Adding Dimension

Thanks to acne-prone/acne scarred skin, I like quite a bit of coverage in my foundation to cover my imperfections.  I feel so much more confident when my blemishes and scars are covered, but it often makes my skin look flat and mask-like, which means there's even less dimension to my face than my natural football head look.  These are the products I use to add a bit of warmth, dimension and shape back into my complexion.

If I'm adding a bit of shadow or bronze, I have a few trusty go-to products.  For sculpting, the Illamasqua Gel Sculpt in Silhouette is a god-send.  It looks scarily dark in the bullet, and it is meant to be applied with your hands but I use my Real Techniques Sculpting Brush to stipple/blend the product into the hollows of my cheekbones and it leaves a really natural shade which can be as sheer or as deep as you choose.  The gel formula means it sticks around all day, even on my oily skin and the finish is gorgeous - I can't get enough of it.  Five stars from me!

If I'm fancying a bit of powder to contour with, the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit (full review here) is my favourite - there are a range of darker shades to choose from which means it's usable all year round.  I am a fan of blending some Benefit Hoola beneath my cheekbones too, I find the shade always looks really natural.

If I'm looking to add a bit of warmth to my face rather than contour, I either go for The Body Shop Honey Bronzer or Nars Laguna.  Both are warm without  being orange, buttery soft and really easy to blend.

Once I've added shadows and warmth to my face, I like to highlight the areas the sun would naturally hit, although due to my oily skin I do have to use a very light hand to avoid looking greasy.  NARS Albatross is a gorgeous white with gold shimmer, but it's very shimmery so I tend to stick to using this on the inner corners of my eyes and on my cupids bow.  The highlight shade in the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Palette is a lot less shimmery, although throughout the day it seems to get more glittery.

My favourite of the highlighting bunch will mbe no surprise - The Balm Mary Loumanizer deserves every bit of hype it's getting lately.  It's a gorgeous champagne shimmer which I apply with a Real Techniques fan brush almost every day to add a healthy glow to my complexion. Another 5-star products in my eyes.