BRONZING VS CONTOURING
Do you know the difference between bronzing and contouring? Don’t worry if you don’t, you’re not alone! Bronzing and contouring may sound similar, but in the real beauty world each has its own purpose. But many people still use bronzing products to contour and contour products to bronze. And if you belong to these people, you need to rethink! While it’s true that both add depth and enhancement to a look, there’s a big difference between the two. Each requires different products and also it demands different techniques.
BRONZING
Bronzing is anything from the sun, giving you the perfect sun kissed glow. It’s applied on the the high point of the face, basically where the sun hits such as cheekbones, bridge of the nose, forehead and chin. You want a big fluffy brush for bronzing the skin. Bronzer shade is more on the warm side which can be shimmer, radiant or matte.
CONTOURING
Contouring is about creating a shadow to create structure, dimension and symmetry. Its applied on the low point of face such as hollow of the cheeks, jawline, temples, side of the nose. While large brush is great for bronzing, you need a small tapered brush for contouring. You want to look for taupe, cool toned shade to contour and it should always be matte. I have a detailed post about it (read it here) Still confusing? Read on for the answers to all your bronzer vs. contour questions!
It’s totally acceptable to assume bronzing and contouring the same, as they both can be used to add depth to a makeup look. The main point of difference is the purpose of each technique. When contouring, the goal is to make shadows on the face which can give the appearance of a slimmer face, more prominent cheekbones, a stronger jawline, a smaller nose, fuller lips, and more. That’s a lot with a single product. Isn’t it? On the other hand, bronzing is meant to create natural looking warmth. By applying bronzer, you can make your skin look as if you’ve been vacationing on an island, soaking up the sun.
The two techniques are meant to achieve different results, Contour-shadows and Bronzer-warmth. If you’ve ever contoured with bronzer you may have noticed your skin looked orange rather than defined. And if you have bronzed with a contour product it is likely to leave you looking grey.
DON’T FORGET TO BLEND
One of the fastest way to mess up makeup is to skip this step. It makes all the difference in whether you simply have patches of makeup on your face or you actually look sculpted or bronzed. Work your makeup brush or makeup blender over any harsh edges until they look soft and natural.
BRONZING PRODUCTS
CONTOURING PRODUCTS
Hope it cleared out the differences between bronzing and contouring!