This Woman's "Power Contouring" Tutorial Will Move You to Tears

Contouring remains one of the biggest trends in makeup due to its transformative powers. The popularity of the sculpting technique has inspired more unusual takes on the method, such as clown contouring and henna contouring. However, the newest alternative version of the technique, "power contouring," is definitely one we can get behind. The idea behind this involves shaping your face with the experiences (both good and bad) that have made you who who you are today — literally. To power contour, you utilize shades of light and dark makeup to paint on words signifying the positive (highlight) and negative (contour).

In this brave and inspirational video, makeup artist Christa from the YouTube channel The Erin and Christa Show uses power contouring to share meaningful characteristics of her life that have shaped who she is.

"People don't like to talk about sad things, because why would you? . . . But it makes you who you are," Christa explains. "Sometimes, when you talk about it, it humanizes you." She goes on to highlight her face by using a lighter foundation color to paint on words that represent positive influences in her life. This includes makeup, her wife, and the LGBTQ community. She tears up when as she explains her forehead highlight, Dan, her older brother with special needs.

"He just has this purity to him that you can't find in anybody [else]," Christa says. She goes on to contour her cheekbones and the sides of her forehead with words in a darker hue, representing the more difficult characteristics of her life. The first word she uses is "fat."

"It's a hard word," she admits. "But I think if you start to love yourself more, the power of that word gets taken away." When she's done "contouring," Christa uses a blending brush, mixing the light and dark experiences together and announces, "all of these things together makes one human."

Christa goes on to assure us that we do not need to be defined by our negative experiences, but they will contribute to who we are. We can grieve and move on, and ultimately, we are shaped by them. This video is a powerful reminder that we should embrace all of the life experiences that are thrown at us but, above all, that they can be turned into art. Remember, makeup is an influential art form! Channel your feelings and use them to create. Watch this empowering video and be moved to tears by Christa's honesty, bravery, and vulnerability, then get inspired to whip out your contouring kit.