ROSIE GREEN: How to give yourself a 60-second facelift
- It’s the make-up trick that will refresh your looks in an instant: Rosie Green throws some light on the art of contouring
Fancy giving your face a lift, getting a more defined jawline and opening up your eyes without spending too much time, money or effort? Thought so. Well, it turns out you just need bronzer and a buffing brush. Welcome to age-appropriate contouring.
Rewind to the 1990s and the first time I encountered contouring in real life was on Boy George. To create a more defined jawline he’d shaded underneath it with a mud-brown colour. It worked, sort of, but looked pantomime-esque.
The basic principle of contouring is that a dark colour makes things recede and light brings them forward. This make-up trick can be used to reshape the face into a more ‘idealised’ version of beauty. Popularised by the likes of the Kardashians a decade or so ago, it’s a technique generally deployed to emphasise cheekbones, widen eyes and create dainty little chins.
More recently, Victoria Beckham has been raving about its transformative powers, saying, ‘I’ve never had a nose job’ but adding that she ‘refines’ hers with contouring.
For me, and I suspect you, it’s less about achieving Barbie looks and more about giving our faces a subtle lift. So I asked two make-up artists, Jamie Genevieve and Rose-Marie Swift, whose approach and make-up lines (Vieve and RMS Beauty respectively) I love, for their tricks and tips.
Using a bronzer can be a flattering option as, says Genevieve, some contouring products are too grey. Swift also advises avoiding products that look ‘too orange, dark or glittery’. Try RMS Beauty ReDimension Hydra Bronzer or Elf Primer-infused Matte Bronzer (both below).
RMS Beauty ReDimension Hydra Bronzer, £33, spacenk.com; Elf Primer-infused Matte Bronzer, £7, elfcosmetics.co.uk
For a more lifted look, apply contour/bronzer high up – on the cheekbones themselves. Swift explains that placing it in the ‘gully of the cheek takes away volume and drags the face down’. Genevieve adds, ‘Traditionally we use bronzer in the hollows of the cheeks, then apply blush above it, then highlighter above that, but to lift an older face I use them all much closer together.’
Switch your fluffy brush for a small, more precise one. Genevieve loves her brand’s Sculpted Complexion Brush (below), because it hugs the cheekbones and allows her to be more exact than with a big brush. For a budget buy we like Real Techniques Snatch + Sculpt Contour Brush (below).
Real Techniques Snatch + Sculpt Contour Brush, £11.99, superdrug.com; Vieve Sculpted Complexion Brush, £26, vieve.co.uk
Victoria Beckham Contour Stylus, £35, victoriabeckhambeauty.com
To hide jowls, brush bronzer along the jawline and then under it. ‘Just make sure you blend it down the neck,’ says Genevieve. While she favours powders, I like to use the Victoria Beckham Contour Stylus (right) for this.
For eyes that look wide awake, use a cream bronzer just above the crease.
Lastly, remember, subtlety is key. ‘Ninety per cent of people use too much product,’ says Genevieve.
Rosie's beauty clinic
Introducing our new column dedicated to your dilemmas
Q My shins are marked due to the drugs I’m taking and scars from minor trauma. Is there an effective camouflage cream I can use as I’d love to go bare legged this summer?
Marianne Cotton
A Invest in Mac Face & Body Foundation (£35, lookfantastic.com). A little goes a long way, delivering decent coverage and a natural finish. Make-up artists use it on shoots and at fashion shows as it has a lasting waterproof- and transfer-proof formula.
Q I’m 78 and want to know what to do about my eyebrows. The remaining hairs are turning white and my usual brow pencil doesn’t cover them.
Denise Haslam
A You need to use a creamy product that coats the hairs to both define and volumise. Try my favourite Revlon ColorStay Brow Fiber Filler (£9.99, lookfantastic.com).
Q I’m interested in dermaplaning [removing facial hair with a special scalpel-like blade] but does it give you stubble? Also, how often should I do it and can I use it on my moustache?
Leanne Vincent
A I’ve recently tried it on my peach fuzz and was impressed by how much brighter it made my skin look. I didn’t get any stubble and, yes, I did use it on my moustache.
I do it about once a month and, after originally trying Gillette Venus Exfoliating Dermaplaning Razor (£14.99), I’ve moved on to its Mini Facial Hair Remover (£26.99, both gillette.co.uk), a tiny battery-powered machine with gently rotating blades.
Send your beauty queries to alice.robertson@mailonsunday.co.uk, using the subject line ASK ROSIE
Deputy beauty editor: Alice Robertson
