The process of shaping or outlining something according to its outline or contour; in makeup, applying products to define or reshape facial features.
From 'contour' (from French 'contourner,' to go around), plus '-ing'. The French term comes from 'con-' (around) and 'tour' (turn), literally meaning 'to turn around.'
Makeup contouring became a global phenomenon in the 2010s thanks to celebrity Instagram posts, but the technique is ancient—sculptors have used light and shadow for thousands of years to define form, so modern contouring is really applied Renaissance art theory.
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