Soft engraved makeup is a new contour

Almost ten years ago, in the heyday of beauty vloggers on YouTube around 2016, one style of makeup dominated everything. But after wearing and completing these cuts, and completing defined looks known to stand out on camera, the beauty community shifted the course for something more wearable and natural. This is the age of soft sculpted makeup, and that’s to stay here.

Say goodbye to the outline

Classic contoured make-up carves features for high contrast and high drama. Don’t get me wrong, this style is still amazing on camera. However, Drita Paljevic, director of art and makeup at Kevyn Aucoin, points out a high learning curve as the main reason for the retirement of contours as a trend.

“In the 2010s, it was trendy at the time and rooted in some of Kevin’s original techniques, but it didn’t really reflect his philosophy of what the outline should look like, but it was trendy, but it saw the rise of the appearance of a ‘snatched’ contour that is trendy,” she explains. “This technique (wondering on the camera) is unrealistic and intimidating. Today, the pendulum looks back towards a soft sculpture. It’s a more wearable, skin-first approach that focuses on subtle lifts, warmth and dimensions, so makeup disappears into the skin.”

How to perfect soft sculpture

Critically, instead of reshaping the face because it outlines, soft sculpt uses a similar product (a blendable cream formula) to enhance the functionality you already have. The goal is to look diffuse, melted skin, avoiding harsh lines and deep shadows of contour.

“One of my favorite professional artist tricks (known by Katie Jane Hughes) is to “prime the brush” before applying the product,” advises Paljevic. “Tap the brush onto the formula and buff it out behind your hand before touching your face. You may feel like you’re wasting your product, but this step warms up the formula for your melted, diffused application and makes it easy to build.

You’ll want to reach for a darker tone than your natural skin tone, allowing for a more natural look depth.

Products that nail soft carvings

1 / 5

A soft sculpture hero, this skincare-infused cream outline is a great way to create both subtle contrast and high-gramma look. Simply select a shade that complements your skin tone and control which areas to define and retract, giving you complete control over your seamless engraving.

2 / 5

A cream bronzer that thins out for easy-to-mold coverage for easy construction, this balm is reinforced with fatty acids that help keep you hydrated and trap moisture. The lightweight formula offers a soft satin finish to the sparkling sparkle in that respect.

3 / 5

This long-lasting cream from porter stick provides a soft focus finishing major pigment for use on the cheeks, lips and eyes. Swipe this transformative blush once to get a harmonious, soft look.

4 / 5

The hyaluronic acid and butter trio creates a creamy, melted skin texture in this blush, blending in seamlessly for a healthy, radiant glow. Six blatant shades are reinforced with ceramides and peptides for stronger skin barriers.

5 / 5

Get the perfect soft sculpture with this matte powder. This matte powder is designed with the perfect blend of pigments to mimic the natural shadow look for constructable dimensions.