One of the newest makeup trends in today’s ever-changing culture is called “contouring”. Although this contouring trend may have started from the “pros of contouring”, The Kardashians and their makeup artist, Mario Dedivanovic, the trend existed long before it gained its popularity today.
Contouring actually has been a thing since mid 1500’s. Stage actors in Elizabethan England, the era of Shakespeare, would apply chalk to their faces, so that the audience members could read their expressions clearly.
In the 1920’s, contouring made its way to the film world, and in 1934, Legendary makeup artist Max Factor was the go to for applying makeup to stage actors. Factor had his own spin on the technique for shading the face so it didn’t appear too flat. His makeup school released the first step by step class on how to contour the face.
In the 1950’s the glamourous actresses, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor had contouring down. Their self portraits consisted of subtle contouring that the average person could not recognize.
Today, however, contouring has taken on a whole new kind of popularity. You have probably seen the strange videos on Twitter or Instagram of people contouring their feet or their legs. (Yeah, that’s a thing).
However, the contouring queen, Kim Kardashian, has recently said, in an interview with Elle Magazine, “I’m officially over contouring”. Kim says “ I think right now it’s more about non-touring, like real skin with less makeup on it”.
But, don’t worry, we still have contouring tricks from her makeup artist, Mario Dedivanovic. He gave some of his contouring tips to HELLO!.com.
”Start with the cheekbones, go along the hairline, under the edge of the jawline and, if you are feeling brave, down either side of the nose,” said Dedivanovic. “Pretty much every face benefits from sculpting under the cheekbones. It warms up your face and accentuates your cheekbones and that is aesthetically beautiful.”
According to HELLO!.com, Dedivanovic addresses that there are common difficulties and mistakes people can make .
“It’s hard to sculpt the nose; the secret is to use minimum product and to blend. Not blending is the biggest mistake people make. The aim is to mimic the natural shadows and light that appear on the face, so you should never see a harsh line. I see a lot of extreme contouring on social media; this is not for everyday and does not suit most women,” says Dedivanovic.
Mastering the contour can be very difficult, but sculpting the face with only makeup is a skill. Best of luck to those who attempt this makeup phenomenon. May your selfies be as on point as Kim Kardashian’s.
Maria is a Staff Reporter who has spent two full semesters at Hawk Headlines. She enjoys binge-watching Netflix and getting lots of sleep.
