How To Sculpt Your Face with MAC Pro Sculpting Creams

| 42 Responses


Wearing MAC Pro Sculpting Creams (and Smizing So Hard!)

I love makeup’s incredible power to transform a face. Anyone can get the appearance of a great facial bone structure with the right tools and sculpting products. I’ve been playing around with the new, limited edition MAC Pro Sculpting Creams (each $24 CDN / $20 US) from the Face and Body Collection so today I will show you how I use them to sculpt my face.


MAC Coffee Walnut (top), Pure Sculpture (bottom) Pro Sculpting Creams

Coffee Walnut is described as deep, dirty cool brown. It is dark and takes on a slight green tinge. Pure Sculpture is a neutral, pink beige. It is a tad darker than my skin tone (I think I am MAC NC40 – NC42, or NARS Barcelona), and is warm-toned. When used separately, these do not create the look of natural shadows on my face. Coffee Walnut is deep enough but it is too green; Pure Sculpture is not deep enough and is too orange. When used together, ahhh, this product is just right.


MAC Coffee Walnut, Pure Sculpture Pro Sculpting Creams Swatches

Let’s start with a face with foundation and concealer (and brows, lashes, lips). Don’t powder yet. Because these are creams, they blend better underneath powder products.

  1. I like to use my fingers as I have a lot of control over them. I start with Pure Sculpture and place them under my cheekbones, on temples, eyelids and jawline.
  2. Intensify the same areas shadows with Coffee Walnut. I like to place more on the areas that would normally get the most shadows: under the cheekbones right by my ears, and my nose right below my eyebrows.
  3. Blend out the large areas with a dense goat hair brush like Royal & Langnickel Complexion C185. With the right brush it is easy to blend out the products.
  4. Soften the shadows on the smaller areas (nose and eyes) with a fluffy blending brush like the MAC 217.
  5. Powder all over and smile! :)


Before and After Contouring

This is a natural sculpted effect that’s great to fake a no makeup look. For a stronger contoured effect — for example, if you ever want to attempt Benedict Cumberbatch or Messy Wands caliber cheekbones, you’d do more.


Benedict Cumberbatch / Xiao of Messy Wands
(both owners of great cheekbones and so beautiful that I want to punch myself)

Build the darker shades and then add highlight to the higher planes of the face: cheeks, centre of forehead, brow bones, centre of nose, above the cupid’s bow, and chin.


Wearing MAC Pro Sculpting Creams


Wearing MAC Pro Sculpting Creams

Do you contour or sculpt your face with makeup? Let me know your favourite products! Besides these, I am loving my MAKE UP FOR EVER Sculpting Kit #2 that I got from NYC. :)

  • http://twitter.com/daly_beauty/status/250569174735273984/ @daly_beauty

    Cool RT @TheGlitterGeek: New post: How To Sculpt Your Face with @MACcosmetics Pro Sculpting Creams http://t.co/8KSAgzOx

  • http://Messywands.blogspot.com Xiao

    I love this post for so many reasons! I might steal that picture and frame it, btw

    • http://www.glittergeek.ca Arianne

      Thanks for inspiring the post, Wands (and Benedict). :D

  • http:makeupbymerry.com merry

    So fresh and pretty! Love a natural sculpted face, as ironic as it sounds. When you play with the face’s natural contours. Spoils it when contour products aren’t blended enough and take over the entire look. I love Make Up For Ever, sculpting kit, MAC Sculpt powder, and Laura Mercier’s Contour creme.:)

    • http://www.glittergeek.ca Arianne

      Thank you Merry. :) I like it, too. Such a professional and polished look.

  • http://IamAlisonM.com Alison M

    The finished affect is gorgeous. Contouring really does such wonders!

    • http://www.glittergeek.ca Arianne

      Thanks Alison M. :)

  • jess

    excellent timing! i just picked up coffee walnut (i have a similar skintone to you, usually NC35-40). I figure I’d blend one of my powder bronzers to make it slightly warmer, but overall i’m pretty happy with the color. i love the natural contour it gives. thanks for the tutorial!

