Using the right tones to contour

So I'm constantly getting asked about the right tones for contouring and bronzing and I'm always seeing so many people use the wrong shades to contour. When you use the wrong shades to contour you can either look really muddy/dirty or too orange. Contouring is meant to be faded in the background because it's used to create an illusion. when contouring the nose with powders we are making it seem thinner/more in shape than it really is so if you are using the complete opposite of your undertone it can look really obvious.

Knowing your skin tone is the first step to getting the right shades to contour. You are either cool toned, warm toned or neutral. I have taken pictures and swatches of my favorite powders to contour with. Before I get in to that I want to explain more about undertones. When you know your undertone it is so much easier to match your own foundation, concealer, blush, lipstick. It is all down to color theory. I know many of you have come to me and said "the girls at makeup counters always match me wrong!" but if YOU yourself know your skin type you wont have to waste so much money on different foundations you are matched to.

WARM UNDERTONES
You fall into this category when you have golden/olive or yellow tones. You can tell if you look under your wrist and your veins are mostly green.

COOL UNDERTONES
You fall into this category when you have beige or pink tones. If you look under your wrist your veins are mostly blue.

NEUTRAL
Those with no obvious tones of olive, yellow, or pink. People with this skin tone tend to have the easiest time finding foundation, concealer, and powders that are just right for them. If you look under your wrist your veins are a mixture of blue and green.

Contouring Powders

NARS CASINO - $38

ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS CONTOUR REFILLS - $14

MAKEUP FOREVER SCULPTING KIT - $48

SLEEK CONTOUR KIT - £6.49

If you use the warm tones and you have cool tones your face will end up looking really muddy. I use the warm tones on people with olive skin like Sonia. The warmth works well with tanned skin. If you are latina, middle eastern or indian this will work well -HOWEVER a lot of the times if you are much more fair the warm colors can look muddy.
Cool tones work well for Caucasian/European skin since it has pink under tones it will look very subtle and easy to work with. if you are fair skinned anyway the cool tones will work well. (i use the cool tones to contour with and I have swatches on my arm)

  As you can see the cool tones work better with my skin tone (the shades swatched are for different skin colors with the same undertone)
The warm colors are too orange for me and would end up looking muddy the more I blend them out and I would be left with a dirty looking face.

Using matte products to contour with is much more realistic looking than a shimmer. There are so many contour powders/bronzers out there but knowing your own skin tone helps a lot when choosing the right one for you.
When it comes to application, realize that whatever part of your face you apply contour to is going to recede visually, making the area next to it pop out. So you want to apply under your cheekbone (never on top), around your hairline and the outermost edge of your face, on either side of your nose (never the bridge), just under your nose (above the center of your top lip) and just under the center of your bottom lip. Do not veer from these areas of application and you'll be contouring just right. Going over your contour with a clean powder brush all over the face gives you a blended, seamless finish.

It can be pretty difficult to understand undertones at first but I tried my best and I really hoped it helped you. xxx Fyza