Get the Look: Kim Kardashian’s Contoured Face

Image via Mario Dedivanovic for Fusion Beauty

After Kim Kardashian’s wedding specials and Keeping Up With the Kardashians flooding the TV over the weekend, I thought I’d be all Kardashian-ed out. And I was…until I saw this gorgeous photo of Kim. While her face is drop-dead stunning in this photo, it’s not all due to great genes and Photoshop; it’s also the result of skilled contouring. It’s been awhile since I’ve written a “Get the Look” post, and I figured contouring is a technique almost everyone can use.

Contouring is one of the specialties of Kim’s makeup artist, Mario Dedivanovic. It takes some practice to really get it right, but with this technique under your belt, you’ll be able to make your face look slimmer, more defined, and more symmetrical.

I combined all the key tricks and techniques that I learned from pro artists (like MAC Sr. Artist Romero) and web video tutorials into one handy guide. Armed with a few products and a little insider knowledge, you too can sport razor-sharp cheekbones.

Dive in!

First, the basics. Contouring is the term for highlighting the high points of the face and depressing the low points, resulting in a sculpted look that fakes perfect bone structure.

To even out your skin tone, start with a thin layer of foundation on your entire face. I like to stipple it on with Sonia Kashuk’s Blending Sponge ($9). You can also use the beautyblender, a foundation brush, or your fingertips.

Image via Nordstrom

Next, visually depress the low points on your face: the hollows of your cheeks, your jawline, and the area along your temples/hairline (see the photo of Kim above, where her hairline looks darker near her temples). Use a matte bronzing powder, or a powder that’s a few shades darker than your natural skin tone. MAC Sr. Artist Romero Jennings recommended MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Dark ($28) for me, and I swear by it. Make a fishface in the mirror. Where your cheeks are sucked in is where you want to apply the powder (directly under your natural cheekbones). Sweep it forward from ear to under the apple of your cheek. Then, dab a bit along your temple, from your hairline to the arch of your brow.  Finish by sweeping it along the underside of your jawline and under your chin. Blend all bronzing powder thoroughly.
*Note: For extra definition, you can contour the sides of your nose, too, but this can look muddy and sloppy if you don’t do it correctly, so it’s best to master the other techniques and work up to that.

Image of Mario and Kim via Kim Kardashian

Now, onto concealer. This is going to make your contouring really pop. Pick a creamy long-wear concealer that’s a shade lighter than your skin tone and grab a concealer brush. In the photo above, note where Mario applied concealer onto Kim’s face: he smoothed it all over her cheek area, but left the high points of her cheekbones bare. You can do the same, creating a sharp line of concealer that butts up against where you applied the bronzing powder.* Then go underneath the bronzing powder and create another sharp line. Use the point/flat edge of your concealer brush to literally draw a line of concealer under the bronzing powder.

*Note: If this look is too intense for you, skip the concealer on top of the bronzing powder, and just apply it on the bottom side of your cheekbone. This will enhance the illusion of sculpted cheekbones. For extra definition, you can also dab it along the edge of your lips, like Kim’s above, to fake a fuller-looking pout.

Now it’s time to contour the high points of the face. You want these areas to “pop,” so you’re going to apply products that catch and reflect the light. This visually raises the areas, making them almost jump off the face. You’re going to highlight your cheekbones, browbones, and down the bridge of your nose. If you want to emphasize your mouth, you can also dot some in the center of your cupid’s bow (the area where the center of your upper lip dips). Lightly dust or pat a sheer luminizer onto these areas and blend, blend, blend. Powder, liquid, or cream formulas will all work. If you’re going for powder, I prefer MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle ($28), a shimmery nude-beige. For a cream formula, I like MAC Cream Color Base ($17.50) in Pearl for warm complexions, and Luna for cool skin tones. And for a liquid, you can’t beat Benefit High Beam ($26), which has a touch of pink in it.

And that’s what it takes to create a sculpted, contoured face! I know it’s a lot, but knowing where to apply which products is half the battle.

Questions? Ask me in the comments — I’m here to help!