How to Choose the Right Contour Colors for Your Skin Tone

Tips for Selecting the Best Contour Colors

Whether you describe it as contouring or highlighting, it is simply a matter of cleverly using natural light and your existing facial bone structure and soft tissue to enhance the overall appearance of your face. As a simple example, let’s say you have full cheeks and want to draw the eye to your cheekbones, while somehow creating the illusion that your face is a bit longer and narrower. That can be done with contouring.

The same can be said about an overly wide forehead, a large jaw, or anything else you want to use a bit of makeup magic to alter can be done with contouring. Of course, you don’t have to think of it as something that you do only for special occasions. It is actually a makeup trick you can use every single day.

If you always remember that contouring is not about dramatic changes in your appearance but is instead about enhancing your facial structure and giving shape to an area of the face through the use of makeup, you can begin to see how it would benefit almost anyone.

The key is to master the techniques for your specific issues or goals, but most importantly is to choose all of the right contour colors for your skin tone. That is not as easy as one might think because most of us don’t have skin that is a single tone and all of us will have different goals.

Starting with the Right Contour Colors for Your Skin Tone

Before you can invest in any of the makeup or tools you need, you have to determine your skin tone. Another word to think of when think of skin tone is “temperature”. Why? While contouring starts with the right choice of your highlight and contour shades, you also need to remember how to enhance your face with other makeup products like eye shadows, blushes and lip color.

Knowing your skin’s temperature is a great way to always choose appropriate hues at any season. It can also help with identifying the “undertone”, another key to effective contouring and makeup application.

What experts describe as your skin tone is the color that your skin is right at the surface, and as you might guess, it can change a lot. A bit of color from a few hours in the sun can change the tone. A bout of acne or a period of dry skin might change the tone.

So, how do you get a good gauge on the right skin tone for contouring? You look at the area around the jaw. This is the least effected by those changes and will be either:

• Dark – This is the darkest color from rich brown to deep ebony
• Medium – This is skin with olive undertones and a darker general hue
• Light – This is pale skin but with a beige or yellow tone, rather than a pale pink
• Fair – This is pale skin that burns easily and has pink tones

It may surprise you to discover that any of these skin tones can have different undertones. These are hues that give the complexion a noticeable cast or color that you might not notice unless asked to identify it. The skin tone can be changeable, but the undertone will not. It is the undertone of your complexion that makes some colors look great on your skin or in your garments, and others look horrible.

The undertone is where your real temperatures can be found and include:

• Warm – Skin will be peach, yellow or golden
• Cool – Skin will have a bluish, pink or even reddish tone
• Neutral – The skin will be olive and able to wear both warm or cold undertones

How do you determine your undertones? Deciding on your general tone is easy and you are either going to be fair, light, medium or dark. Then you can use the following tips to figure out the undertone:

• Wrist – Look at the inside of the wrist and scan for the veins just below the surface. Do they have a blue to purple hue or more of a green tone? If they are blue, you are a “cool” if they are greener, you are “warm” and if they seem a blend of both, you are “neutral”
• White paper – Pure white paper, when help up to the face, will actually dull or wash out a warm complexion. If there is no change when the paper is close to the face or even an improvement in color, the skin is “cool” in its undertone
• Jewelry – Which complements your skin best, gold or silver jewelry. Don’t answer this based on your preferences only on what looks best near your skin. If silver, you have a cool undertone, if gold your skin has warm undertones.

Once you have figured out your tone (fair, pale, medium or dark) and your undertone, you can then choose the right contour colors for your skin tone.

Related: Everything You Need to Know About Makeup Primer

Contours and Highlights: The Colors

Contouring is not done with one product. Instead, you will use something that highlights the areas of light and brightness on the face and then accent areas where shadow already appears or where you want it to be created. That makes choosing contour colors for your skin tone quite easy.

For the highlights, you start with your best foundation color. The ideal hue is one that has a hint of your skin’s undertone. For example, if your skin is warm, a foundation with a hint of yellow rather than pink is ideal. You will use that base or foundation, so choose it wisely.

Here’s the good news about this issue: There are many different “palettes” designed specifically for contouring. These can feature cream or powder formulas and enable you to apply makeup as you feel most comfortable doing. However, the real upside to them is that they can eliminate the challenges of choosing the right contour colors for your skin tone. The key is to start with the right foundation shade and then choose your contour colors for your skin tone correctly.

The best bet is to choose a contour shade a bit darker than your foundation, and a shade that is similar to how you think shadow on your face would appear. At the very most, one or two shades darker than your skin is the darkest you should go, but also remember to lean in towards hues that have the appropriate undertone to them.

Your highlight product is likely to be included in a palette, but if not, just go in the opposite direction with a produce just a shade higher and with the right undertone.

