Brides beware!
There is this crazy trend in bridal beauty where brides feel they need to be super contoured like a Kardashian. Brides are often showing me pictures of overblown contour, thinking it's the ultimate in makeup, and telling me thats what they want. Sometimes it can take a lot of explaining to maneuver them back out of what could be a real makeup disaster.
Don't be the victim of a bridal beauty blunder.
Firstly let me say Kim Kardashian invariably looks fabulous.
No question.
But she lives her life in a very different lighting situation to that of 99% of all brides.
I loved this quote from Jezebel:
Sure, love is a battlefield, but makeup isn't supposed to look like warpaint...
Makeup artists have been contouring forever. It's part of how we create balance in the face, bring out the best in your features, and diminish the things we don't want to draw attention to.
But there is a huge difference between the contouring that a pro makeup artist does on a shoot, and that which we see all over Instagram and You tube.
Contour should be subtle, and only used where needed.
It should blend away seamlessly into the complexion, so that you can't see where it is, you only see a beautiful face.
It looks as though the majority of IG contour has been stolen from the Drag Queen playbook. And don't get me wrong - I love my drag queens. In fact I adore them.
Drag Queens utilize significant contouring to take their very manly facial features and soften them into female features. They soften their jawlines and foreheads, streamline their noses, create cheekbones to die for. What they do is brilliant. But much of the time it is designed to look stunning with a wig, under bright lights, at night.
Not to be photographed outdoors at 2 o'clock on Saturday afternoon in natural light, with a soft swishy updo and a white gown.
If you step in to kiss a Drag Queen's cheek there is an expectation that she will be wearing a heavy layer of makeup. If you step up to a bride you are expecting her to look radiant and beautiful, not excessively made up with completely overblown contour.
 |
| contour gone wrong... |
You may think your extreme contour looks okay (ish) in the makeup chair, but when you step outside its an entirely different story.
Sunlight is going to pick up all those white lines in your highlight and flare right off them, literally giving you white stripes and white patches, meanwhile the dark areas are going to grab the light. If they are too dark, or have the wrong undertone, or aren't blended properly your skin will look muddy.
If your contour is not blended to the nth degree you will look like you have stripes on your face.
With brides I find that most of the time a little well placed
non glittery and non sparkly highlight, blended to perfection into a gorgeous, sheer foundation is all you need to create the illusion of a natural contour.
Make your focus be a flawless, beautiful complexion (that looks lovely at close range) and your wedding makeup will look absolutely stunning.
