Makeup that enhances a wearer’s natural beauty has been the trend lately. Many of us are ditching the full-on glam look for a more subtle but radiant finish. We want to look like ourselves, just better and not like we are sleep deprived.
With this trend, which is called “skinmalism”, lightweight tints have taken over the spot that was once ruled by heavy foundations. So it makes sense that the same would apply to the rest of our makeup.
If you have seen Korean star MAMAMOO’s Hwasa’s contour game, it is a soft but effective definition of the cheekbones to make them pop. They still look snatched, just without the streaks, smudges, and muddy finishes that we are familiar with. Three makeup artists have positive views on such a method.
“I think people have finally realised that the old way of sculpting is too harsh and creates unsightly lines and patches, instead of defining the features,” says makeup artist Melissa Yeo.
Makeup artist Marie Soh believes that the “soft sculpting” movement is an understandable response to the exaggerated versions of the technique that we’ve seen all over Instagram, as we’re in the age of authenticity. “The social view of makeup has changed. There is no right or wrong. It’s about embracing your uniqueness and looking like yourself.”
This technique is all about “working with the face to create proportions” and “not seeing the obvious outlines on the face”, according to makeup artist Larry Yeo.
If you want to get Hwasa’s sculpted look without making it obvious that you contoured your face, we spoke to experts to tell you how.