Q&A for How to Contour and Highlight on Dark Skin

Highlight along the top of your cheekbone, just above where you placed your blush.

Highlighter emphasizes areas where light naturally hits your skin, such as the bridge of your nose and the top of your cheekbones. Contour emphasizes natural shadows and enhances bone structure. You can use contour and highlighter to emphasize your features and to refine and balance your face shape.

You can highlight and contour with different foundations, with special contour palettes, or with powdered highlighter and bronzer. Most importantly, choose products that are close to your natural skin color and make sure to blend thoroughly.

Yes, you can contour with liquid or powder foundation. Just make sure you select a shade in the same color family (warm, cool, or neutral) as your natural skin that's no more than 2 shades darker.

For any skin tone, you want a highlighter that is just slightly lighter than your natural skin. For dark skin tones, a warm shimmery bronze or gold works well.

If you have a larger forehead, start shading it with a color that's a little darker than your foundation, and that has a cooler undertone. Start the color in your hairline so it looks natural, and bring it down onto the perimeter of your forehead, including along your hairline and the sides of your temples. It should basically look like you've had a suntan on your forehead.

Fenty Beauty has nice highlight and contour sticks. The creator of the Crayon Case (Supacent on IG) has a nice powder contour kit for dark-skinned girls that also has a how-to chart included!

Contouring shades can, in a pinch, be substituted for by brown lipstick or brown powder, as long as you have a shade darker than your skin and depending on whether you want a cream or powder contour. Just find a shade you feel works best with your skintone, and use that. If you mean more in general, most makeup salespersons are trained and can guide you as to what shade will suit your skin best. Also, browse the internet for brands that produce foundations and products for a wider range of skin tones. Clinique, for example, is doing pretty well in that area.

The beauty blender doesn't have to be damp, but it does give a better and more natural/even result.