Everything you need to know about strobing

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Everything you need to know about strobing

By now, we’ve all heard about contouring. We’ve read about it 1000 times. We’ve come across about a million directive images, like this:

Heck, most of us have tried our hand at it at least once.

But there’s a new make-up trend that’s been giving contouring a run for its money this year.

It’s called strobing and not only is it quicker than contouring (and doesn’t leave you looking like a lost tribal warrior halfway through), but it achieves the most radiant result. 

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So what exactly is strobing, and how do you do it?

Instead of finding the shadows and highlights of your face and enhancing/faking them, strobing is all about highlighting your skin in certain areas to give your complexion that healthy glow you’ve always wanted. It’s basically alllll about light. No shadows here, thanks.

A photo posted by @aniamilczarczyk on

How to ‘strobe’

You’ll need a highlighter, highlighting powder or even a clear lip balm or gloss.Then, just apply it to the areas you want to highlight: your cheekbones, brow bone, bridge of your nose and your temples. In other words, the areas of your face that already catch the light. This Instagram pic spells it out:

Compared to contouring, strobing is an easier (and more forgiving) way to give your face extra depth and dimension. 

But don’t be fooled into thinking some highlighter will solve all your dull skin issues. It’s also super important to maintain a regular skin care routine. You know, cleansing, moisturising, exfoliating and all that jazz. 

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Oh, and if you want to give strobing a whirl, it’s best to avoid any matte primers, foundations and concealers. Because this look relies on highlighting, you’ll want to use a dewy or illuminating foundation, and so on.

Highlighters to try for strobing:

NARS The Multiple 
Inika Light Reflect Highlighting Créme
Mary Kay Highlighting Powder
Australis Cosmetics Mineral Highlights
Jane Iredale In Touch Highlighter
Benefit Watt’s Up!

What do you think of strobing? Would you try it?

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