The best make-up for contouring

The technique, which is usually reserved for the red carpet, is tricky to get right in real life

Shadow and light bronze/contour perfector, £34, Becca, cultbeauty.co.uk

It's hard to tell if contouring is more than just a craze – the poodle perm of the Instagram age. I can understand the appeal – using various shades of light and dark in order to redefine the features that can feel blanked out by foundation.

But it's a technique that's usually reserved for the red carpet for a reason: it's tricky to get right in real life. I love watching YouTube videos of drag queens literally painting on a whole new face for an extreme version, but at home the best advice is to go gently, practise in full light and blend, blend, blend.

Contour blush in Gienah

£30, narscosmetics.co.uk

Your darker contouring shade needs to have a matte finish, so any old bronzer won't do. This duo combines a sheer mocha-like block and a light highlighter.

Flawless Contour Palette

£35, Laura Mercier, johnlewis.com

Three cream-to-powder contour shades and two highlighters can be tailored to your skin tone; it comes with a handy integrated how-to and a warning to keep things subtle.

Step-by-step contour stick trio

£35, smashbox.co.uk

This step-by-step set of three creamy colour-coded pencils is great for those who don't want the faff of a brush or a too-powdery finish; includes a face shaping guide and handy pencil sharpener

Shadow and light bronze/contour perfector

£34, Becca, cultbeauty.co.uk

Use the light and dark shades to slim the bridge of your nose and define cheekbones, then swirl them together for a subtle sun-kissed bronzing effect.

Chubby Stick Sculpting Contour in 01 curvy contour

£19, clinique.co.uk

Like a thick, rounded retractable pencil this stick provides a creamy hit of colour, and a little goes a long way. Angling the pencil will provide thinner or thicker blendable stripes.