Welcome to the Power of Makeup series Part 3: Sculpting!

This series is about having fun with the beautiful features God has given us. I believe that God also likes to play with colors and textures in His creation…with the gorgeous sunsets across our skies every evening, incredible array of flowers and shrubs displayed on the green canvas of earth, and don’t get me started on the amazing patterns and textures God decorated the animals with.

Whether you love makeup, hate makeup, or only wear enough to get through your day without people asking if you’re sick (happened to me when I was pregnant…a lot…), I hope you enjoy the series.

Today we’re on sculpting! After I’ve cleansed my face, added supplements, and applied foundation, it’s time to sculpt. In Part 2: Foundation, I mentioned that foundation is used to even skin tone and eliminate redness, as well as “erase your face.”

Once your face is, well, “erased,” it’s time to sculpt!

My favorite part of makeup is that I can enhance and hide the areas of my face I’m not too excited about. It’s believed that we think of symmetrical faces being the most beautiful and pleasing to the eye, but it’s a small number of people who were born with symmetrical faces.

If only there was a product that could help the rest of us…

My favorite sculpting product is Too Faced’s Pink Leopard bronzer. *I receive no compensation for my recommendations.* You can also sculpt using different shades of foundation and powders. I love the Pink Leopard brightening powder because it gives me the dark shades I need to recede my cheekbones and nose while the pink brightens at the same time.

Never sculpted your face before? It’s painless, washes off, cheaper than plastic surgery, and more fun than dieting.

Here’s my step-by-step. Takes two minutes max in the morning. Max.

Step One: Forehead

I have a large forehead, and I don’t tan easily, so I use the bronzer as a way to give a sun-kissed glow. Start at the hairline and don’t be afraid to get powder in your hair. You don’t want a skin-line showing where you didn’t apply the bronzer all the way to the hairline. It’s a dead giveaway that you’re faking the sun-kisses.

Step Two: Cheeks and Temples

After my forehead is done, I apply powder on my temples and under my cheekbones. Do not…do not…do not apply bronzer like you would blush. Blush goes on your cheeks, bronzer goes underneath. Starting again at the hairline by my temple, I stroke the brush downwards towards the area between my nose and mouth.

[Tweet “Blush goes on your cheeks, bronzer goes underneath. #powerofmakeup”]

The purpose of the bronzer is to recess the area under your cheekbone, creating the illusion of a higher cheekbone and a thinner face. Hello!

For daytime, I usually only do one or two passes with the brush on my cheeks. For evening, I double-dip into the powder to create a more dramatic cheekbone.

Step Three: Nose

My favorite part of sculpting and why I will do it forever: the nose. You can make your nose look smaller, thinner, and less bulbous (ugh–hate that word).

I apply powder on the sides, sweeping it pretty much the length of my nose. This elongates my nose, making it look thinner. It also makes my cheekbones look higher, as now there is dimension under my cheekbone and along my nose.

Do not put the bronzer on the top of your nose unless you’re trying to recede a bump, or if you feel your nose is larger on the bridge.

Step Four: Jawline

The last place I put bronzer is on my jawline, chin, and neck. I sweep the bronzer under my jawline, creating the appearance of a sharper jawline and a thinner face. I then take the brush and sweep it down from underneath my jaw towards my collarbone.

This helps blend the line on the jaw, and create a more sun kissed look. We don’t want pasty necks and dark jaws! **If you’re wearing your hair in a ponytail, make sure to sweep some bronzer along the back of your neck so you don’t have “tan lines.”

I also take the bronzer right underneath my chin. I want my face to look a little separate from my neck, especially if I’m having a bloat-y day. Or if I drank four Cokes the day before…wait…

I sweep the bronzer under my chin to help hide any sneaky “double chins” lurking.

Make sure to take a look in the mirror once your bronzer is on. For daytime, I typically save my mineral powder foundation step for right after the bronzer so I can use it to help blend. If it’s evening, or I’m going to be in a non-sun-bright-blinding environment, I’ll apply my mineral powder foundation right after my liquid foundation *optional to use both* and then put my bronzer on top of the powder.

There we have it! A freshly sculpted face! Since this was for demonstration purposes, the area around my nose is much darker than how I would normally apply. If you get heavy-handed with bronzer, you can use some loose or pressed powder to help tone it down. I’m love Mary Kay’s mineral powder foundation to blend in the bronzer!

Extra: Highlighter

The companion to bronzer is highlighter. I didn’t take any pictures, but you can use a highlighter in this step as well. Highlighting draws attention to certain areas, so use it sparingly. You can use a light eyeshadow if you don’t have a highlighting stick. This is a mucho powerful combination!!!

Places to use highlighter on your face (not eyes):
down the bridge of your nose
along the tops of your cheekbones
along the top of your jawline where the bronzer left off
the curve right under your nose above your lip

Enjoy playing with your makeup! See you next time for the Power of Makeup series Part Four: Eyes!

[callout]In case you missed them: Power of Makeup series, Part One,  Part Two: Foundation, Part Four: Eyebrows,  Part Five: Eyeshadow, Part Fiveb: Eyeliner and Accent Colors, Part Six: Mascara, Part Seven: Lips[/callout]

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