Face Contouring with Balayage? Yeah, It’s a Thing!

Remember when Kim K’s “Contouring Road Map” debuted, and beauty buffs went nuts trying to recreate her flawless facial structure? Well, get ready, because now there’s a new contouring strategy involving hair—and it can’t be achieved with face powder at home. It’s actually created with balayage, which means you’re the expert!

“Just as you can enhance facial structure with makeup, haircolor can be used to give certain features subtle definition and minimize the features a client dislikes,” explains balayage authority and L’Oréal Professionnel Artist, Nancy Braun. This means you can give your clients the illusion of higher cheekbones or a slimmer jawline with just a few strategically placed pieces around her face. The best part? “Clients don’t understand the technical aspect of what we’re doing, but they fall in love with the result,” says Nancy.

Here are some dos and don’ts for contouring with balayage.

DO

• Pull your client’s hair back during the consultation to evaluate her face shape. You may want to print out a face shape map to keep at your station, says Nancy.
• Apply contouring color to the hair at natural fall.
• Use light and dark colors when contouring. If you want to add width to an area, use a lighter color; to reduce width, use a darker color
• Make sure your lightener is the right consistency. “It should be creamy, like Greek yogurt,” notes Nancy, who also prefers 30-volume developer to control the results.
  
  
  
  

For a heart-shaped face, darken the top of the head to create the illusion of a more oval face. Add lightness just under the jawline to soften angles and brighten skin tone.

DON’T

• Forget to have all of these must-have balayage items on hand: Saran Wrap, butterfly clips, cotton, a balayage brush and lightener.
  
• Use foils to isolate sections. Instead, use plastic.
  
• Apply contouring highlights to thinning areas or baby hairs. You will not have enough hair to grab, and lightening these areas will just make them look thinner.
  
• Get too heavy-handed at the root.
  
• Forget to have all of these must-have balayage items on hand: Saran Wrap, butterfly clips, cotton, a balayage brush and lightener.

For square/round face shapes, apply highlights to the hairline area surrounding the face. To contour the jawline, keep the color dark on top and on the ends.