How to Contour Without Bronzer

Non-Touring 101

When you think of contouring, a deep-toned bronzer probably comes to mind. Whether it be a powder, stick, or cream, bronzers typically play a major role in sculpting the face. But if you’ve run out of your favorite bronzing formula, don’t fret! You can still achieve perfectly-sculpted features without it. We share a step-by-step guide to contouring without bronzer, ahead.

Hide Dark Circles

After foundation, we reach for concealer to help minimize the look of discoloration and blemishes. If you’re dealing with pesky dark circles, help reduce their appearance and immediately brighten the look of your eye contour with a few dabs of concealer. Using your fingers or a concealer brush, create upside-down triangles beginning under your eyes and meeting the apples of your cheeks. Blend until even for an instant brightening effect.

Show Off Your Cheekbones

Contouring is one of the easiest ways to add shape and dimension to your face, and one of the best areas to target are your cheeks. Glide a highlighter over the high points of your cheekbones. Accentuating this area will help catch the light and make your cheekbones appear more sculpted and defined.

Perk Up Your Brow Bone

Next up? Brows. Highlighting your brow bones can help your eye contour appear lifted and bright. Since the brow bone is so close to the eyelids, feel free to get creative with the highlighter you reach for. Go natural with a nude-based highlighter, or reach for a highlighter with undertones that match your eyeshadow look. Dust a powder highlighter right below your eyebrows, or blend in a few dabs of your favorite liquid formula for a subtle brightening effect.

Highlight the Bridge of Your Nose

Highlighting down the bridge of the nose can help the area appear sculpted. Think about it: Highlighters can help give the illusion of a “lifted” surface area, so running a bit of highlighter down the bridge of the nose can help it look more pronounced.

Don’t Forget Your Cupid’s Bow

To complete your non-touring look, there’s one last place you need to highlight—your cupid’s bow! The cupid’s bow—the V-shape dimple above your top lip—is one of our favorite areas to highlight. Not only can doing so help complete the all-over glow look, it can also bring about the illusion of a more voluminous pout.

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