GAME OF TONES | Highlighting with MAKEUP REVOLUTION SHIMMER BRICK

If you have no shadows 

then you are not standing in the light.

-Lady Gaga –

I never thought that I would start with a Lady Gaga quote, yet here we are.

But I’m not here to talk about fame or courage, I’m here to talk about makeup and the magic power of highlighting.

Even though I’m not a girly-girl, I happen to love makeup and I’m truly amazed at what we can do with a little pot of blush and little smudge of paint.

Highlighter is one of my favourite products when it comes to makeup as it can really enhance your best features.

I’ve always been drawn to the light and darkness game, in photography, art, architecture and philosophy as well. 

The last highlighting product I purchased was a month ago and it was the

 MAKEUP REVOLUTION SHIMMER BRICK.

As a minimalist I apply the concept of creating a capsule collection to my beauty products as well. Again, less but better, hero-products that I can use every single day, products that will work for a variety of occasions, from day to night. I fell in love with this palette because it simply combines both cool and warm shades (see whites and golds) and a few darker bronze colours as well, that I use as blush and eye-shadow. 

Every. Single. Day. 

For this makeup look featured on this post, I only used my highlighter palette, BB cream, an eyebrow shadow and lipstick. 

4 products, 

no mascara, no eyeliner. That may seem a bit unorthodox but the idea of skipping the mascara and liner is gaining ground in the beauty industry and acts like a breath of fresh air after seasons and seasons of heavy cat eyes and dark eyeshadows on the runways.

So here is how this makeup story unfolds:

We started with a trusted BB cream that perfectly matches my skin tone without looking heavy or overly done. Then we used a really dark brown shadow on my eyebrows to create a focal point as there was going to be no mascara and no eyeliner.

Next it was time for the shimmer brick palette to take the spotlight.

I used one of the light bronzy shades as blush. Then with the darker shade we did a bit of contouring on the sides and tip of my nose and on my jaw line to create depth. 

A gold shade doubled as my all over eye-shadow and on top of that we added the same bronzy shade that we used for contouring, blending it on my eye sockets and smoking it out. 

Taking the dark shade under your eyes and smudging it rather liberally, is a trick that the Korean makeup artists do against all western makeup rules with extraordinary results! And to think of all the time we’ve been wasting trying to hide our dark circles all these years…

A mat liquid lipstick and a wet hair style completed the look.

Simple and sophisticated, using only 4 products, unbelievable as it may sound to a makeup guru, I feel that this look could take me from a business meeting (skip the wet hair look when it comes to a corporate environment) with a blazer, to a glam party with a slip dress and a pair of heels.

Overall I’m very happy with this palette. The only addition I would ask for would be a couple of mate brown shades for versatility when it comes to contouring  and eyebrow definition but it’s called a shimmer palette for a reason, right? 

Makeup Revolution if you are reading this please redo the palette with two extra, brownish mate shades and name it Shimmer Brick the Chelf Edition. We’ll split the profit later on.

BASIC HIGHLIGHTING & CONTOURING GUIDE

HIGHLIGHTING DO’s & DONT’s

Do apply highlighter over your cheekbones- never below.

Do use highlighter as eyeshadow to simplify your routine.

Don’t go overboard. Work in thin layers to add more if needed.

Do find the right shade. Warm tone and dark tone rules apply to highlighter as well. Cool tones work well with pink skin undertones while warm shades will compliment yellow skin undertones.

Don’t do what everyone else is doing. Guidelines are great to get you started but follow your face to figure out what works for you. Example: When everyone is highlighting the tip of their nose I found that on me that looks ridiculous. Instead I use a dark shadow to contour that part of my face which makes a massive difference.

Do mix a liquid highlighter with your foundation for a dewy finish.

Don’t splurge on expensive brushes. Your fingertips are the best makeup tools ever!

Do use highlighter on top of your eyeshadow on the centre of your lids for extra sparkle.

Don’t use highlighter on your chin and forehead if you have very oily skin.

Do choose the right formula: Cream based or liquid highlighters are best for dry skin while powder formulas will help balance an oily skin. 

Are you ready to cast some light?

Until the next one,

Chelf