Related: Contour, Highlight, and Bronzer – Working with Your Face Shape

Cream v. Powders: What Experts Have to Say

Of course, there is also the issue of texture to consider. What we mean is powder versus cream. Which is the right choice for you? If you are 100% new to the whole contouring experience, you are well-advised to stick with creams as they are easier to build and use. Yet, many professionals say that the pigment content of some powder formulas are lighter.

However, as time passes and your skill level advances, go right ahead and try adding some powder products to the repertoire. Either way, a contour palette often helps you make the most of your choices and efforts, whether crème or powder.

Keep in mind that using contouring with cream requires different methods than contouring with powder. We’ll go over both, and you may want to read each method through in advance and decide which sounds most appropriate to your skill level and personal goals. Will you want to use it every day or is it something you’ll experiment with only for nights out, special events and so on.

Related: How To Add Eye-Catching Details to Your Look

Contouring 101: A Basic Daily Routine

To give the most useful set of tips for readers we’ll review an everyday approach to contouring that can be done in minimal time and for any complexion. Now that you know how to choose the correct contour colors for your skin tone, we can learn the tips on how to contour.

There are some basic tools you will need on hand no matter which method you will use, and these include:

• Powder brushes
• Foundation brushes or sponges
• Concealer brush
• Blender sponge or egg
• Liquid foundation matching your skin tone
• Liquid concealer or foundation a shade lighter OR highlighting shade from contour palette
• Concealer or contour color one or two shades darker than your skin tone
• Primer or BB/CC cream
• Blush to match your skin tone
• Setting powder

All methods begin with a clean face that has been fully moisturized. When dry, apply the foundation or the BB or CC product (if desired). Definitely prime the face and allow to dry.

Then do what is known as “mapping” your face. Examine the areas where you would like to create deeper shadows and areas that need to be highlighted to emphasize them. As an example many highlight the “T-zone” of the face along the bridge of the nose and center of forehead (but not to the hair line). They also highlight the upper cheekbone, the chin and even around the jaw.

Mapping also means considering areas that you will want to darken with contouring product. Common areas are along the hairline at the top of the face, at the temples or just above the outer edge of the eyebrow, just beneath the cheekbone, along the jaw, and even narrowing the nose by using contouring product in a fine line on either side of the nose.

At this point, you will also have to choose your preferred applicators. There are no rules here, but you want to remember that blush brushes make softer blending and/or contouring, angled brushes are going to create the most controlled lines, and foundation brushes can do more generalized shadow work.

Related: The User’s Guide to Our Contour and Highlight Kit – Plus 4 Great Ways to Use It!

How to Contour with Cream Products

To do basic contouring with a cream product, you use your finger to map out the contouring of the area beneath the cheekbones, under the chin and around the sides if you want to highlight the chine or lengthen the face. Also apply to the sides nose if you want to thin the bridge.

After that, you do the same, but with the highlighting product. This time draw it along the upper cheekbones, along the bridge of the nose and upward into the t-area above the brows and the center of the forehead. Apply it to the chin as well.

Blending is the real key and a damp blending egg is a real asset at such times. You use a dabbing movement to blend and merge the colors, creating a natural finish. The egg allows you optimal control as it features a finer tip perfect for blending along the nose.

If using cream product, you will find it best to use lighter hues below the eye after doing the initial blending. A dab on the chin and the center of the t-zone can also create a lot of brightness.

The final step is to just set the makeup with a loose powder applied with a fluffy brush. The powder should be sheer or translucent for the best results.

How to Contour with Powder Products

If you are skilled with makeup brushes, contouring with powders should not be too challenging. If you are not familiar with the use of brushes, it may take a bit of practice.

The technique requires you to use the contouring powder and an angled brush in the same ways that an application of cream would be done. Under the cheekbones and along the areas of the face where shadow needs to be increased.

The lighter powder is applied to the highlight areas and then a gentle circular brushing movement with a blush or foundation brush is done to ensure optimal blending. Keeping brushes free of loose powder ensures the cleanest and most natural look.

The key to contouring of any kind is to take a lot of time to find the ideal shades for your natural complexion or your general skin tone right now. It could be you that you spend a lot of time outdoors and your skin turns a darker tone in the summer. Go ahead and purchase multiple palettes and update your use of them as the tone changes.

Practice is also essential with contouring. Don’t give up if your first efforts are bad. This is a very specialized technique, but one you can master if you spend a few hours experimenting with light and shadow and how it plays out on your natural facial structure. Then finish a cream or powder application with your choice of blush, eyeshadow and lipstick to wow everyone with your fantastic makeup update!

More Great Resources on Contour Colors for Your Skin Tone:

How To Contour: 5 Steps To Perfecting Contouring

A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO HIGHLIGHTING AND CONTOURING

HOW TO CONTOUR USING ONLY CONCEALER