Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Latest Issue
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Autumn Winter 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    1. Beauty

    Is This The End Of The Kardashian Contour?

    Forget harsh contouring, next season it's all about subtlety.

    By Marie Claire
    Published 3 October 2014 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Forget harsh contouring, next season it's all about subtlety.

    The truth is, you head to Milan Fashion Week for the biggies: Marni, Giorgio Armani, Moschino et al, but boy is it nice when on the off-chance you discover something new and exciting.

    That's how it went with Marco de Vincenzo, a small detour in between shows to see Marie Claire favourite Terry Barber in action. 'You can forget your Guccis, your Pradas, it's all about de Vincenzo,' he told me when I popped into the rather opulent show space right next door to the historical Duomo. Bold words.

    The look at de Vincenzo was instantly covetable and something we would expect to see in London - not the glamour capital of the world - and we saw the debut of the antithesis of the past-its-prime Kardashian Contour.

    We all know it: the harsh sculpting, the bronzer buffed to within an inch of its life into the hollows of the cheeks and along the jawline, the almost-white concealer painted under eyes. We've known for a while now that it's simply too much. It looks completely fake - almost clown-like - and here's the thing: if you don't cake your skin in foundation you won't need to 'add dimension' with contouring because, believe it or not, the face is naturally 3D. Shocking, we know.

    You may like
    • Beauty Moodboard SS27 ’90s Kate Moss, Stevie Nicks and “Digital” Skin—The Beauty References to Inspire You for the Season Ahead
    • Makeup artist & hairstylist kit essentials The MUAs and Hairstylists Backstage at Fashion Week Have Tried It All—These Are the Products in Their Kits Season After Season
    • Anti-blush makeup trend Why Makeup Artists Are Embracing the Anti-Blush Movement—And How to Make It Look Good

    Barber's 'Reverse Contouring' at de Vincenzo is much more our kind of thing. Barber allowed the contrast between shiny and matte skin do all the contouring for him. No taupe shadows, no sparkly bronzer, just MAC Studio Sculpt Defining Powder, £22, patted lightly between the brows, under the eyes, the sides of the nose and the chin to mattify, the rest of the face remained naturally shiny. 'This is a modern, invisible contour,' explained Barber. 'It looks like well-conditioned and healthy. It;s the uber-skin that everyone wants.'

    Try it, you'll never reach for the bronzer contour ever again.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Marie Claire
    Social Links Navigation

    The leading destination for fashion, beauty, shopping and finger-on-the-pulse views on the latest issues. Marie Claire's travel content helps you delight in discovering new destinations around the globe, offering a unique – and sometimes unchartered – travel experience. From new hotel openings to the destinations tipped to take over our travel calendars, this iconic name has it covered.

    Read more
    Beauty Moodboard SS27
    Beauty ’90s Kate Moss, Stevie Nicks and “Digital” Skin—The Beauty References to Inspire You for the Season Ahead
    Makeup artist & hairstylist kit essentials
    Beauty The MUAs and Hairstylists Backstage at Fashion Week Have Tried It All—These Are the Products in Their Kits Season After Season
     
     
    Anti-blush makeup trend
    Make Up Why Makeup Artists Are Embracing the Anti-Blush Movement—And How to Make It Look Good
    Sephoria new beauty brands: Substance of Light / French Cowboy / Omad's
    Beauty Beauty’s Next Breakout Stars—Why Beauty Fans Are Flocking to SEPHORiA London
     
     
    Latest in Beauty
    New Beauty Launches: Burberry Beauty / Mes Beauty / rhute / Jo Loves / Ziip Beauty
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Jennifer Lawrence’s Unexpected Haircare Launch, Burberry’s Exquisite New Perfumes and Jo Loves Sparks Festive Joy
    3 Hair devices steaming
    Hair Thermal Brush, Hair Waver, or Flat Iron? Which Wavytalk Styler Is Right for You?
     
     
    Best Treatments for Eye Wrinkles, Dark Circles and Hooded Eyes
    Skincare From Dark Circles to Drooping Lids—An Expert Guide to What Really Works for Every Eye Concern
    What is nose blindness?
    Fragrance If You Can't Smell Your Own Perfume After an Hour or Two, This Could Be Why
     
     
    Latest in News
    New Beauty Launches: Burberry Beauty / Mes Beauty / rhute / Jo Loves / Ziip Beauty
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Jennifer Lawrence’s Unexpected Haircare Launch, Burberry’s Exquisite New Perfumes and Jo Loves Sparks Festive Joy
    New Beauty Launches: Amouage, Haus Labs, XERF
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Is XERF Worth the Hype? Plus, Amouage’s New Body Collection & The Beauty Beat Returns
     
     
    Jeans And Jackets
    Shopping Celine Dion, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sarah Pidgeon Swear by This Trophy Jacket-and-Jeans Formula for Instant Fashion Confidence
    Vogue World Robots
    Fashion AI Is Shaping the Future of Fashion—Can Creative Thought Survive?
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.