijalo od silnih videa o konturiranju na You Tube-u je koristenje ekstremne kolicine sminke – to me cak prestravilo. Naravno, u nekim videima je spomenuto da je prikazana sminka za posebne prilike ali upotreba konturiranja uopste ne mora biti ogranicena samo na te posebne prilike. Lagano konturiranje koristim skoro na svakodnevnoj bazi te cu se usuditi da kazem kako iza njega uopste ne stoji neka velika nauka. Cak je prilicno jednostavno i nije vam potrebno pet nijansi tecne podloge, teski slojevi niti gomila razlicitih make-up kistova. Sto je najbitnije, konturiranje nije rezervisano za skupocjenu kozmetiku. Na trzistu imamo dosta dobrih proizvoda za ovu svrhu te iako volim malo Sleek akcije, mislim da je NYX brend koji u potpunosti dominira make-up igralistem koje zovemo konturiranje. Mozete procitati nesto vise o svemu tome u nastavku posta NYX za ekspertno (i ekspresno!) konturiranje.
Contouring and highlighting is basically giving the face some dimension as we all know how certain foundations can flatten the face. Also, not every face shape has prominent facial features so perhaps you might want to recede a wider jawline or forehead or you may even want to broaden them – it all depends on what you want/need. My face is oval but it does appear elongated often with a somewhat longer chin. My cheekbones aren't razor sharp either so some help is always welcomed in that department. I've recently had an interview for a local TV station (HERE) regarding preparations for prom and other significant events – of course contouring and highlighting was mentioned. You can definitely amp up the amount of contouring powders so that they're apparent on photographs but in real life – too much of heavy handed contouring can look unnatrual, to say the least. Most important thing to keep mind regarding contouring is that you need matte powders, compacts etc. Bronzers can be used more/less successfully on truly warm skin tones but I feel like best results can be achieved by using powders that are somewhat cooler in undertone. A bit ashy, a bit taupe and mauve – that's the perfect shade which will mimic the natural shade a prominent cheekbone will make. NYX Powder Blush in Taupe is probably my favorite contouring product ever! The texture of the blush is also very blendable which helps even newbies to get hold of contouring. NYX Taupe blush is ideal for everyday contouring and I believe it will suit fair and medium skin tones perfectly.
Konturiranje i osvjetljavanje se u sustini radi kako bi se licu podarila dimenzija posto sve znamo koliko neki puderi mogu uciniti lice bezivotnim. Isto tako, svako lice nema istaknute crte tako da cete mozda zeljeti vizuelno smanjiti siroko celo ili vilicu no mozda ce netko drugi pozeljeti istaci ih – sve ovisi o vasim zeljama/potrebama. Moje lice je ovalno uz nesto izduzenu bradu a jagodice mi nisu ostre poput zileta tako da mi je pomoc na tom polju itekako dobrodosla. Nedavno ste imale priliku da pogledate moj intervju za FaceTv (OVDJE) i u prilogu se radilo o pripremama za maturu i uopsteno posebne prilike. Naravno da je konturiranje dio svega toga i vjerovatno ce biti potrebno posebno intenzivno da bude napravljeno kako bi bilo vidljivo na fotografijama. Ipak, u svakodnevnom zivotu previse intenzivnog konturiranja moze izgledati neprirodno – u najmanju ruku. Najbitnija stvar koju treba imati na umu jeste da se za konturiranje koriste mat puderi ili kremaste teksture. Bronzeri se mogu koristiti za konturiranje uz manje-vise uspjesne rezultate na toplijim tonovima koze no cini mi se da se najbolji efekat postize uz npr.pudere hladnijeg, pomalo sivkastog podtona. Takva hladna nijansa najvjernije imitira sjenu koju prave visoke jagodice. NYX puderasto rumenilo u nijansi Taupe (4g/12KM) je vjerovatno meni najdrazi proizvod za konturiranje ikada! Pomalo pepeljaste nijanse, teksture poput putera i vrlo lagan za blendanje – idealan je proizvod za pocetnike i entuzijaste. Nyx Taupe rumenilo je idealno za svakodnevno konturiranje lica te vjerujem da ce pristajati svijetlom i srednje tamnom tenu apsolutno savrseno.
For that everyday subtle contouring you just need a somewhat lighter concealer than you own skin tone and this Taupe blush. I always go for those click-y concealer/highlighting pens (a la YSL Touche Eclat) and I've used such a thing from L'Occitane under my eyes, around my nose, applied some on my chin and on my forehead (between my brows). Than I've used the Real techniques Duo Fiber Contour Brush – ideal for this purpose. It deposits just the right amount of the Tapue blush and you can layer it on without worrying if it'll come out muddy. The cool, taupe shade of the blush acts like a natural shading and these cheekbones are carved in a believable way. If NYX Taupe Blush is ideal for light and medium skin tones (pinky, neutral, warm – you name it), than the NYX Highlight & Contour Powder is perfection for medium to darker skin tones, especially neutral to warmer ones. Can we just for one second appreciate the adorable packaging? NYX truly does know a way to a girl's heart. Well, this contour powder features a white half and a medium dark brown-ish half of a slightly warm undertone. Don't worry – it's not orange, red or shimmery. This product is entirely matte which is perfect for contouring. One thing though – the white half doesn't end up white on skin and it's not one of those flashy highlighting products. I use it to mattify all those places I've applied my concealer previously (under eyes, around the nose, chin, forehead etc.). It does a great job at making the face look natural but it's not a high-impact highlighter per se.
