The difference between highlighting and contouring. At which step should highlighting be used?

For advanced makeup, highlights and contouring are needed. What is the difference between highlights and contouring? In which step of makeup is highlighting usually used?

The following aspects can show their differences

1. Function

Contouring is mainly used to modify the face to make the facial features look more three-dimensional

After applying the highlight, make the highlighted area more obvious, thus brightening the entire makeup

2. Parts of use

Contouring is mainly used for sunken areas of the face, such as the sides of the nose bridge, the sides of the forehead, and below the cheekbones. Dark contouring can be applied at the junction of the forehead and hairline, as well as the corners of the jawbone and the chewing muscles.

Highlights are mainly used on the forehead, nose bridge, cheekbones, brow bones, and chin.

3. Different commonly used colors

Contouring usually uses brown or coffee as the main color, and pink, orange and other warm colors are also used for contouring.

The highlights are usually white powder or highlight powder, and the shadows are usually brown or khaki, brown.

Most of them are powder highlighters, and it is best to use them after loose powder, because most loose powders have a soft focus effect, and using them before loose powder will affect the brightening effect of the highlight. Of course, there are also loose powders that can maintain the gloss, but this type of loose powder is relatively rare. If it is a cream highlighter, it is better to apply it before loose powder, but when setting the makeup, be gentle on the areas where the highlight has been applied, so as not to affect the brightening effect.

No, highlighting will make your blemishes more obvious. But light concealer can be used as a highlighter on the apples of the cheeks, the bridge of the nose, the chin and the forehead.

But some light-colored blush can be used as a highlighter, such as blush containing glitter powder. This kind of blush can be used as both a blush and a highlighter. This kind of blush is called a highlight blush. If there is no glitter powder, then it cannot replace the highlighter. Of course, blush and highlighter are not something that must be used. Concealer can be used as a highlighter on the apples of the cheeks, the bridge of the nose, the chin, and the forehead.