First, forget everything you think you know about contouring, says makeup artist Suzy Gerstein. Trying too hard to replicate that look “tends to lead women to try and chisel out something that might not exist naturally, resulting in overly made up and cookie-cutter makeup looks—not to mention layers and layers of product,” she says. Instead she suggests approaching it by asking yourself: How can I bring out what’s already here? “That results in more strategic product choices and placement rather than one million steps that just look crazy in real life,” she explains. As in, work with what you have, not against it.
Susan Posnick, makeup artist and founder of Susan Posnick Cosmetics, makes a similar point. “Remember, contouring is all about the illusion of gently altering a face or nose shape,” she says. “It is not something you want to see when looking at a woman’s face.” You want people to assume that your face is naturally defined.