Beauty trends

Game changer

WHEN IT COMES TO DEFINING OUR FEATURES, CELEBRITY MAKE-UP ARTIST SCOTT BARNES IS THE CONTOUR CONNOISSEUR

WORDS CHARLOTTE BRUNDRETT

While it may look simple, contouring can make or break a make-up look. We asked contour king Scott Barnes — make-up artist to celebrities such as Penelope Cruz, J.Lo and Kim Kardashian — to share his expertise for enhancing or minimising facial features.

Understand the basics

Contouring is essentially about using light and shade on specifi c areas of the face to highlight or minimise features.

“(For me), it started from being a Fine Arts major and painting with light and letting the shadows recess,” Scott says.

Unique technique

Most people apply contouring over a make-up base such as foundation, but Scott’s take is unique because he “underpaints” his contouring, which means it is applied before foundation.

“The way I have always done make-up has become a movement,” Scott says.

“It began when Kim Kardashian and I posted on Instagram and it went viral with 60 million views, that’s how the process of ‘underpainting’ became a mainstream thing.”

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Underpainting versus traditional contouring

“The technique looks softer and more natural on the skin. The great part about contouring underneath your foundation is that it creates dimension and structure,” Scott says.

“That’s why I coined the phrase ‘snatchural’; it’s snatched, but it’s natural.”

Master it at home

“I always go three shades deeper than what your natural skin tone is for the deepest tone,” he says.

“You need diff erent colours for diff erent parts of your face. For instance, the jawline should be a bit darker and underneath the chin, to accentuate and defi ne the jawline.”

Scott does not believe in a one-size-fi ts-all approach. Instead, he advises assessing which features you want to bring forward or minimise.

“If you are someone with a high forehead, contouring the top of the forehead can bring this down.

“You can create cheekbones where you might not have them or make them look more pronounced, and you can even contour lips to make them appear fuller.

“You want to keep the centre of the face lighter to create a ‘lit from within glow’, which is what originally made this technique so popular.”

WE LIKE Revlon Colorstay Light Cover Foundation, $24.99; Glam by Manicare Precision Highlight/ Contour Brush, $17.99; Nude by Nature Contour Palette, $33.49; Rimmel Glow Stick Highlighter Bubbly, $13.49; Revlon Beauty Tools Dual Ended Blush & Contour Brush, $16.49

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Don’t go overboard

“The best advice I’ve ever received is knowing when to stop,” Scott says.

“Using the wrong type of contour will create a mud eff ect on the face.

“You want products that stay put underneath, so when you put the foundation on top of it, it doesn’t slide around your face blending everything into one tone and creating a mud bath.”

For more visit YouTube channel ScottBarnesTV.

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