When You Contour Every Day, This Is What Happens To Your Skin
Although Kim Kardashian didn't invent the concept of contouring your face with makeup, she, and a slew of influencers with YouTube tutorials, certainly made it accessible to everybody. While some people only contour for special occasions, others have a daily routine that includes chiseling their features with the strategic use of a highlighter and bronzer. It seems that heavy contouring is out this year, but beauty companies still sell plenty of kits to make the process seamless.
To accent and minimize certain features, you might place stripes or dots of different colored concealer, highlighter, and bronzer on your face in specific areas, and then blend it all with a beauty sponge. The carefully sculpted look is excellent with the proper lighting for photos, but it can be jarring in real life. "I am yet to see one of the avid Instagram contouring advocates looking as appealing in person," Teresa Karpinska, stylist and founder of Style Drifter Shop, told Vogue. Makeup Artist Nicole Moleti agrees, notingthat many times, a heavy contour is easy to see from far away (via PopSugar).
Another drawback of daily contouring, if you layer on loads of makeup each day, it can take away from your natural skin, and it might leave your face less healthy. While wearing a small bit of bronzer and highlighter can make your features pop, too much heavy contouring can put the focus on your makeup.
The surprising downsides of daily contouring
Daily contouring takes time, and it usually involves several layers of products, which can add up and clog your pores. Flux Magazine wrote, "One sure way to ruin your skin using makeup is by applying too much of it. Cosmetic products, no matter how good, will clog pores to some extent. If you apply multiple layers on your skin, you will clog them for good, which can cause acne."
For Nicole Moleti, the time factor is only part of the problem. "To think that you will now add a good 15-20 minutes to your beauty routine is quite unrealistic. It's not just the striping on of various "greige" shades to your skin. You then have to spend laborious time BLENDING the heck out of these stripes with your little blender" (via PopSugar). Also, she boldly stated that people wear too much makeup, which doesn't look good and doesn't help ensure your skin remains healthy.
Teresa Karpinska agreed. "We all know that in the long run, less is more," she explained. "All the contouring fad has done, in my eyes, is create a market niche driving increased consumerism, which goes against the global trends of decluttering and living in a more minimalist fashion." The added products also leave your skin clogged and more challenging to clean properly. Her advice? She believes your skin should be in such excellent condition that makeup is something that serves to enhance instead of altering your face (via Vogue).