Is This the End of Contouring?

Contouring as we know it may well be coming to an end. (Photo: Instagram/Kim Kardashian)

We’ve seen lots of trends aiming to displace contouring from every beauty blogger’s daily routine, but none have made the cut. Nontouring isn’t dramatic enough, and strobing doesn’t have the sculpting effect. Plus, contouring has been around for decades and is now a $29 million industry, so it will probably be a hard habit to kick.

Still, Marc Jacobs is looking to end contouring once and for all. The modern contour that we see all over Instagram virtually restructures the entire face, looks streaky and ridiculous in person, and is just too heavy for day-to-day wear. Jacobs wants to take us back to the prime time of contouring, when it complied with the wearer’s natural facial structure and looked dimensional, rather than blocky and opaque.

Marc Jacobs’s friend and the world’s first celebrity makeup artist, Way Bandy, developed an iteration of contouring in the ’70s that did the job right. It was colorful, structured, and could be easily altered depending on the bone structure and desired look of the wearer. He called it draping. “[Way Bandy’s] technique [followed] the natural bone structure, or the ‘drape’ of the face to create a makeup look that has been adapted in some form by every makeup artist since his time,” the brand wrote.

Jacobs has just the tools for you to recreate the perfect “draped” look, and it’s easy to recreate, even for those of us lacking a glam squad. This summer, Marc Jacobs Beauty will release a series of dual-tone blushes designed for every skin tone and desired color saturation. “Customize Your Color. Concentrate on the lighter, deeper, or middle section of the #AirBlush palette for the color you desire,” the brand wrote. “Blend together for a perfect flush. Highlight with the lighter shade of the palette, contour with the deeper shade. Tip: the Blush Angled Blush Brush is perfect for creating a soft glow.” Jacobs designed two looks for you to try out draping with his new Air Blush Soft Glow Duo.

The looks are inspired by perfect blush of decades past, sported by icons like Kate Moss, Grace Jones, and Cher. Jacobs aims to make us look like we’re flushed from a long night out dancing, and the new blush introduces a new weightless ingredient designed to look just like skin. “Japanese ‘air powder’ pigments are at the core of this innovative new formula,” the brand wrote in a press release. “The ultra-lightweight powder is nearly undetectable to the touch and melds naturally with the skin, creating the perfect blush.” That’s right, people. The end of contouring is nigh. Get ready to have fun with color again.