It's easy to think that contouring the décolletage and neck is too tricky a venture to try at home. After all, if stars like Miranda Lambert and Kylie Jenner can't pull it off with the help of professional makeup artists then what chance do we mere mortals stand when looking to enhance our assets while wearing a low-cut dress?
But as E! Style Collective member and makeup artist Karen Gonzalez shows, body contouring can be made easy, and the outcome is well worth the effort. It makes the neck appear elongated and slender, collarbones pop and breasts appear more full.
The trick is to use makeup a few shades darker than your natural skin tone to draw lines along your neck, collarbone and above the breasts. Next, use a highlighting cream to accentuate the collarbone area.
While Gonzalez grabbed makeup from a larger contouring palette in the video, note that she only used two shades, so a simple, two-color palette (one to shade, one to highlight) will work when replicating the look at home.
After drawing dark lines on your neck and chest, you'll look like you're gearing up for a medieval war instead of a formal night out. Don't freak: The next step, which is to use a fluffy brush to blend, will transform the look into one that is red-carpet ready.
Finally, to keep the chest and breasts from looking too painted on—an effect recently suffered by Lambert at the Academy of Country Music Awards—take ample time to buff the harsh lines away.
In the end, you will have given yourself a breast lift and more slender frame in a matter of minutes—just be sure to change into a gown or shirt that complements the tanned-and-toned lines you just created (such as a sweetheart neckline or button-down shirt).
Because if there's anything Kylie has taught us about contouring, it's that the cut of the clothes you chose is just as important as the makeup job you do.