Contour and highlight makeup products intimidate me. How do I contour my face? (To be honest, I am not even really sure what contouring means…) What the heck am I even supposed to highlight on my face? Despite the numerous hours I have devoted to watching makeup tutorials on YouTube, I still cannot successfully contour or highlight my face.
Renowned beauty guru Bobbi Brown prizes authenticity over effect. "I'm not coming out with any products that are called contouring," Bobbi Brown said on stage at Fashionista’s New York City conference, "How to Make It in Fashion," on Oct. 24. "It's not what I believe in."
Thanks to the encouragement of Bobbi Brown, I can quit staring at my computer screen in an effort to mimic the skills of YouTube’s makeup gurus in an effort to contour my face. For that, all hail Bobbi Brown. Her brand’s core mission – "being comfortable in your skin and feeling good about who you are" -- is key to its success, she said. Brown’s idea of finding beauty in authenticity is one that all makeup companies should promote. The currently coveted contouring technique is taking over the beauty world, implying to people that they must alter their face with makeup in order to look beautiful; an idea that is ridiculous, but so prevalent in such a judgmental society that we live in.
Sure, contouring and highlighting your face may enhance your features, but it is anything from authentic. Those who wear makeup should do so to feel confident, comfortable, and good about who they are. There is nothing wrong with getting some help from a wand of mascara or a tube of lipstick; I would be a hypocrite if I said I have never relied on makeup for some help, because believe me, I definitely did not “wake up like this.”
Wearing makeup and playing around with products is fun, and something that majority of women do on a daily basis. What is not fun is spending time on YouTube obsessing over how to make your cheekbones, nose, and face look slimmer and more structured via contouring. Makeup should not be heavily relied on to make you feel beautiful. “Contouring says that there is something wrong with your face as is, and there is nothing wrong with it," she said. Brown is right. An individual’s true beauty shines through when it is authentic.
Brown launched her career in the '80s as a freelance makeup artist and has since then become the founder of her eponymous cosmetics line. If she discourages the idea of contouring, that is something that others should listen to. Since I never managed to master the “art” of contouring and highlighting my face, I guess I do not have to worry about doing so now, due to the powerful words spoken by Bobbi Brown.
Makeup can always be used as a tool to enhance your features, leaving you feeling confident and beautiful. In the end, however, authenticity over effect is more powerful than any contour or highlight product, and will always demonstrate your true beauty. Bobbi Brown finds beauty in authenticity, recommending that we all do the same.
