Adventures in Highlight and Contouring

I’m sure many of you have seen the wondrous trend of Highlight and Contouring (HAC) on Pinterest, and probably want to see if it’s all it’s cracked up to be.  I know I did!  I really wanted to see if it worked because I don’t feel like my bone structure stands out on film that well.  If successful, perhaps this could be a camera friendly trick to land more roles!

As I’ve mentioned before, Maskcara is my go to blog for beauty videos, and was one of my first introductions to HAC.  So I’ve only followed her tips on how to Highlight and Contour thus far.  She basically does it in every makeup tutorial, each time a little differently and with different products.  The two products I bought upon her recommendation was the L’Oreal Paris True Match Foundation Powder in Deep Cool for Contouring, and Maybelline New York Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Nude for Highlighting.  Being a beginner, I’m not sure if these colors are working for me, since I don’t notice much of a difference in my before and after shots.  Take a look!

This is the first time I tried HAC out.  Not really noticing much of a difference here, maybe a little more definition on my cheekbones.  Because I’m new to this, I think I’m a little worried about going too heavy, as I don’t want it to be obvious in person.  This could be why there isn’t much of a contrast between the two photos.  I also think my Highlighter could be one shade lighter.

HAC Set One Before & After

This is my second attempt.  I think I got a little better, or am I just imagining it?  I think I’m seeing more definition on my cheeks, a sharper jaw line, and a thinner nose.  I find it so hard to tell though!  Is it the makeup or the angle of my face?!

HAC Set Two Before & After

Third time’s a charm, right?  I think so?  I definitely notice more of a difference between the before and after shot.  Overall it looks like my bone structure is more defined and my face is a little thinner.  I also have a bump on my nose (thanks to the Austrian side of my family), which looks less noticeable after HAC.

HAC Set Three Before & After

All in all, I was expecting more of a drastic difference after seeing all those side-by-side comparisons on Pinterest.  Beauty blogs make it look so easy!  Either my bone structure is already more defined than I think it is, or I’m just doing it wrong (most likely the latter)!

If anyone has any tips or tricks, or know what I’m doing wrong, please share in the comments section.  I’d love to hear from you!

I plan on coming back to this topic again in the future with another HAC series, to see if I’ve improved at all (and if I can take better photographs of makeup).  Stay tuned!


Lil Bit More Self Esteem

This is the Part 2 of my post Lil Bit More Skills.  This was a little hard to write, as it’s very personal and delves into to some not-so-great feelings.  But I felt it was important to share, since I know many of us feel similar things at some point in life.  Often simply being able to relate to someone going through the same thing can instantly make you feel a little bit better, and I hope this post has the power to do so.

3.  Get Back to Me

It sounds a bit cliche, but after living in Los Angeles for 4 1/2 years, I feel like I’ve lost myself and a huge chunk of my self esteem.  I’ve known what I’ve wanted to do since I was 13 years old (be an actor), not only did I know, but I passionately pursued this career with an unwavering determination.  Which, lucky for me, proved to be fruitful and continued to be so throughout college.  Without thinking I was the best and had no room for improvement, I still had confidence and believed in my abilities.  Without thinking I was gorgeous, I knew I was attractive.  I did not feel inadequate.

I’m not sure when it happened exactly, but LA changed all of that.  It was not only the lack of performing, but the complete lack of auditions that made me question my abilities and my choices.  It was not fitting into a particular beauty mold that suddenly had me criticizing everything about myself.  I had never felt bad about myself when I saw celebrities in movies or magazines, but when you are completely immersed into so much of that superficial nonsense, it’s hard not to feel bad about yourself.  It’s hard not to lose yourself.

Well, there’s only so much of that you can take, and I needed a break from it.  I happily moved to Portland for that break, and I plan to use this transitional time for new beginnings.  While I’m working on the self improvement and skills mentioned in Part 1 of this post, I will also be working on health, beauty, and fitness.  For extra confidence boosts, I will be trying out various makeup and hair tutorials, diy treatments, fitness plans, and basically anything I find on the oh-so-addictive Pinterest.  They may be wrought with trial and error in the beginning, but hopefully you’ll stick around to see me master new techniques!