This summer we're looking forward to long days spent on the beach and early evening dinners with friends that turn into nights out. However, with summer also come intense temperatures and stifling humidity, two things that don't bode well with our makeup routines. Dense mascaras tend to run down our cheeks, thick foundations cake up on our skin, and heavy contouring products seem to melt away as soon as we brush them on. Now, as much as I love to sculpt my cheekbones and jawline with an excellent contour cream, there has to be another way to fake a sculpted look without constantly worrying that your look is sliding off your face. So how can we fake this faux-face-lift look? Makeup artists share their best-kept secrets below.
Massage the Puff Away
Before you get started with your makeup, it's important to first prep your skin for application. "Use Aceology Ice Globe Facial Massager to de-puff and chisel around the jaw and cheeks," says Tobi Henney, celebrity makeup artist.
Create the Base
Next up, you'll want to use a complexion product to create a smooth canvas. Complexion products like foundation can be pretty thick, especially in the summer heat, so you'll want to be strategic with your choices. Instead of slathering on a base, Henney suggests "using a concealer two shades lighter under the eyes, in the center of the forehead and on the chin, in order to bring brightness to the face." Start by applying the most amount of product towards the center of the face, then blend it out to the perimeter of the face to create the illusion of brightness that brings the center of the face forward, contour-free.
To add a lifted look to the eye area that may look a bit sunken in, makeup artist, Jenny Patinkin has a few tricks up her sleeve: "If you use a lighter concealer than usual in the sunken area, the brightness creates the illusion that the skin surface is even. Apply it with a brush only where you need it, and then add your regular concealer around it and carefully blend."
Blush and Bronze It Up
Here's the thing about blush—it gives the appearance that your cheeks are flushed, which naturally plots points on your face where your cheeks are sitting. If you apply blush too low on your cheeks, you might create the illusion that your cheeks are drooping a bit lower than they actually do. Henney suggests "switching your contour by applying blush in an upward motion for a more chiseled face shape." To achieve this look, smile to find the apples of your cheeks. Then apply blush at the tops of the apples and blend it out towards your hairline. This line of flushed color from the apples of your cheeks to your hairline will create the illusion that your cheeks are taut and higher up than they actually are.
And if you want to take it a step further, add a powder bronzer into the mix. "[A proper bronzer application that does not feel too heavy] is all about your choice of brush. A soft domed brush won't grab too much product from the pan and has enough flexibility in the bristles to distribute the powder without it looking heavy, evenly. Stick to applying on the outer edges of the face and on/under the cheeks," says Patinkin. Dust bronzer on with a simple 3-E method that effectively covers the top of the forehead, the temples, under the cheekbones, and the jawline in two easy swipes.
Bringing Light to the Face
The key to nailing the sculpted look without using contour products is to do the opposite of contouring—highlight. Highlighter is vital in bringing light to the high points of the face, like your cheekbones, the bridge of the nose, and your brow bones. Nashville-based celebrity makeup artist Tarryn Feldman says that his "favorite places to highlight are the temple, the tip of the nose, right above the Cupid's bow, and a little bit on the forehead." Not only are you creating a visual lift to the cheeks and brow bone when you highlight, but you're also giving yourself the look of a dewy, glowing complexion.
It's All in the Eyes
Lastly, you'll want to lift the eye area for a look that says, Why, yes, I've ice rolled my face about 10 times today. Patinkin reveals a simple trick to opening up the eye area: "When lashes are straight, they cast a shadow over the eyes, but when they're curled, more light can get to them, and they look bigger and brighter." Feldman also suggests applying a cat-eye liner with a brown or taupe eyeshadow to naturally lift the lash line, making your entire eye area snatched.
Top photo: Courtesy of Instagram/@bellahadid
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