Can you use fake tan to contour your face?

Social media says you can save time by using tanning products instead of bronzer to make your face look better sculpted

The hack
Using fake tan to contour your face as per the advice of social media – what could go wrong?

The test
If contouring – the trend of using darker-toned make-up or bronzer to seriously sculpt the face – is your jam, then this hack might save your precious time each day. But I do have the foreboding feeling this might have disaster written all over it. There are so many ways this could fail, from it being patchy, the wrong colour or sweating off – but maybe I’m catastrophising. Some online tutorials suggest using a small make-up brush to paint on the self-tan, but that feels a little scary in case I’m left with a stripy face. Instead, I find a method that suggests I gently exfoliate my face and apply the fake tan with a beauty sponge. I gently dab it along my hairline, underneath my cheekbones and on my jawline, which roughly creates a “three” shape on either side. After four hours, I washed it off, and could see some more definition than usual, but it also looked a tad patchy, almost like I had melasma.

The verdict?
If you contour your face every day, this could save time, but this technique definitely works better on lighter skin tones. For darker skins wishing to contour, go for a bronzer with some warmth for a better result.

Contributor

Anita Bhagwandas

The GuardianTramp

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