I spent an hour yesterday with Matthew Tyler, the International Director of Tom Ford Beauty, talking about all things beauty and soon enough, our tête à tête turned to the art of contouring. “Tom Ford did not study fashion as so many think; he studied architecture. So, in Mr. Ford’s own terms, contouring is called facial architecture,”said Tyler.
He went on to simplify the contouring—(ahem) facial architecture—trend that many beauty mavens are starting to familiarize themselves with. The aim is to “identify key areas on the face to both shade and illuminate to create a more sculpted and beautiful bone structure,” regardless of what Mother Nature gave us—hoorah.
After all, what is makeup if not a little bit of smoke and mirrors?
You do not need several products to contour your face, just one palette will do—such as this Tom Ford Shade & Illuminate (US $77; AED/SAR 281)product which contains both the light and dark shades that you will need to achieve a Christy Turlington set of sharp cheekbones.
Matthew Tyler shows us just where to place the contour stripes—
above the brows, below the cheekbone, and under the jaw line.
How to apply?
To shade…
Start with the darker shade and draw an inch-thick line directly from the side of your eyebrow up towards the temple.
Find the lower edge of your cheekbone and create a stripe up towards the ear.
Lastly, trace underneath your jaw line and then blend using a foundation brush complete with a fluffy head (or a stippling brush).
To illuminate…
Once you have identified the areas to shade, the areas to illuminate are easy to spot. Take the pearlescent illuminator across the top of the cheekbones, from the apples of the cheeks to the temples.
Next, smooth a little illuminator underneath the arch of your eyebrows and lastly, draw a fine sweep down the bridge of the nose towards the tip.
What tools should I use?
If you’re feeling indulgent, opt for the white-tipped brushes from Tom Ford’s beauty line for a seamless application. If you are a beauty brush collector, you may find that you already have adequate application apparatus. Please note that for contouring, brushes rather than sponges will offer a more precision finish.
Tom Ford Shade & Illuminate Brush
US $72; AED/SAR 263
www.tomford.com
Tom Ford Cream Foundation Brush
US $72; AED/SAR 263
www.tomford.com
