Strobing: Light up your face [2021]

If you are one of those who seeks to shine and take advantage of any occasion to show off your makeup skills, this article was thought and written for you.

We invite you to learn about strobing, one of the techniques most used by professional makeup artists, which seeks to highlight facial features by giving it a healthy and natural glow.

But do not be scared, here we show you the step by step so that you master this technique perfectly and impact this 2021 like a professional strobing in house 🤭

Index:

1. What is strobing?
2. Types of illuminator
3. Strobing technique
4. Professionals recommendation
5. Makeup and photography

Strobing, comes from English and means “to illuminate with sparkles”, it is a makeup technique which consists of illuminating certain areas of the face with illuminators and / or correctors in order to generate dimension and definition to the face.

This technique does not change the features of the face, but rather highlights them and gives them a special enhancement, depending on the point where it is marked with the highlighter.

The most common areas to perform this technique are the upper part of the cheekbones, the tear duct, the arch of the eyebrows, the bridge of the nose, the chin and the cupid’s bow. This technique helps you to disappear blemishes and gives the feeling of a bright and fresh face.

It is not a new technique, but it seems that the name has taken position again thanks to the MAC makeup brand.

The effect that we will achieve with the application of light in these points is to enlarge and widen those areas, it can be useful for the following:

• Increase the distance between the eyes.
• Fix sunken eyes effect.
• Increase the distance between the nose and the lips.

Source: MAC

To perform the strobing, first you have to take into account the types of illuminators that you can use and that suit your preference:

• Powder highlighter: It is easy to handle and is one of the most used formats to perform this technique, since it does not require so much practice and skill in its application. It is suitable for all areas of the face and once applied they offer a silky and fresh texture. This type of highlighter is applied with a fan brush, almost at the end of makeup.

Source: Claroshop

• Cream highlighter: They offer good coverage, but require more skill to apply, as the transition between the highlighter shade and the rest of the face should look smooth. You can find it in a jar or stick, and it is placed at the end of makeup.

Source: Sally Beauty

• Liquid illuminator: This type of highlighter is usually the most balanced in terms of coverage and ease of handling. They are usually applied at the beginning of makeup, so that you can create texture with the other products to use.

One of the things to keep in mind with this type of illuminator is that they sometimes have shiny finishes and not lighting, so if it is required for a photo shoot, the flash is likely to hit direct and unwanted glare.

Source: Online cosmetics

Another important information to keep in mind is the tonality of the illuminator. It is very important that it is chosen according to skin tone and brightness preference, because within these various shades there are pink, pearl, gold and silver ranges.

In general, the gold and pink color ranges are the most suitable for brown or dark skin; while the silver or pearl ranges give better results on light or pale skin.

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1. Cleaning and hydration:

When any product is placed on the skin, it is important that it is as clean as possible, to ensure that the product sets perfectly and to avoid unwanted effects.

In addition to a clean face, it must also be hydrated so that cracks or scales do not form and thus avoid an opposite effect to the desired one.

2. Apply the base:

For this technique, it is advisable to use a light base, it can be liquid, mousse or a BB cream and that adapts perfectly to the skin with which you are working.

It needs to be a translucent base, because for strobing, we don’t need the matte base to weigh down the skin. Why do we apply the base? To unify the tone of the entire face and thus be able to continue working with the other products.

3. Application of the concealer:

After having applied all of the above, it is important to check if there are areas that have not been unified, if so, it is time to use the concealer. In addition, for the strobing technique, the concealer is applied in those areas where the illuminator will be placed.

The places where the concealer should be applied are: under the eyes (to cover dark circles), the sides of the nose and the chin area.

For this, you have to choose a concealer that is the closest to the skin tone, and you should not apply too much, since it must be blended to achieve a uniform effect.

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4. Application of the illuminator:

The highlighter is the signature product of the strobing technique and applying it to the key points is essential.

• Upper area or cupid’s bow: apply the highlighter in this area, it will achieve an effect of increasing the distance between the lips and the nose, in addition to defining the lips.

• Upper and lower area of ​​the eyebrows: The eyes are an important part of the face, so to emphasize the expression of the gaze, the illuminator should be applied in the lower part, between them and the eyes, in addition to a touch on the top, to achieve the desired effect.

• Cheekbones: Apply the illuminator by tapping with your fingers in the area of ​​the cheekbone, you will be able to give the effect of volume to the face.

• Lacrimal: Place a touch of illuminator in this area, it will illuminate your eyes.

• On the nasal septum: The illuminator should be placed vertically, along it, that will make your nose look more stylized.

Source: Alnatur

Makeup professionals have some tips that should be taken into account to perform the strobing technique:

• Use the right highlighter for your skin tone.

• Apply the illuminator under natural light to determine the ideal effect.

• Do not apply in areas with wrinkles; if they are not large, your presence will increase.

• In droopy eyelids, illuminate the fixed eyelid. If we apply to the mobile eyelid we will increase we will obtain an unwanted effect.

• In oily skin, be very careful in the application. We could increase the effect of oily skin with shine.

• If we have pronounced the cheekbones with correctors or contouring techniques, we must light gently to avoid an artificial effect on the face.

• Strobing is more natural when applied to light skin than to tanned skin, it is very artificial. Consequently, the use of foundation in soft tones is recommended.

• Avoid highlighters with glitter or metallic effect.

We have all heard the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” and in the case of photography and makeup, it applies perfectly.

Makeup in photography improves the appearance of models or food, it is a fundamental technique, because it complements the photograph due to what it reflects or causes.

Makeup and photography work together with lighting, which is why there are different types of makeup for every photographic occasion. In itself, photography makeup must be more intense than usual, as the colors must be appreciated in the shot.

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But the following must be taken into account, natural light dulls the colors in the photograph, so you must apply up to two more shades in the makeup so that the color is registered in the camera.

While in artificial light there is greater dominance because the lighting is controlled, the lights can be cold or warm and depending on what type of light is used, the cold tones are intensified and the warm tones are attenuated or vice versa.

Source: Freepik

Now that you know that the Strobing technique can be used in your photographs and in your daily life, don’t stop doing it and become a professional. You know, practice it and shine!