Jennifer’s sweet lil beauty blog: Highlighted & contoured complexions

Have you seen dozens of Pinterest photos and makeup artist tutorials all focused on heavy Highlighting And Contouring lately – also known as “HAC-ing?” My interest on the subject was peaked and I found myself gravitating to those crazy face charts that show you stroke by stroke where to place product. And so my research began and my mission to find the best of the best in highlighting and contouring products became clear.

Luckily, for me, I found a recommendation via the beauty blog universe for the Hourglass Illume crème-to-powder bronzer/highlighter duo in ‘Bronze Light’ ($40 USD and available in one other color – ‘Sunset’) and I must say, this product lives up to all of the rave reviews! The Hourglass palette glides on at first with a creamy consistency and fully dries as a powder. The wonderf

ul thing about this
product is that you truly have control. You can give yourself a soft & subtle contour to enhance your natural features, or you can definitely add ‘drama’ to the face by layering on additional contour crème (very Kim Kardashian-esque). It’s your look, have fun with it and experiment… that’s what makeup is all about, right?! To assist you in placing both the contour & highlighting crème, I recommend checking out one of the helpful face charts on my Pinterest Beauty Board and pinning it to reference for later use or you can even search a c

hart via Google images if you don’t have a Pinterest account. You’ll be a happy camper when you have a picture showing you exactly where to put those contour lines, trust me  The best brush to use to draw your lines is a contour brush(approximately $6 USD), and I find it best to use a kabuki brush ($6 USD) when it’s time to blend it all out at the end.

I’ve come across clients that

prefer a basic bronzer, without all that drastic highlighting & contouring, yet are looking for just a touch of a sun-kissed glow. I was pleasantly surprised while shopping at Kohl’s to make use of my ‘Kohl’s Cash’ befo

re it expired, when I came across 2 new beauty brands that I had never seen in that store before – Lorac & Cargo Cosmetics. What the what!?! Naturally, I spent an extra 45 minutes in the store checking out everything they had to offer. One product that caught my eye was their extremely EXTRA LARGE Cargo The Big Bronzer Compact ($34 USD). I was on the hunt for a new & improved bronzer and this one fit the bill. With a cute starburst design etched into the product, and a delicious, bronzy color that can’t be matched… I decided to purchase it on the spot and I am really glad I did. I’ve used it myself many times and it just breathes a little life into my skin during these drab winter months. I am paste-y pale and this produc

t gives me that extra pop I’ve been longing for since the summer sun dis