Learning to Highlight and Contour With My New BYS Contour & Highlighting Kit ...And Here's The Result!

I think this BYS Contour and Highlighting Kit has been in my makeup stash forever but I have always been  intimidated by the words Highlighting and Contouring (HAC). I looked at different HAC photos and they look so perfect and I just thought I would never be able to pull it off on my own face.

Contouring is a technique using cosmetics to define and enhance facial structure. Contouring is usually produced by placing a warm or cool toned brown colour in the hollows of the cheeks, on the side of the nose, and on the temples to give a slimming effect on the face. It can be complemented with a highlighter on the apples on the cheeks and the tip of the nose.

If I never try, I will never ever learn, ayt? Moreover, there's always room for mistakes. It's not like the world will end tomorrow. So I took this palette out and just dusted it off, sort of and started exploring and swatching the colors.

Those pans are huge, by the way. Anyone who's really addicted to contouring would be glad that there's and ample amount of powders here.

Here are the details written on the back on the cardboard of this kit.

Ingredients

There's also some sort of tutorial at the back and there's an illustration about where to place the powders.

Tutorial

Tutorials

Colors
I'll discuss the colors one by one.

The first color is tagged as a bronzer but it actually works like a blusher to me. It's a light brownish-peach color with minimal glitters. The glitters don't actually register in this photo because like I said, they're very light. I love using this as a blusher and it's the most used pan in this palette. It never fails to give me a warm glow.

Bronzer

The second one is a brown contour powder. I like it because it has neutral undertone; no redness in it which makes it really perfect for contouring.

Contour

The third one is a bronze bronzer that I'm really scared to use on  my face because it's very metallic. So I use it with very light hand just on the peripheries of my face. I also love using it on my arms. I mix it with some body lotion for a shimmering effect.

Bronzer

The last one in the palette is a champagne-hued highlighter. However, because it sits next to the ultra bronze bronzer, and also because my daughter loves prying into my makeup stuff and mixing different colors, it has retained some bronze-ness in it.

Highlight

Swatches

Under natural light, without flash.

Indoor, with flash. See how lovely that peach bronzer/blusher is?

Highlighting and Contouring In Action :)

For the first photo, I have just finished my foundation. I look pale and my face just looks flat. Then I start the contouring process.

Step 1: Mapping my face. So there, you can see on the second photo that I've placed the contouring powder on the key parts. I have, quiet a wide forehead so I put the contouring powder near my hairline. I also placed some on the hollow of my cheeks and on my jawline and also on the sides of my nose.

Step 2: Blend it out nice and well so that there would be no harsh lines. The third photo shows my face after the blending process. So it's the first time that I've actually taken before and after photos and I'm liking the results. Contouring does give dimensions to the face. My nose is still kinda too brown so I just kept on blending out.

Step 3: Get lit. I put the highlighter just above the cheekbones, on the bridge of the nose, on the center of my forehead and on my cupid's bow. I also added the peach bronzer/blusher on my cheeks.

Step 4: Set. The fourth photo is my finished work, after adding some setting spray.

Does it look okay? (^_^) I kinda like it. It's not perfect just yet but I know I'm getting there. For realz tho, I'm glad that I decided to learn how to highlight and contour. It's not something I would do everyday for work makeup but it would certainly come handy on days that I want to look slimmer. I'm not doing it because I'd like to look cool like Kim K; it made me look alive and glowing. Kim K or not I'm lovin' this makeup trick. 

The quality of the powders in BYS Contour and Highlighting Kit are great! They're so fine and soft and never feel chalky on the skin. The staying power is not that long though, specially if you have oily skin so I suggest using primer and setting sprays if you want it to stay put and last long.

BTW, I got this kit from the Glamourbox X BYS Matte Maven Special Edition Box. Might you want to check out that unboxing. 

Meanwhile, I'll keep practicing my HAC because 'Practice makes......permanent'. Ha ha

XO,

Carissa

BTW, I used this brushes for the sculpting process. Click here to read the full review of this brush set.

Fo' blendin'.