Wednesday

Contouring: novelty or a recycled technique?

Hi everyone!

Currently the contouring is one of the makeup techniques most used in showbiz and a trend that more and more women wear daily, but despite its current fame this method isn’t new, and since the beginning of television contouring artist’s faces was a daily task of makeup artists. Today we will take a look at the history of contouring and its evolution until today.



Max Factor and his new technique


At the beginning of television, cameras were used (Iconoscope) that didn’t generate contrast and "turned off" the artist's face, so their features couldn’t be distinguish; that’s why famous make-up artist Max Factor was summoned to create a makeup technique that would emphasize the features of the television artists of that time.


Colors recorded in the gray scale represented a problem because they provided low definition, so make-up artists used various colors and the contouring technique to compensate the tones presented on television. For example, green replaced red, because the camera didn’t record the red tone on the skin, so both lipstick and blush were made in green


Max Factor developed this makeup technique for the new media in 1932, working with Don Lee and pioneering television station W6XAO in Hollywood, California; and he even trademarked the term "Makeup for TV" at that time.


Contouring over time


From 1946 the television images improved, thanks to the introduction of the Image Orthicon cameras developed by RCA; these were more sensitive than the Iconoscope, which led the Max Factor company adapt the makeup  for television in 1946.

With the advent of color television in 1954, the company renewed again the makeup and created the Pan-Stik. This type of makeup created a smooth finish in which light is reflected evenly and at the same intensity, which created a clean and smooth skin.


Contouring nowadays


Today the contouring again gained ground in make-up, in this case using 1 or 2 colors lighter or darker than your foundation shades to create a "natural" shadow to highlight the features and disguise facial irregularities.

This technique is not only worn by celebrities, but is ideal to stand out your face at night parties and events where makeup is usually more loaded and is favorable for pictures taken with high-tech cameras.


Thanks for coming, you are welcome to like and share with your friends!


Until the next post!

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