Have you ever succumbed to your cravings and had a bowl of steaming hot ramen at midnight, only to wake up the next morning with a swollen, puffy face? Or maybe your round face shape is your number one nemesis (we think it looks adorable, though)?
In times like these, contouring is our best friend, and the art of contouring is actually a skill that many of us strive to master in our lifetime. But what if we told you that you may have been contouring your face wrong this whole time?
This TikTok makeup hack has been trending all over our For You Page and shows us Asians how to contour with a simple twist. Curious? Keep reading to find out how it works!
Credits: @ling.kt/TikTok
How should Asians contour?
This hack is much simpler than it appears. Instead of applying contour horizontally across your cheekbones and jaws, apply it in vertical lines and blend it vertically, as demonstrated by @dvy.nguyen on TikTok.
@dvy.nguyen #stitch with @sarah for all the girlies thst have round face 😭 #fyp#makeup#contour#asian#asianmakeup#makeuphack
TikTok influencer @mirchelleytiktok, who attended a makeup demonstration by Taiwan makeup artist Stanley, stated that, unlike our Caucasian friends, Asians’ cheekbones protrude sideways.
Credits: @mirchelleytiktok/TikTok
As a result, sculpting our faces sideways, as we’ve been taught our entire lives, will only make our faces look wider and fiercer-looking.
The Taiwan makeup artist also suggests contouring from your sideburns and swiping downwards vertically to the end of your brows, creating a soft shadow effect that slims your face.
@mirchelleytiktok i am ditching my old contouring technique fr #contour #contouring #contouringhacks #makeuptutorial #makeupartist #makeuphacks #viralmakeup
4 contour products we recommend
For this technique to work, we must also find the right contour powder that is not too dark, or we will end up looking muddy instead of having a snatched face!
Too Cool For School Artclass By Rodin Shading
First on this list is the most iconic Too Cool For School Artclass By Rodin Shading, a contour powder that can be found in any K-beauty junkie’s pouch at one point in time.
This contour powder was a classic and the first of its kind, with its three-in-one shades that users could easily mix to create the most natural-looking contours for their skin tone.
Inspired by the father of modern sculptor, Rodin, the Too Cool For School Artclass By Rodin Shading will help you create detailed contour and dimensional effect with its natural shadow effects.
Too Cool For School Artclass By Rodin Shading (9.5g) retails for US$19 (~S$25.74) at Too Cool For School online, S$38.50 at Amazon, S$34.87 at iHerb, and S$21.18 at Shopee. Discounts are offered at the time of writing. Tap in to see updated prices.
Etude House Shadow Contour Powder
The Etude House Shadow Contour Powder is another iconic contour powder in the world of K-beauty, used by many makeup artists on your favourite K-pop stars such as Twice, NewJeans, Jang Won Young, Black Pink, and more!
Created with YouTuber Cho Hyo Jin, Korea’s popular beauty guru who is also known as a “contour genius”, you can trust that this contour powder is of the highest quality.
Its shadowy colours provide the most natural contour without looking muddy, and the two shades allow you to mix it to your desired colour. The powders are also separated, preventing colour invasion so that your contours will look clean at all times!
Etude House Shadow Contour Powder (2 x 5g) retails for S$24.31 at Shopee. Discounts are offered at the time of writing. Tap in to see updated prices!
JUDYDOLL Highlight & Contour Palette Natural Long-lasting Waterproof
Stepping away from the K-beauty scene, we have the Highlight & Contour Palette Natural Long-lasting Waterproof from JUDYDOLL, a C-beauty brand that’s been taking over Dou Yin and Xiao Hong Shu.
Since its launch, more than five million units of this contour palette have been sold, and we can totally see why!
This contour palette contains not only two shadow shades, but also matte and shimmery highlighters to add extra dimension to your face.
Thanks to its “AIR JET air flow cutting technology,” the powder has been upgraded to be even more lightweight and easier to blend, and the colours have been adjusted to be more neutral for Asian skin tones.
JUDYDOLL Highlight & Contour Palette Natural Long-lasting Waterproof (9g) retails for S$25.92 and is available at Shopee. A discount is offered at the time of writing. Tap in to see the updated price!
Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Contour Skinstick
Moving from the Asian brand contours, we have the Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Contour Skinstick.
This matte contour stick has a buildable cream-to-powder formula that leaves your skin with a lightweight, matte finish. It also blends out beautifully and stays put without creasing or caking.
Match Stix Matte Contour Skinsticks come in a variety of shades that have been tested to look good on a wide range of skin tones, so if you have darker skin, this is the contour product for you. They also come in an easy-to-use stick format, making reapplication a breeze!
Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Contour Skinstick (7.1g) retails for S$49 and is available at Sephora.
Image feature credits: @cwassaunt/TikTok, @dvy.nguyen, @ling.kt/TikTok
