When I was first asked to write a blog post about sculpting with the PureBronze Matte Bronzer, I was a little apprehensive. I had never quite mastered contouring as a skill, having spent years trying to contour my round, pale face with bronzers that were always too orange for my skin tone.
Luckily, I knew the person to turn to for expert guidance: Shawn, our Director of Art and Education, who graciously offered to give me a tutorial on how to create a naturally sculptural look.
The lesson
When sculpting the face, Shawn recommends highlighting first and then contouring, as this makes it easier to tell where you need to add definition. To highlight, choose a shade that’s a few shades lighter than your skin tone, or use a product that has luminosity to create a similar lifting effect.
Once the highlighter is blended, apply the contour with a contour brush to the areas of the face you want to pull back. Common areas of bronzer placement include: along the hairline, in the hollows of the cheeks, along the nose, and along the jawline. Pro tip: When sculpting the jawline, remember to start behind the ear so there isn’t an obvious line where the contour begins.
Then, when you’ve achieved the desired level of sculpting, the key to making it all look natural is blending everything together. Thoroughly. Keep the areas closest to the hairline darker and gradually blend the color in more with the contour brush as you move towards the middle of the face.
Makeup
To prepare my face for makeup, I prime my skin with the Smooth Affair Brightening Face Primer. Then I put the Glow Time Pro™ BB Cream in GT1 on my cheeks, forehead, chin and nose and blend it quickly with the Blending/Contouring Brush. (I find a little of this product goes a long way and it dries quickly, so it’s important to start blending as soon as possible.)
When it comes to highlighters, I like to go light vs. matte, so I add a little Active Light® Concealer under the eyes 1 on the high points of my face, blending it out with the Blending/Contouring Brush. For extra glow, I top it off with Glow Time® Highlighter Stick in Solstice.
I sweep PureBronze Matte Bronzer Light(Shawn’s recommendation as it’s not an overly warm toned bronzer), under my cheekbones around my forehead and under my jawline, combined with the Blending/Contouring Brush.
Since I have a rounder face, I skip adding blush to the apples of my cheeks and instead apply Glow Time® Blush Stick in Balmy from my temple, along the top of my cheekbone to the center of my cheek.
I add the PureBrow® Precision Pencil inside Dark brown on my brows for definition, swipe the shimmery rose gold shadow from Ravishing PurePressed® Eye Shadow Trio on my lids and lengthen my lashes with Longest Lash® Thickening and Lengthening Mascara Black ice.
I finish off the look with a swipe of our NEW ColorLuxe Moisturizer Lipstick Sorbet for a subtle hint of coral.
Looking in the mirror, I’m pleasantly surprised to see that my face looks naturally sculpted and lifted. I also don’t look orange. (Big shout out to Shawn and the Sculpting 101 Contour Guide.)
