Why – And How – You Should Be Strobing (+ A Little Video I Made With MC)

(But, whatever you do, don’t call it strobing to a make-up artist.)

Here are some things make-up artists have told me since the art of highlighting facial structure, aka strobing, became the newest buzzword in beauty:

‘It’s always been something we do, just like contouring – it’s just part of making a face have dimension.’

‘Don’t talk to me about strobing – I don’t answer questions on strobing. Don’t encourage people to go mad for one thing – good make-up is about everything working together.’

‘A bit of strobing looks great, but to be honest it’s not exactly a new thing; just look at music videos from the early 90s – it’s everywhere.’

And they’re absolutely right; strobing isn’t new, but it has stolen the show from contouring. In my opinion, this is a good thing: highlighting is infinitely easier, less time-consuming and the focus less on changing the appearance of one’s facial structure by recessing areas and more on emphasising individual character of the face. It’s less conformist, less Kardashian (sorry, fans, I think their approach to make-up is deplorable).

Click here to see the video I made with Marie Claire and Smashbox, along with some recommended products with which to strobe.