Ever since Kim K championed and popularised the whole ‘contouring’ trend, the beauty world was never the same again. Contouring and highlighting changed the way we saw makeup; beauty looks were no longer flat and one-dimensional. Instead, we saw chiseled cheekbones, glowing under-eye areas, pointy noses, plumper lips — basically, features that we desire that were once only attainable if we went under the knife, became readily available. Best part, you can wipe it all off at the end of the day.
Since contouring opened up a whole new gameplay, makeup artists and beauty gurus weren’t just going to stick to masterfully applying shadows and highlights on their faces. Where’s the fun in that? The birth of collarbone contouring, boob contouring, and even abs contouring came shortly after. We can now have bodily assets without the genes and without working out. It’s truly amazing.
And now, Instagram has decided to kick things up a notch, and we’re introduced to and we’re introduced to leg contouring, which, as its name suggests, has to do with contouring your legs. So yes, that means you can “physically Photoshop” flabby thighs away with a contour palette, leaving you with lean and toned legs… and no one will ever be the wiser.
Check out the one IG video that started it all:
Like how most body contouring works, cream contours work best, since you are able to chart and map out where you intend your products to go. Just like how you’d want to remove double chins when you contour your face, the same theory applies to when you apply product on your leg. The trick is to rid off the excess flab and highlight only the leanest portions of your leg.
We know, it sounds complicated, and we aren’t going to deny that it is. This trend does require some skill and an advanced knowledge of how contouring and highlighting works, and you’ll also need to have the right tools (i.e. brushes, setting sprays, finishing powders, etc etc) to perfectly nail a leg contour. It is not a beginner’s trend to try. Plus, as a colleague very accurately pointed out, “what happens if your makeup stains your clothes and seat?”
So we reckon that this leg contouring shebang only works when you need to flaunt a thigh at the beach, or on set during a photoshoot. The side-by-side comparisons do look pretty darn tempting, but this really isn’t for the everyday folk. We mean, just thinking of all that effort and elbow grease needed to paint your entire leg is just… tiring. Way too much legwork, if you ask us.
Difficulty Level: 5/5
And if you’re new to contouring, we have some basic tips to share here.
Header Image: @beauty.makeup.more IG
