Meet "Strobing," the Anti-Contouring Beauty Trick You Need to Know Now

Channel your inner French girl.

Needless to say—contouring as we know it today, despite its face-narrowing, cheekbone-carving powers, is not for everyone. And if you're looking to buck the airbrushed trend once and for all, the new strobing trend is a game-changer. It's kind of like contouring's au naturale French cousin.

Here's the gist: Instead of painterly bronzing and blending, strobing seeks to define your features by using light—and light alone. The makeup technique will help you channel your inner disco ball by letting your born-with-it (or, erm, enhanced) radiance shine through with reflective products.

"It's about using reflection on high planes and points of the face that catch the light to create spotlit areas," Alex Box, creative director of Illamasqua, told the London Evening Standard. "It's a much more forgiving way to bring focus and shape to the face."

But while it sounds like it's totally less maintenance than contouring, don't be fooled—this look requires healthy, naturally-glowing skin as its base, which, as you know, calls for a disciplined skincare regimen (cleansing and moisturizing daily, you know the drill) and an antioxidant-rich diet. Plus, if you want to take it a step further, bi-weekly brightening face masks you can try at home are a necessary extravagance.

From there, you can correct and enhance your complexion beginning with a hydrating serum for a dewy canvas, iridescent tinted moisturizer for light coverage (MAC Strobe Cream is the gold standard), highlighter to brighten/accentuate your features, and a luminescent powder to set the look.

As far as application, here are two tried-and-true tips for a strobe-like effect:

1) Fuse your skincare and makeup together as much possible for a dewy, wet-shine finish. For example, if you're going to use concealer, add moisturizer to it.

2) Add shine to the areas of your face that catch light naturally, like your cheekbones, bridge of the nose, or temples.

JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

TOPICS
Beauty Editor

Lauren Valenti is Vogue’s former senior beauty editor. Her work has also appeared on ELLE.com, MarieClaire.com, and in In Style. She graduated with a liberal arts degree from Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts, with a concentration on Culture and Media Studies and a minor in Journalism.

Latest in Makeup
makeup - pamela anderson
The Prettiest Beauty Looks Modeled By Celebrities Over 50
makeup - christy turlington
'90s Makeup Trends to Take Into 2025
70s makeup -  Lisa Taylor
'70s Makeup Trends That Surprisingly Hold Up Today
makeup - ali macgraw
The Best '60s Makeup Trends to Try
Editors Test SHEGLAM Skin Magnet Foundation
Yes, You Should Wear Foundation This Summer
Revolution Beauty Bronzing Drops
These $12 Bronzing Drops Are Elite
Latest in News
Model with barely there makeup, glowy skin, and long coily hair.
Everything You Need to Know About Marie Claire’s Skin and Hair Awards
Two men (Ike Barinholtz and Seth Rogen) sit at a conference table with a script in front of them, as two women (Kathryn Hahn and Chase Sui Wonders) stand behind them, in 'The Studio.'
The Cast of 'The Studio': Your Guide
Bella Hadid walks into a studio wearing an oversize leather jacket with a pair of capri leggings and ballet sneakers
The Ballet Sneaker Trend Is Bella Hadid's Undisputed It-Shoe of 2025
Keke Palmer in a brown cutout dress and long copper hair
Keke Palmer Returns to the Dark Side With Deep Espresso Hair
Jonathan Davino in a blue shirt and gray blazer and Sydney Sweeney in a black and white patterned dress at the InStyle and Kate Spade dinner in October 2018
Sydney Sweeney Deletes Instagram of Fiancé Jonathan Davino, Further Fueling Breakup Rumors
Jennifer Lawrence
The Jennifer Lawrence-Approved Adidas Sneakers Everyone's Talking About Are Secretly On Sale at Nordstrom