Contouring and bronzing are considered similar. In reality, they serve different purposes. Here we’ll talk about the difference between contour powder and bronzer, and what you absolutely need to know.
Alongside with tips for your eye makeup, we’ll also give you a whole series of tips on how to improve your face makeup. The big mistake we’ll talk about here is confusing contouring with bronzing.
What is bronzer?
Often, we use bronzer when we want to give the face a warm glow. It often has a warm undertone to it and it’s shimmery, but it can also be matte. You apply it where the Sun hits the most, like your jawline. This is the difference it has with contour powder.
What is contour powder?
Contouring is used to sculpt the face. Also, it eventually optically corrects if and where needed. It often has a greyish undertone to it, and it’s usually matte. You use it on your nose, cheekbone, forehead and neck to give them dimension. You need this optical shaping because foundation creates a flat canvas. This is also why your makeup artist might give you a harsher contour if you’re doing a photoshoot: you don’t want the camera to capture a flat face!
What is the difference between using contour powder and bronzer?
They both give different effects after application. As said before, contour powder gives a more sculpted effect, and bronzer gives more of a glow. It’s not a mistake to use them interchangeably if you have a warm undertone, but if you have a cool undertone it’s better to stick to contouring only, since it won’t add any unnecessary warmth to your face and make you look sick instead.
Also, for best results, apply your bronzer before your countouring product. With the bronzer, use a large and fluffy brush, but for contouring it’s best if you use smaller, more precise brushes. This way, the bronzer’s glow will be more diffused, but your contouring won’t be, sculting your face where you feel it’s most needed.
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