I’ll be the first to admit that I am no makeup guru. In my teens, I just did what my mom did, which wasn’t much (a powder foundation and mascara– That’s it). I added bronzer to the mix and ended up over bronzering my face for years… Orange much? I didn’t even use a concealer for under my eyes until a few years ago– Yikes.
So, needless to say my makeup routine has been quite the journey. Anybody feel me?
I’m very happy to say that I now have a much healthier and more effective makeup regime (hooray!). One of my favorite new easy to use products that I’ve found is Maskara’s IIID Foundation and I’m super excited to share it with you!!
We’ve all seen those scary Pinterest photos where girls have those crazy intense contour lines all over their face. It always remind me of some sort of Halloween feline makeup… A tiger, maybe? Anyway, this is NOT that.
Yes, it’s a contour palette, but do not fear! It’s super easy to use and appears very natural, thank the heavens. I’m not a big fan of a super heavy contour, so I’m going to show you an easy, every day look with Maskara’s IIID Foundation.
There are 4 colors in the palette: The darker contour shade, the lighter highlight foundation shade, the illuminator and the blush. The specific colors I have are Ash Contour, Aura Highlight, Honey Illuminator and Desert Sunset Blush.
Maskcara offers a bunch of different shades for different skin tones, and you can check those out here.
Also just FYI, when you’re done applying everything, you’ll use a blending tool, so if you look insane at first, that’s totally normal! Everything looks a little separated in the beginning but it’ll all come together 😉
Now, let’s get going!
You’re going to want to start with the contour shade. I have Maskcara’s 30 Second HAC Brush (which I looove) and I used the flat end of that brush for this step. It’s really nice to kind of carve out where your cheek bones are.
Focus the contour around your cheek bones (you can make a fish face to see where those babies are at), your jaw line, and around the edge of your temples/forehead. You’ll notice this shade is ashy rather than warm. You want an ashy tone to really make the lines look like shadows, not makeup!
Next, take the pointed end of the double ended brush with the lighter foundation shade. You’ll want to focus this shade in any areas where you see redness or discoloration. I find that it’s easiest to start from the center and work your way out around your nose and under your eyes, on your chin, etc.
I also like to dab this with my finger on any blemishes. It’s a nice consistency and gives pretty decent coverage without being cake-y.
Now you’re going to want to use that darker ashy shade again to contour your nose. Maskcara has a brush called The Multitasker that was made specifically for perfecting the nose contour (I really want to try it), but if you have a small, flat shaped brush (I used an eyeshadow brush) you’ll probably be okay.
I’ll admit, nose contouring makes me a little nervous. I’m really careful with this because it’s very easy to overdue. I would err on the lighter side.
Top tip– You can get those two lines on your nose closer than you think without looking nuts. Play around with it a little.
Next is blush– my favorite. I just used the flat end of my 30 Second HAC Brush again, but you can also snag Maskcara’s Blush & Bronzer Brush , which I have yet to try, but I’m sure it’s great!
You’ll want to focus the blush more in apples of your cheeks (the part that sticks out when you smile). Focusing the blush in the center will help give you that natural flushed look.
When your done with the blush, you want to highlight with the illuminator. The illuminator is perfect for adding those highlights to the parts of your face where light naturally hits. I like to just dab this on with my finger. I apply it to the top of my cheekbones, under the arch of my brow, and on the center of my nose.
It really gives a nice, natural and dewy glow.
For this next step I use the IIID Perfector blending tool. You’re going to want to dampen this guy just a bit with some water. Trust me, it works better that way!
You’ll go around your whole face and blend in patting motions. You won’t want to pull or drag because you don’t want to move your makeup, you just want to blend it. This will soften any of those hard lines and help everything come together seamlessly.
I’m going to be honest with you… I’ve always been super intimidated by these blending tools. I thought that it was going to be way scary, but it’s actually fun!
Fun fact– You can also use the blush shade in your palette for your lips! I just use my finger and dabb it on.
The very last step is the setting powder. I like to use a really light, fluffy brush. I haven’t tried Maskcara’s Powder Brush, it’s a little more dense than I’m used to, but it’s definitely worth checking out!
You’ll want to pat really lightly with the brush in a circling motion as to not “smudge” your makeup.
And that’s all! Voila! Fab face 😉
Here’s a little before and after shot:
See? It’s so natural looking! I’m not trying to make you look like Kim Kardashian, I swear! Trust me, this is so easy.
I’d love to know about your experiences with contouring and how you like to use Maskara’s IIID Foundation!
The moral of the story is, don’t be scared of contouring. Anyone can do it!
Have a wonderful rest of your week!
xoxo,
Karlee
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