Makeup Artist Nichola Witcombe-Tant’s Tips & Tricks on Sculpting & Contouring to Boost & Create Beautiful Eyes

CONTOURING: Contouring is all the rage now thanks to celebrities such as the Kardashians, sculpting the face by highlighting the good bits (tops of cheekbones, the lipid bow and bridge of the nose) and shadowing/slimming down the not-so-good bits (jawline and puffed cheeks). But did you know the concept of contouring can also be used to boost and create beautiful eyes. You can remodel eyes enhancing their shape and structure, lifting downward slopping eyes, making small eyes look bigger and even balancing deep set eyes.

I have put together some quick fix tips to perfect your peepers using dark contouring shades (which can make an area appear smaller) and light highlighting shades (which can widen a space). Pick out clever sculpting shadows tips to help lift, define or brighten whatever best applies to your eyes.

With every ‘light and shade’ technique remember that while you need to be precise, you don’t want any obvious lines. Follow your natural bone structure and always blend, blend, blend – no one will know your secret.

ROUND EYES: Round eyes are large and wide with more white on show than other eye shapes. To narrow the shape, contour the centre of the lids and apply light shadow on the outer lids, add shadow to the lower outer lash line.

OVER HANGING LIDS: This is when the lids sag slightly over the eyes, to take the attention away, apply a light shadow on the centre of lids, contour into the lid crease with soft shadowing on the outer lids

BULGING EYES: Shade the entire lid and lower lash line, darkening further in the crease of the eye blending from the outer corner to the inner corner.

DEEP-SET EYES: Use a light shade over the entire lid and contour just above the crease, on the outer two thirds of the eye and blend up towards the brow bone.

DOWNWARD SLANTING EYES: Downturned eyes have a drop in the outer corner of the eye and suit any eyeliner look. Contour to the outer third of your lid in a half moon shape blending up towards the brow bone, keeping the lower lash line free from product as this creates light.

CLOSE-SET EYES: To give more space between eyes, contour the outer half of the eye lid and lower lash line, add light shadow to the inner half of lids.

SMALL EYES: To make eyes look bigger, contour half of the outer lids working into the lid crease, taking the shadow upwards towards the brow bone, add light shadow to the inner lids, and under the tail of the brow.

WIDE-SET EYES: This is when the space in between the eyes is wide, ideally the space should be the length of just one eye. To make eyes look closer together, contour the inner half of the eye on the lid and lower lash line, adding light on the brow bone.

NARROW EYES: Add contour to the inner and outer lids, blending into the lid crease, add light shadow to centre of lids.

AJUST YOUR ARCH!

The shape of your brows can enhance and widen your eyes, adjusting your brows is a must, skipping this step is the equivalent of wearing a killer dress with a pair of slippers! An arch reveals more skin, creating the illusion that the eyes are bigger. Placing highlighter onto your brow bones, just beneath each eyebrow and into the inner corners of your eyes, drawing attention up and outwards.