Strobing versus Sculpting

Everyone’s crazy about it and I get a lot of questions about it from friends, clients and on social media. “My face looks huge in photos. How can I make it look smaller?”, “How do I recreate that nose shading I see on celebs?”, “What do you do to contour a prominent jawline?”

Ah, yes. That age-old question of contouring and highlighting which, thanks to a famous reality TV family, has gained worldwide following and frankly has made women go overboard with this trend. To be honest, this makeup “trick” has been around for decades and makeup artists have relied on their skills in reshaping the face using different shades of base or foundation to create symmetry and dimension to an otherwise “unbalanced” face. Before there was even Photoshop or special effects, artists worked carefully with photographers and directors at shoots by adjusting to different lighting situations through the use of different contouring and highlighting methods to get that perfect shot on a celebrity or model.

The novice reader will ask, “What exactly is contouring and highlighting?” Basically, contouring is the use of dark shades to create the illusion of shadows such as on the hollows of the cheeks, on the jawline and on the sides of the bridge of the nose.  Highlighting means applying light reflecting and illuminating shades to make recessed areas of the face look prominent.

But with the dawn of HD TV and high resolution photography (read: smartphones) gone are the days when women can get away with going heavy handed on these products while making their makeup look natural. When done incorrectly, contouring can make a face look, well, beat up and not sculpted. Using too much highlighter on the other hand and on wrong areas of the face can make you look “oily” instead of “glowing.”

So now arrives this new trend called “strobing.” As NYC-based M.A.C. Cosmetics Director of Makeup and Artistry Romero Jennings described in his recent makeup master class in Manila, “Strobing is the New Contouring.” Some would also call strobing the “anti-contour” because it essentially means applying light-reflecting or luminizing products on strategic areas of the face. Unlike contouring which would entail using darker shades of powder or foundation to sculpt the face, strobing is highlighting the points of the face where light is naturally supposed to hit, such as on the bridge of the nose, high on the cheekbones and on the brow bone. It looks more natural and with a lit-from-within glow that still creates the illusion of contouring but without the harsh lines.

I personally recommend strobing or highlighting products that are cream or gel based with a hint of shimmer particles. There are also new powder highlighters that can be applied damp to create the same effect. Remember that the finish you want is natural and glowing, not matte and chalky. You can try the iconic M.A.C. Strobe Cream, A moisturizer that boosts the look of dull skin and luminizes with iridescent particles. This is a makeup artist’s staple and can be used under foundation. Another product I recommend is MAKE UP FOR EVER Uplight, a face luminizer gel which contains more than 70 percent water for a fresh and light feeling on the skin. You can mix this product with your existing foundation and apply on the highlight areas. For those who are more comfortable with powder, you can try the new NARS Cosmetics Dual-Intensity Blush in Jubilation which contains a Sparkling Yellow-Gold Highlighter and a Shimmer Nude-Peach in a duo palette. Dampen NARS’ exclusive Wet/Dry Blush Brush before application for a translucent wash of color.

Again, remember to apply these products sparingly and only on certain areas of the face. Unless you want to look like you’ve been dipped in oil instead of fresh and glowing. The key is to apply a small amount in the beginning and blend, blend, blend. Oh, and at the end of the day, you can always wash it off and try again. After all, it’s just makeup – so have fun with it. Get glowing, ladies!