Contouring for dummies

Contouring can be intimidating, which is why I recommend starting slow. When dipping your first toe in the water, start by playing around with your bronzing powder—mainly applying it beneath the cheekbones as opposed to on them like usual. As you get a bit more comfortable, you may want to pick up Charlotte Tilbury’s Filmstar Bronze & Glow, which features a bronzing powder and highlighting powder in one compact—and be sure to get the Powder & Sculpt Brush because it’s key for applying precisely.

If you want to kick your contouring up a notch—but aren’t all that confident in your skills—let Pür’s Cameo Contour Stick do the work for you. This double-sided stick comes with two shades of super-creamy color designed to contour and highlight. You know those crazy clown-like pre-blending pictures you’ve seen? Yep, you’ll look like that after you follow the included diagram that shows you exactly where to place each shade. But once you blend the color with the sponge (also included), you’ll see more defined facial features and you’ll practically forget what you looked like mere moments before.

This all goes down after you’ve applied your foundation, and I suggest doing your eye makeup before you tackle your complexion so you don’t mess up your handywork in the event of shadow fall-out. Another plus of this stick is that you can go as subtle or as dramatic as you’d like, so start light and layer on more color to see where it gets you. Keep in mind these cream colors leave a powder finish on the skin, so if you’re looking for a little extra oomph for evening, add a bit of shimmery highlighter on top of the lighter Pür shade.

So there you have it… With this innovative, easy-to-use product you can hop aboard the contouring train, and there’s absolutely nothing to fear!

Yes, a cleansing kit is a great gift