Are you Strobing?? If Not, You Should Be
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Are you Strobing?? If Not, You Should Be

07.20.2015    |    
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Let me boldly declare that strobing is the next big thing. Now that we’ve nearly exhausted our obsession with heavy contouring, it’s time to make way for a new kid on the beauty block. Fresh, exciting, and just the right balance of trendy and chic, strobing is easy and also effective. It’s a way for you to truly emphasize your best features without layering on tons of product. Sounds amazing, right?

So let me backup and explain. As its name suggests, strobing is all about using the power of light to accentuate the high points of your face. The effect is higher cheekbones, younger-looking skin and that extremely covetable lit-from-within glow. It’s the anti-contouring, as it involves brightening and highlighting products. These can come in all different forms—creams, powders, etc. And like many of the best trends in beauty, strobing has been around forever in Asia, specifically in Korean beauty circles. In other words, this technique means business.

The idea behind strobing is simple: Highlight wherever the light hits you naturally. So as you take this trend for a test drive, forget what you’ve learned from concealing or contouring; emphasize what you want to be seen rather than what you want to be hidden. Leave the battle of acne cover up to your actual cover up.

Here’s my step-by-step guide to strobing like a pro:

1. Start with a facial oil. Rather than using lotion, facial oils often have a sheen finish that automatically gives your face a nice glow. The sheen feature also helps you discover where the light hits your best.

2. Sweep your fav illuminator down the center of the face, touching your forehead, bridge of your nose, Cupid’s bow, and chin. I like to use cream-based illuminators, but powdered formulas also work.

3. Tap your highlighter on the tops of your cheekbones. This will create natural shine when you smile.

4. Use a small brush to highlight the area above the eyebrow, right underneath the brow bones and the inner corner of the eye. This will sharpen the look of your brows and brighten your eyes.

While strobing is a lot simpler than other beauty techniques out there, it’s still a bit of a challenge for newcomers. Like anything else, it takes practice.

To help you get started, I’ve put together a list of tips:

Tip #1: If you accidentally over highlight, just blend it out OR use a foundation powder like RMS “Un” Powder to cover up the highlighter. It’s more forgiving than the contour!

Tip #2: Do NOT use a highlighter that has too much glitter. Pick a highlighter that has subtle iridescent glow. This will create more of a natural look. I emphasize natural because it’s the key to this look. Don’t go for costumey! Leave that for louder trends and Halloween.

Tip #3: If you have oily skin, stick with powder rather than liquid highlighters. Be very nuanced with your brush strokes to apply just the right amount of product for a balanced look. Start with a conservative amount and add more as needed. It’s like getting a haircut. If you’re unsure about the length you want, cut less at first and add more after you’ve seen results you’re comfortable with.

Tip #4: If you have dry to normal skin, you could also brush the highlighter across your forehead to bring out your bone structure. However, if you tend to get oily in the forehead area, skip this step or just apply a tiny bit.

If you don’t already have a go-to highlighter, these are my favorites that you must try. I use these babies each and every damn day…

Onomie Illuminating Eye Treatment

RMS Living Luminizer

W3ll People Bio Brightening Stick

Benefit High Beam Liquid Face Highlighter

Guerlain ‘Météorites’ Travel Touch

Hourglass Cosmetics Ambient Lighting Powder

Happy strobing, girls!

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Onomie Illuminating Eye Treatment

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RMS Living Luminizer

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Benefit High Beam Liquid Highlighter

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Guerlain 'Météorites' Travel Touch

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Hourglass Cosmetics Ambient Powder

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