Bronzer for Contouring, or no?

Dec 27, 2014

Erika W.

So I wanna start getting into highlighting & contouring, and I'm really confused about something I keep hearing. Bronzer apparently is the worst thing you could use for contouring because of the shimmery brown tone to it, causing the contour to look more like mud on the face then a shadow, but yet, everyone I see on YouTube uses bronzer to contour.
So I'm confused & wondering where you ladies stand on the issue. Also, if you're not supposed to use bronzer, what should you use?!

Dec 27, 2014

ramie x.

A lot of beauty gurus on YouTube do use bronzer, I've heard of you want to use a bronzer it should be a cool toned matte bronzer. What a better thing to use is a foundation or concealer that's darker than you or you could invest in a contour palette.

Dec 27, 2014

Hala A.

Matte bronzers would work better for contouring.

Dec 27, 2014

Erika W.

So a cool toned matte bronzer should be ok?? I think I'd probably try & darker foundation, seems like a safer bet, I've heard people recommending that too... But should it be powder or liquid??

Dec 27, 2014

Hannah K.

Bronzer is the wrong product for contouring for several reasons:

It is often shimmery, which is not what you want when trying to create a shadow.

It is also often orange in tone, and though not all bronzers are, bronzers are warm toned and therefore unsuited to the task of contouring, which entails making a darker, almost grey toned shadow. Shadows are not orange.

If, somehow, you found a bronzer that was a matte, cool, grey toned brown, bronzers are also often sheer and therefore require a more heavy handed application. That's why, when people contour with bronzer, it can often end up looking dirty or muddy, because they have to apply and blend a thick layer of product.

Take, for example, Jaclyn Hill. Her contouring always looks like a terrible, orange, muddy mess. That's basically what happens when you use bronzers for contouring.

In short, what you're trying to do with contouring is create the illusion of shadows, which are cool and grey toned in nature. Bronzers are specifically designed to give a bronzed glow to your face, so you should apply it on the high points of your face, where the sun would hit. Bronzers are simply not the correct product for contouring. They will never give the desired effect, though of course if you have nothing else they can be used.

I'd ask Jackie and Alma what they recommend, as I myself don't contour or have experience with contour products. I do know that she highly recommends the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder. If nothing else, a concealer or foundation two shades darker will work in a pinch. Hope this clarified it for you! :)

Dec 27, 2014

Ashley D.

Hannah W. Alma recommend Kevyn Aucoin sculpting powder. She said it's the best thing for contouring since it's the original product.

Dec 27, 2014

Hannah K.

Good point, they do both really love it :)

Dec 27, 2014

Monica K.

I have the Kevyn Aucoin sculpting powder, I bought it here on Beautylish. I'm not a MUA just love makeup. The sculpting powder is great! A little goes a long way.

Dec 27, 2014

Kathryn R.

I use Sephora sculpting contour duo.

Dec 27, 2014

Kathryn R.

I also have a little drugstore trick. I'll take a concealer stick in a super dark color, meant for dark dark skin. I use it to draw a line down the hollows of my cheeks and blend. For me personally, it works awesome.

Dec 27, 2014

Erika W.

Hannah W I was hoping you'd comment on this, I saw you saying something about why bronzer is wrong on another post! Lol.

Dec 27, 2014

Hannah K.

I have this reply saved on my phone! :) no problem, I did a lot of research about a year ago when this question popped up at least 12 times a day...Jackie and Alma are great at explaining this as well, and Jordan Liberty has a video on Youtube about why bronzer is wrong.

Dec 27, 2014

Erika W.

So, Hannah, what would you say is best for contouring??

Dec 27, 2014

Hannah K.

I'm inclined to agree with Jackie and Alma, since I don't actually contour or wear face makeup on the regular. Occasionally if I'm messing around, I'll try it but I normally use concealer darker than my skin because that's what I have. It seems to work fine :)

Dec 27, 2014

Emily W.

Can I just point out that there is no such thing as cool-toned bronzer? Why people keep suggesting that as an option I have no idea, but it doesn't exist. A bronzer by definition is warm. End of story.

Dec 28, 2014

Kathryn R.

Because any brown can have pink (cool) undertones. I agree, bronzers are supposedly meant for warming areas of the face, however I have seen some brown bronzers with a pink undertone.

Dec 28, 2014

Kathryn R.

And gray.

Dec 28, 2014

Shelley W.

I used to pull out bronzer for a light contour to cancel out the roundness in my face. After being schooled about the real deal I immediately stopped and went on a contour powder buying spree. A gray based contour powder looks far better on me and I felt so embarrassed that for years I was using bronzer to do the job. I even see beauties use the right product and still misuse it. It should be lightly applied or else you completely defeat the purpose of contouring. And having the right brush is beneficial as well. Makeup is a subjective thing and what looks appeasing to one person might be the opposite for another. So while using bronzer as a contour for me is not the best I can't knock those who do.

Dec 28, 2014

Fazila S.

Contouring is done to create fake shadow on the face where we need it. Shadows are of greyish color so we should use a brown with grey/cool undertone. Kevyn aucoin sculpting kit, makeup for ever sculpting kit and anastasia Beverly Hills have nice contour colors.

Dec 29, 2014

Christine M.

Myself I just use a foundation that is quite A bit darker then what I use for my face. Looks natural,easy application, and no shimmer. I also have an essence bronzer that isn't shimmery and has a nice colour without being orangey at all :)

Dec 31, 2014

Liilly M.

Personally, I think bronzer is better than contouring, I haven't tried them, but I've seen it, and that's just what I got out of it.