What Does It Mean To Do A Reverse Contour?

These days, contouring is one of most people's favorite makeup routine staples. As with lots of beauty trends, though, how we sculpt our face with makeup is always changing. A new way to contour our faces has just arrived on the scene (and by "the scene," we mean this technique is all over TikTok), and we have a feeling you're gonna want to hear about this one, via Glamour. 

The trend in question is called the reverse contour, and beauty gurus are taking note of this new technique that will have you applying your contour backward. We know, we know ... this probably sounds just about as counterintuitive as it sounds complicated. In reality, though, the reverse contour is much less complicated than the classic contour we're all used to. It may be just what we need to revamp our makeup routines and make both our faces and our makeup bags feel a little bit lighter. 

We all love to contour, so right about now, you may be thinking of the old adage, "If it ain't broke; don't fix it." Well, if you've ever tried to contour your face before, you know how important blending can be. Without the right tools and makeup, blending is difficult, and an unblended contour is way worse than no contour, at all. Reverse contouring will make your contour look more natural without the need for tons of blending, via Rachael Ray Show. It also makes the whole contouring process simpler for folks who want to cover up redness or uneven skin tone, via AZYAAMODE.

Ultimately, reverse contouring also requires less makeup, since it's all about the concealer, rather than multiple contour colors. While it looks amazing, contouring can be bad for our skin, because more heavy makeup can sometimes mean more skin problems. Consequently, reverse contouring will make your skin healthier and require less product.

Reverse contouring will be quite a bit easier to do well than regular contouring, and it will also take you way less time, via Glamour. First, you'll need the perfect concealer, since that will be the star of this makeup show. When choosing her base for the reverse contour, makeup artist, Mally Roncal told the Rachael Ray Show, "instead of using those dark, heavy creams or powders to make your face look slimmer or lifted, I'm going to use a [light] concealer." 

Once you've prepped your face, apply the concealer in a few spots before blending them out with your beauty blender, brush, or fingers. Roncal recommends starting with your under eyes. She says, "This is going to lift the under-eye area and really make you look awake." Next, apply a bit of concealer on your chin right beneath your bottom lip and on the inner and outer corners of your eyebrows. Add a bit to your cheekbones, which Roncal says will "lift the face." Last, add a bit to the center of your nose the same way would with normal contouring.

If you find this method of reverse contouring a bit too subtle for your more full-coverage makeup days, you can also apply your contour color all over places where you need shaping, like your nose or cheeks, and apply your concealer on top where you want your highlight. This will give you a bit more depth with the same ease of blending.