Guide

What is the difference between contouring and bronzing?

16.10.2020

Translation: machine translated

Bronzing or contouring? The two make-up techniques are often confused and cause confusion, especially for make-up beginners.

If you want to give your face more depth, you can use two make-up techniques: Bronzing and contouring. The two concepts are so similar that they are often confused. Especially as they also require similar products. Beginners use powders and brushes, while professionals like to work with specially designed cream products.

But what exactly is the difference?

But what exactly is the difference between bronzing and contouring?

So that my attempt at an explanation doesn't get out of hand, I will only refer to the beginner-friendly powder version in the following lines.

Bronze or shadow?

Bronzing powder, also known as tanning powder, has a warm undertone that you can recognise by a slight orange tint. The bronzer gives your face a natural, sun-kissed tan. You apply it to the highest points of your face. In other words, where you get sunburnt first after a day at the beach: on the bridge of your nose and forehead, over your cheekbones, on your chin and along your temples. You don't need to be particularly precise. The main thing is to add colour and dimension to your face.

Guerlain HT 8002 CB (01 Light Warm, Bronzer, 10 g)

Highlighter + Bronzer

CHF33.– CHF3300.–/1kg

Guerlain HT 8002 CB

01 Light Warm, Bronzer, 10 g

L'Oréal Paris Bronze to Paradise (02 Sunkiss, Bronzer, 9 g)

Highlighter + Bronzer

Quantity discount

CHF12.70 CHF1411.12/1kg

L'Oréal Paris Bronze to Paradise

02 Sunkiss, Bronzer, 9 g

Highlighter + Bronzer

GloMinerals Glo Finish - sunlight

Sunlight, Bronzer, 9.90 g

Highlighter + Bronzer

CHF33.– CHF3300.–/1kg

Guerlain HT 8002 CB

Quantity discount

Highlighter + Bronzer

CHF12.70 CHF1411.12/1kg

L'Oréal Paris Bronze to Paradise

Highlighter + Bronzer

GloMinerals Glo Finish - sunlight

In contrast to bronzing, with contouring you don't revitalise your complexion, but rather work out your facial features and change them to your liking. This is done by selectively painting on shadows. They add depth to the face. Make-up artists use this technique to change facial features, especially for camera shots. For example, by cheating away a double chin, making the nose appear narrower and cheekbones more prominent. In other words, contouring is an optical illusion that employs light and shadow.

Because shadows are usually grey, contouring powders have a cool, ashy undertone, unlike bronzing powders. To make your contours look natural, you should use the powder sparingly. Start with a little powder and feather-light brush movements. You can apply it under your cheekbones, on the sides of the bridge of your nose, along your hairline, just below your lower lip or along the chin area.

Highlighter + Bronzer

Dior Contour Palette

001 Universal, Highlighter, 86 g

NYX Professional Make-Up 3 Steps to Sculpt - Face Sculpting Palette Fair (1 Fair)

Face powder

Quantity discount

CHF11.10 per piece for 2 units CHF740.–/1kg

NYX Professional Make-Up 3 Steps to Sculpt - Face Sculpting Palette Fair

1 Fair

Highlighter + Bronzer

Wet n Wild MegaGlo Contouring Palette, dulce de leche

Caramel, Highlighter, 12.40 g

Highlighter + Bronzer

Dior Contour Palette

Quantity discount

Face powder

CHF11.10 per piece for 2 units CHF740.–/1kg

NYX Professional Make-Up 3 Steps to Sculpt - Face Sculpting Palette Fair

Highlighter + Bronzer

Wet n Wild MegaGlo Contouring Palette, dulce de leche

So much for the theory.

Do I need both?

In practice, powders are not so easy to categorise. Whether a product is suitable for you as a bronzer or as a contouring powder depends on your skin tone. It therefore makes sense to test products on your skin beforehand. What looks warm at first glance in the powder jar may be grey on your skin and vice versa. You can't always go by the product name either. For example, there are bronzing powders that are labelled as bronzers but still have a cool undertone and are therefore suitable for contouring. As you can see, the transition from bronzing to contouring is fluid. If you are new to make-up, I recommend that you only buy a bronzer. Because even with a warm bronzing powder, you can achieve an effect that is very similar to contouring - namely more dimension.

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Natalie Hemengül

Senior Editor

Natalie.Hemenguel@digitecgalaxus.ch

As a massive Disney fan, I see the world through rose-tinted glasses. I worship series from the 90s and consider mermaids a religion. When I’m not dancing in glitter rain, I’m either hanging out at pyjama parties or sitting at my make-up table. P.S. I love you, bacon, garlic and onions.

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