I remember a concept I studied during my senior year of high school in my Art History class. The concept was 'chiaroscuro' and essentially it is the use of light and dark to create dimension and shadow in paintings. Honestly, I didn't retain much from high school, but for some reason that word and its meaning stuck with me, and has really helped me in my career in hair and makeup.
The idea that faces are not one-dimensional, and indeed have so many angles, curves, and depths- is an idea that will change the way you apply makeup and give you better results. By using the light and shadows that our faces naturally have, and then enhancing them with the right makeup, the result is truly three-dimensional and much more attractive to the eye.
In the picture on the left I am wearing traditional foundation, meaning it is a single color that is applied over the entire face. The result is OK- I mean it still looks a hell-of-a lot better than if I were to wear NO foundation! But if you look closely you can see that my face looks a lot flatter in the photo on the left. It's harder to spot the depth of my bone structure, my forehead looks flat as a board, and my cheeks especially lack in shape.
But in the photo to the right, I am wearing III-D Foundation by MaskCara, and the results are quite different. I am a big fan of MaskCara- she is a fellow beauty blogger who has had great success and is now producing her own makeup line. How cool is that!?! Her HAC-pack (HAC = highlighting and contouring) gives you all the tools you need to create this dimensional look.
By using two shades of foundation, one to contour and one to highlight- you face takes shape and you'll get the effect of walking around with perfect lighting on you at all times. The creme foundation goes on easily, and you can layer to build up more coverage, or keep it light for a subtle glow. The yellow color acts as a highlight without looking chalky, and helps even out redness in the skin. It takes some getting used to- but I am pretty sure that makeup will never be the same for anyone who switches to this technique.
The creme blush and illuminator finish off the look and really make the face POP! I am wearing the blush color Shortcake in the pic above. To learn more about the process of applying the III-D Foundation you can check out MaskCara's blog and watch her videos which are really helpful.
What do you think? Have you tried HAC'ing yet? Let me know in the comments below, and be sure you come say hello over on instagram and facebook.
Thanks for the review, I can't wait until she gets the Medium back in stock because i'm ordering some. It looks like an amazing product, it really makes a huge difference!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and commenting Cassandra! I think you'll love it- hopefully it's back in stock soon!
DeleteI am still trying to figure how to make it work best on my combination skin. I like the idea and I feel the contour needs to be a little darker, so I use some of my dark powder on that. Getting there. You look great.
ReplyDeleteHi Ida! I have been adding a little bronzer to the contour at night for a more dramatic look, but love the subtle contour for the day time. Next time I may try the dark to see what that looks like. Thanks for reading and commenting xoxo
DeleteYou do look lovely in both photos. I love Cara and the idea of HAC and the iiid foundation. I was lucky to order mine when she first released it and got online when it was late so I didn't have loading issues (we all couldn't wait as I'm sure you know). :) However, I don't use it. After trying it several times I gave up because the dark simply doesn't look any different than my own skin tone. I put it on and there is no shadow created. I do follow Cara's techniques though. I think maybe I am just too old for it to work well on me. I do love love love the illuminator though, and I use it all the time! :) Thanks for sharing your review!
ReplyDeleteHI Kelly! Thanks for reading and commenting- I have heard a few others comment that they want darker shades for contour, and I am almost positive the next release will be offering a few more shade options. Hopefully they'll be one that works better for you!
DeleteHi Kelly! Did you order the medium shade? I have been wanting to try it for a while now and am very anxious to get my hands on some so I was wondering (if your ordered medium) and if you don't use it anymore or have any intention of using it anymore, I would be willing to buy it from you if you're up for it. Let me know if that's something you would be interested in. Thanks so much!
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