Draping: What it is, what it looks like and how to do it

Move over contouring, draping is the new way to achieve chiseled cheekbones

Does the name Way Bandy ring a bell for you? No? It should. He’s the make-up artist who basically invented contouring. Back in the 60s and 70s, very few make-up artists were hand mixing their own cosmetics to create new looks. But, Way Bandy was. He was known for creating natural-looking, chiselled cheekbones and because of his technique, he was hired by stars like Farrah Fawcett, Cher and Diana Ross.

Sadly, Way Bandy passed away in 1986, but his friend, Marc Jacobs is making sure he gets the contouring credit he deserves.

‘He embraced the concept of 'color glow' as a way of bringing out the natural 'drape' of the face,’ the brand said in a statement. And so Marc Jacobs new Air Blush Soft Glow Duo was born. A compact consisting of two complementary cheek shades that can be used separately or together to create a glowing flush of colour.

And along with it, came the new technique of draping. A spin off of contouring that involves blush instead of contour powder. The result? A softer, fresher approach to definition. The key is in using colours that work together. The darker shade of blush will give you the shadow effect you need to define your cheekbones. And the lighter shade will give the look more a modern finish, whilst still nodding to the statement flush that was so popular in the 70s.

How to do draping

Apply a deeper shade of blush just below the apples of the cheeks. Keep it low on the face to counterbalance roundness and create a visual oval.
Blend your brush back and forth underneath your cheekbones to create shade and define your cheekbones.
Swirl the lighter shade on top to highlight your cheekbones.
Blend away the edges by softly brushing both colours in the same direction.

Ready to tackle draping? Here are the best blushers that beauty editors love...