Contouring Is Back. It’s Not What You Remember.

A simple scroll on TikTok reveals that contouring is back from the dead.

It is back after a backlash against the sculpted, drawn-on look often associated with the early 2000s. (Remember strobing? Baking?) It is back after a pandemic in which many people swore off makeup altogether. But the look is not what you may remember.

Makeup mavens are now sweeping bronzer, blush and highlighter underneath their foundation for a look that’s called under painting. It’s an approach makeup artists have used for years to create a “natural” look: All of the color goes on first, and the foundation acts as a veil to diffuse it. Sometimes the look is referred to as soft sculpting. The idea is to choose lighter formulas, apply less and blend more.

With a new contouring in mind, companies like Glossier and Undone Beauty have released water-light, creamy formulas. For example, Glossier’s Solar Paint, described as an “almost whipped gel crème,” is a textured bronzer meant for applying with the fingertips. Undone’s Water Bronzer is a water-based stick designed to create a soft contour that blends seamlessly.

The upshot is that many young women who may have witnessed the heavy contouring of earlier days are trying it for the first time.

“I’m 26 years old and just three months ago I started contouring,” said Madison Baber, a brand activation manager in San Antonio. She was inspired by TikTok influencers like Kylie Larson and Kensy Tillo who came across her For You page and who made contouring look “so easy and natural.”

“I saw how it can transform your face but not make you look caky,” Ms. Baber said.

Fabiana Meléndez Ruiz, 26, is also a newbie. “I literally started contouring in September,” said Ms. Ruiz, who works in marketing. “I had never done it previously, even though I lived through the 2015, 2016 YouTube chaos of extreme contouring.”