Contouring, a transformative technique in the beauty industry, has become a daily essential in women’s makeup routines. It strategically highlights and shades facial areas for enhanced features. A recent addition to this trend is “neck contouring,” aiming to provide a “natural” appearance while slimming down the neck. This innovative approach extends the contouring concept beyond the face, cleavage, and abs, allowing individuals to refine and sculpt their neck area for a more polished look. If you’re eager to elevate your contouring skills and achieve smooth, streamlined neck skin, neck contouring might be the perfect solution.
What is Neck Contouring?
Embraced by women of various age groups, neck contouring has emerged as a popular trend for those seeking to enhance their neck’s appearance. The good news is that achieving an attractive and elegant neck shape is now possible through makeup techniques. This recent addition to contouring focuses on precisely shaping the back of the neck to provide definition. While it may sound unconventional, the desire for a gracefully elongated neck inspired the trend, particularly when sporting an updo hairstyle. Similar to traditional contouring, this method uses dark and light makeup shades to add depth and dimension to the back of the neck. (1) (2)
Why Should You Contour Your Neck?
Often, the neck shows more signs of aging than the face and is one of the most troublesome and undertreated regions of the body for which women seek aesthetic guidance and treatment (1). As a result, there aren’t many choices for addressing an aging neck. Many opt for laser treatments or less visible cosmetic treatments like waxing. However, if you’re searching for a safe, quick, and easy way to add more depth and dimension to your neck area while giving you that youthful look, neck contouring is perfect!
Also Read – How to Prevent and Tighten Turkey Neck – 10 Facial Yoga Routines
How Did the Trend Start?
Let’s explore how the trend broke out and became viral over time. Huda Heidi Kattan, also known as ‘Huda Beauty,’ shared a video clip of her contouring the back of her neck on her Instagram page. The footage quickly went viral. With her innovative makeup hacks, Huda has gained a following of more than 11 million admirers, and her neck contouring hack lesson has attracted more than 80K likes. Makeup Wearables, another popular beauty vlogger, also developed a simple DIY neck contouring method to slim the nape of the neck and created elegant updo hairstyles (2).
When did this contouring makeup craze begin? Well, you would be surprised to find out that it had been a trend followed across the globe for many centuries. Contouring is an ancient art that dates back to the mid-1500s. In Elizabethan England, stage players would paint chalk and soot to their faces so that audience could interpret their expressions more easily (3).
How to Contour the Neck?
Neck contouring can be messy since you can’t keep an eye on your application with a mirror on the back of your neck. If you try to do this alone, you may find it impossible. However, “Practice makes perfect,” and once you start to get the hang of it, it gets a little easier.
If you’re looking for a way to add definition to your neckline without doing significant work, here is a detailed step-by-step guide to neck contouring. Follow the below steps and watch the magic happen! You will look like a million bucks no matter what outfit or hairstyle you decide to rock that day.
TIP: If you’re planning to give this trend a shot, we recommend being cautious of the brush you use, as dirty brushes can lead to neck acne.
1. Setting the scene
Start by cleansing your neck. Next, You need to move the collar of your cloth off the nape of your neck, and also don’t forget to tie up your hair so that applying makeup products becomes easy and mess-free.
2. Map out your neckline
Take a bronzer that is one or two shades darker than your original skin tone and apply it on both sides of the nape of your neck in two straight vertical lines. Make sure that the stripes of bronzer have a gap in between them. We’ll work on the gap in the upcoming steps.
3. Blend it away
With the help of a powder brush, start blending the vertical lines of the bronzer in your skin. There should be no prominent trace of bronzer lines left on your skin.
4. Adding definition
Now, it’s time to fill out the gap we left. Begin by taking your favorite concealer in a shade lighter than your skin tone and apply a generous amount right in the middle of your neck to fill in the space between the bronzer lines.
5. Let’s get lit
Blend it into your skin nicely with a foundation brush. Then, don’t forget to add a slight shimmer by using a highlighter to the concealed area. And, Voila! You’re done!
When you’re contouring, one of the worst mistakes you can make is failing to blend smoothly. You will be left with noticeable harsh contour lines if you haven’t blended the product smoothly onto your skin.
Is Neck Contouring Really Worth It?
Despite the massive attention gained by this unusual makeup hack, the concept of neck contouring has been attacked in social media. The simple and easy-to-follow procedure has been called ‘ridiculous’ and ‘unnecessary’ by a lot of women as there is no point in contouring the back of the neck.
The fact is that a woman’s gracefulness is not, by any means, determined by the beauty of her nape. Though it transforms the neck to look precisely slim, no one seems to worry about how the back of the neck appears when there are so many other noticeable features in our faces to focus on. Hence, it has been considered a waste of time and makeup. However, despite all the criticism, it can be concluded that the tutorial is entertaining, and there is certainly no harm in trying. Don’t you think so?
Summary
Contouring is the key to creating a sculpted canvas on your face. It helps create the illusion of depth and shadow. The newest cosmetics trend is neck contouring, and it’s taking the industry by storm. Why is neck contouring so fashionable now? Thanks to the rise in popularity of social media and the cosmetic industry, women are constantly looking for ways to enhance their appearance, especially if they have a youthful look or want to look more confident. Essentially, it’s the same as any other contouring procedure, except instead of sculpting out your cheekbones or emphasizing your jawline, this technique aims to elongate your neck while making it appear slimmer. While a majority of the women think that this process is time-consuming and unnecessary, many seem to even swear by this technique as it makes your neckline appear more graceful when styling your hair in an updo hairstyle.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Should you contour your neck?
While it all comes to personal preference, if you want to achieve a more defined, slender look in the collarbone area or even in the back of the neck, you could add neck contouring into your makeup routine.
What is used for contouring makeup?
Two shades of foundation or concealer in a shade darker and lighter than your skin tone, a bronzer, and a highlighter.
Do you need concealer to contour?
Not necessarily; a foundation of a lighter shade than your skin tone will function as a concealer if you want to brighten your under-eye area and aren’t concerned about full coverage.
Is bronzer the same as contour?
Contouring is the way to go if you want a more neutral matte finish. Using a bronzer on your face gives it a more luminous, shimmery finish.
References
- “Non-Surgical Neck Contouring“- researchgate.net
- “Ultra-bizarre neck contouring’ is the newest makeup trend popping up on Instagram“- businessinsider.com
- “From 1500 to 2015: The Fascinating History of Contouring” – byrdie.com