Za to suptilno konturiranje pogodno za dnevni make-up vam je samo potreban korektor za par nijansi svjetliji od vaseg tena i NYX Taupe rumenilo. Ja najvise volim koristiti korektore/iluminatore na odvrtanje (a la YSL Touche Eclat) te sam koristila upravo takav proizvod od L'Occitanea ispod ociju u trokutu, oko nosa, na bradi i na celu (izmedju obrva). Potom sam koristila Real Techniques Duo Fiber Contour Brush – idealnu za ovu priliku. Nanosi tacno pogodnu kolicinu Taupe rumenila te ga mozete slojevito nanositi do zeljenih rezultata bez bojazni da cete u jednom trenutku pretjerati. Hladna, pepeljasta nijansa postize imitiranje sjene na veoma uvjerljiv i prirodan nacin. Ukoliko je NYX Taupe rumenilo idealno za svijetao te srednje taman ten (hladnog, toplog ili neutralnog podtona – funkcionise na svakom), onda je NYX Highlight & Contour Powder (10g/19KM) savrsen za srednje taman do taman ten – posebno za ten toplijeg podtona. I samo zastanimo na trenutak da pogledamo preslatko pakovanje. NYX zaista zna nacin kako impresionirati zensko srce. Ovaj duo za konturiranje sadrzi bijelu polovinu i srednje tamnu smedjkastu polovinu toplog podtona. Ne brinite – nije narandzast, crven niti sadrzi sljokice. Ovaj proizvod je u potpunosti mat sto ga cini idealnim za konturiranje. Jedna stvar – bijela polovica ne izgleda bijelo na kozi niti mi koristi za klasicno osvjetljavanje. Ja je koristim za matiranje povrsina (ispod ociju, oko nosa i usta, na bradi i celu) na koje sam prethodno nanijela korektor svjetlije nijanse. Fantasticno radi svoj posao i cini kozu prirodno cistom, mat ali i blistavom no ne radi se o klasicnom hajlajteru.
The dark half is excellent for contouring. I've applied it over the Taupe blush and it intensified it, gave just a hint of warmth to the face and lifted the entire effect was elevated. This shade isn't ideal for fair or pinkish skin tones as Taupe blush is but for everyone else – it's a dream to work with. Completely matte, easy to work with and versatile. You can layer it up from a subtle contouring I've done to completely va-va-voom! You can apply both the Taupe blush and the dark half of the contour powder underneath your cheekbones (the line appears after you suck your cheeks in/aka fish face), along or under the jawline, a bit along the hair line and down the both sides of the nose (maybe some on the tip as well). Blending everything out is the key – no harsh lines are allowed because we want for the contouring to look as natural as possible. It must be believable, a part of our face so I'll mention it again – blend, blend, blend. I wanted some extra light on tops of my cheekbones, under my brows and a bit down the center of my nose so I've reached for the most natural, most subtle highlighter of all. NYX Born To Glow Liquid Illuminator in Sunbeam is perfect for all of us who avoid that disco ball shine. This is not shine in a tube – it's a gorgeous sheen. On some pics it looks shimmery, frosty and whatnot but in real life – it's subtle as a peach. I love all three products I've featured here for contouring and highlighting. I feel that there's no need to spend more because these do the job amazingly well. Massive thumbs up from me and I do hope that gals will contour more. Try not to get too carried away 🙂
Tamna polovica je koristena preko Taupe rumenila i podarila joj je dubinu te je intenzivirala boju, dodala je i malo topline licu te zaokruzila citav ‘look’. Ova nijansa nije idealna za ruzicast podton niti svijetao ten koliko je za njih odgovarajuce Taupe rumenilo no za ostale je fantasticna. Potpuno mat, lako je koristiti i moze se koristiti na vise pozicija na licu. Mozete je nanijeti na suptilan nacin sto sam ucinila ja ali je i slojevito intenzivirati do granice nosivosti (ako to volite). Taupe rumenilo i tamnu polovicu dua za konturiranje mozete nanijeti tik ispod jagodica (ako usisete obraze, jagodice ce same ‘iskociti’), uz ili ispod vilice, malo uz rub kose te uz obje strane nosica (ili cak i malo na vrh, ako ga zelite vizuelno skratiti). Sve je potrebno temeljito izblendati kako bi se sjene utisnule u podlogu i djelovale prirodno. Kod konturiranja manje je definitivno vise. I naravno – samo blendajte (blendanja nikada nije previse). Pozeljela sam dodatno osvijetliti pojedine dijelove lica (vrhovi jagodice, ispod obrva, niz centar nosa) i za to sam se posluzila NYX Born To Glow tecnim iluminatorom (18ml/16KM) u nijansi Sunbeam. Ovaj iluminator je idealan za svakog tko ne zeli pretjerati sa ovim korakom u sminkanju. U njemu se ne nalazi nespretni sjaj vec elegantne zrake mjesecine. Na nekim fotografijama koje sam vidjela djeluje shimmerasto ili ‘frosty’ finisa no u stvarnom zivotu je – njezan poput breskvice. Sva tri proizvoda koja sam koristila za konturiranje su izvrsna i pored njim mislim da nema potrebe izdvojiti vise novca na konturiranje. Ogromna pohvala im ide od mene i nadam se da ce moj prirodni, suptilan pristup konturiranju asistirati u odluci da sto vise djevojaka i zena ‘omeksa’ pogled na konturiranje. Dosta je jednostavno no pokusajte da ne se zanesete previse 🙂 Navedene proizvode mozete naruciti po navedenim cijenama preko Facebook stranice NYX Cosmetics Online Prodaja.
*Some of these products may have been sent to me for review. For more information, see my disclaimer.
