Gone are the days when the art of contouring was a professional makeup artist’s best-kept secret. Now, thanks to an innovative new batch of products, achieving a natural, sculpted and highlighted look at home has never been easier.
Maybe it was silly of me to think that we’d stop all this nonsense at clown contouring, but I really thought that, once we were drawing poop emojis on our foreheads for the sake of beauty, we’d reached the finish line. But, alas, the world of beauty loves to show just how wrong I am about trend forecasts and life in general, and now, tontouring is a thing. Really. I didn’t just make that word up.
(Related: How To Contour Pale Skin Makeup Examples)
People have been contouring abs on their body for a while now using self-tanner, so the technique isn’t exactly a beauty breakthrough. Cocoa Brown founder Marissa Carter coined the term in a recent Femail article, and the theory behind it is incredibly straightforward: Why would you waste time contouring your face using bronzer or taupe powder every morning when you could achieve a longer-lasting contour using self-tanner? Maybe Kim Kardashian could give this a try and cut her contouring time down significantly so she can get back to taking weird boat selfies.
Here’s the step-by-step for those of who you want to give this alleged time-saver a try:
- Apply a gradual self-tanner all over the face and neck. That way, you’ll have an all-over sun-kissed look to start with when you apply the darker self-tanner to act as the contour.
- Buff a darker self-tanner into your forehead. Keep it near the hairline, much like you would with a regular bronzer. I’d recommend using a buffing brush for this since the dense bristles will give you a more even application.
- Contour your cheekbones. It’s pretty much the same method and placement as normal contouring, just with a more semi-permanent product. Make sure you blend it all the way through to avoid streaks. If you’re not sure exactly where to put it, take a look at the above infographic.
- Contour the sides and tip of your nose. If you’re so inclined, that is. I have a very prominent nose in that it’s hooked but not wide, so I generally leave my nose alone. Up to you, though.
And, if you’re worried about messing up, Cosmopolitan has the solution: A mixture of equal parts lemon juice and baking soda acts as a self-tanner eraser, or you can always go out and pick up a Bronze Buffer Self-Tanner Removal Sponge ($10). It’s always nice to have options, right?
(Related: Everything You Need To Know About Colorless Contouring And How It Works)
Personally, I think this is a little bit ridiculous. I’m not a big self-tanner fan to begin, but that’s mostly because even the gradual ones always leave me looking a little bit orange. Also, what if you apply too much gradual tanner to one side of your face without realizing it, and then you’ve got one weirdly dark contoured side and one really pale one? There are a few too many things that can go wrong with this trend for me to want to try it, but hey, I get why it works.
Now, who wants to join me in a prayer circle in hopes that this is the last contouring trend? Don’t all volunteer at once.