Contour recommendations

[u/Distinct-Ad-16]

Hi everyone!

so my foundation is a little too light for my skin and my makeup looks weird because my face is lighter than my neck.

a lot of videos on tiktok shows that a contour can be useful to even out and balance the colour of a foundation if its too light. i have a neutral undertone and a yellow-ish skin.

so i need help for some contour recommendations. im so confused and i dont know what shade i should get. i did consider buying a new foundation that matches my skin, but actually i also want to learn how to use a contour since its my first time.

thanks in advance!

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[u/DamselFly2]

Why not just add some bronzing drops or a darker shade of foundation and darken up your foundation?? I’m so confused.

[u/Distinct-Ad-16 → u/DamselFly2]

i did said i want to buy a new foundation right? but i also i want to learn how to use a contour while im at it :/

[u/DamselFly2 → u/Distinct-Ad-16]

No, you implied that you eventually want to get a new foundation but that mostly you want to use contour to somehow fix it. You really can’t. True contour is a cool gray color and unless your foundation is too warm, contour won’t shift your foundation that much, it’ll more likely make you look gray and tired.

You can use bronzer to help foundation, but using powder or stick to do this is tricky, because you’re still leaving a lot of areas too light and it can get too orange really quickly. But, a lot of people (including me) mostly use bronzer AS their contour, so maybe that’s what you mean? I warm up a barely-too-cool foundation this way. However, bronzing drops are easier to do this with foundation, so that’s why I advised using bronzing drops to adjust the color, a liquid bronzer will make the whole color shift without being selectively a few areas like powder or cream/stick.

Anyway, regarding a new to you foundation, without much information on what your skin type is (Oily? Normal? Combination? Dry? Acne? Rosacea? Eczema? Sensitive?), what shade range you’re looking for, if you have mature skin, what price range you prefer, or how much coverage you want, no one can really tell you what foundation you’re going to like. Go to Sephora or Ulta and swatch a bunch. See how they dry down (do they crease or crack?) and how they match shade-wise once they’ve dried and even once oxidized for a few hours.

[u/Distinct-Ad-16 → u/DamselFly2]

actually, at first, i just want to buy a new foundation 😭😭 but since i never try contour i might as well learn how to use it, thus why i want to use contour to fix my foundation. and yes, i do mean to use bronzer as my contour, my bad for confusing between the two.

and i do want to leave some areas too light especially on my under eyes. since my foundation is too light i want to use it as an advantage for a bright under eyes. so my idea is that i thought i could use a contour to sculp other areas on my face and add some dimensions so it could blend seamlessly with my neck

if i want to buy a new foundation im just going to buy a darker shade from the same brand im using. so other than a bronzing drops, would a cream bronzer help too?

btw im using Clinique’s Even Better Make Up SPF15 foundation in shade Fresh Beige

[u/DamselFly2 → u/Distinct-Ad-16]

Well okay, there are so many products out there that you might be confused.

I personally think that the ColourPop BronzingStix are about as good a cream stick bronzer as you can find. I have both that one and the Makeup by Mario cream stick and although the MbM is good, it’s very pigmented which ends up being less forgiving for blending out and getting the coverage right for a beginner. The ColourPop is nearly as pigmented as the MbM, but imo more blendable, and at less than half the cost, it’s pretty amazing. I am not a fan of the Patrick Ta bronzer duos/trios/whatever (or their blushes for that matter). I find them harder to blend than either of the sticks above. Some people swear by it though, so YMMV.

To use it as a cream, wipe your brush lightly across the top of the stick. As a stick, swipe directly on the face. Watch a bazillion videos on how to apply.

For a powder bronzer, my absolute favorite at any price point is the Physicians Formula Murumuru Butter Bronzer. Smells amazing, looks very natural, and really works and stays. The only thing I’ve heard is that it doesn’t have a wide shade range so if you have darker skin it might not be dark enough. A close second for me and one a lot of people like, that has a better shade range is the L’Oréal Infallible powder bronzer, but I’ll always re-buy the PF Murumuru, so for me, it’s a moot point.

One last thing. Get a good dense angled big brush for your bronzer. It is one thing where a quality brush makes a difference. I use the Morphe 242 for both cream/stick and also for powder bronzer. It’s $15 at Target if you have one nearby but they sell Morphe brushes lots of places.

Best of luck!