    • http://www.glittergeek.ca Arianne

      Good idea Jess! Setting it with a warmer bronzer is genius. :) You’re welcome.

  • http://twitter.com/TOBeautyReviews/status/250644661725700096/ @TOBeautyReviews

    Sculpting my cheeks – something I’ve never thought of doing! @theGlitterGeek shows you how here: http://t.co/bTYtAN52

  • http://www.beauty-obsessed.com Toya

    I was into sculpting briefly but I think the issue is the shade I have – it looks good on it’s own, but as soon as I add any more products at all, it looks overdone. I want to check these out! Or perhaps the MUFE version, as I’m a huge fan of the brand overall. Honestly Arianne, you have pretty darn good contours yourself already, you hardly need this at all!

    • http://www.glittergeek.ca Arianne

      Thanks Toya. The MUFE one is really hard to overdo. It is really user friendly (but the brush, too, makes a huge difference). I didn’t used to contour much because I didn’t have a dense + stiff enough brush, but now I found the perfect brush. :) Good luck.

  • http://buyingcrueltyfree.com Catherine

    I love how natural your contouring is. So beautiful! You’re definitely right, it looks like a “no makeup” look.
    I’m really prone to break outs so even though I love how creams look, I personally use powders to contour. I just use a regular pressed face powder in a dark shade.

    • http://www.glittergeek.ca Arianne

      Thanks Catherine. A pressed powder in a darker shade works great, too! I know some makeup artists keep these in their kits for that reason.

  • http://www.beauty-reflections.com Tracy@Beauty Reflections

    Shmexxxy! Love it!

    • http://www.glittergeek.ca Arianne

      Thank you Tracy. :) You shmexxxy thing.

  • http://eyeheartit.blogspot.com Larie

    Ah, together! That’s the ticket! When I first saw swatches of these, I definitely thought “am not green. or orange. problem?”

    Amazing post, Geeks!

    • http://www.glittergeek.ca Arianne

      Yeah, Larie. They are pro products so I thought immediately that they were meant to work mixed together. :)

  • http://www.makeupwithdrawal.com Mimi

    Oh my gosh, I absolutely love this! You look so naturally sculpted! Now, if only I could contour the entire rest of my body, hah!

    • http://www.glittergeek.ca Arianne

      Thanks Mimi! I know right? I would contour the heck out of my boobs. LOL

  • http://kelly-yes.blogspot.com kelly

    your skin is so perfect <3

    • http://www.glittergeek.ca Arianne

      Thank you Kelly. :D

  • http://picturesmiths.blogspot.com Rachelle@PictureSmiths

    So happy to have found your blog! I’m a late-bloomer when it comes to makeup, so I’m enjoying going through your posts. :) I love this contouring–you are such a natural beauty! :) Can you tell me what gloss/lipstick you’re wearing in this? Thx!

    • http://www.glittergeek.ca Arianne

      Thank you Rachelle. :) Welcome!

      I am wearing Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss in Sunbaked mixed with Le Metier de Beaute Lip Creme in Creme Caramel. It’s my current favourite lip combo.

  • http://beautyvigilante.blogspot.com Sarah S.

    I am too lazy to contour most days, but you and Xiao do look stunning :)

    • http://www.glittergeek.ca Arianne

      Sometimes I just contour and no blush. :) Same amount of time, Sarah S.

  • http://southerngorgeous.blogspot.com Emily Rehse

    I’m so afraid of cream products, great info though! Oh and Benedict, thanks for Benedict! :)

    • http://www.glittergeek.ca Arianne

      Thanks Emily! These are sheer and buildable to it’s hard to make a mistake with them. :)

  • http://www.thesmalllittlethingsinlife.blogspot.com annick

    Omygosh, I got a giggle fit seeing Benedict and Xiao next to each other. Xiao does have amazing cheekbones!

    What a great guide Arianne!

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  • http://delytefulspeaks.blogspot.com/ Delyteful Speaks

    Seriously.. Thank you for this post! So helpful and it’s nice to see the subtle difference these creams give to the face.. =)

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  • http://www.beauty-box-online.com Beauty Box

    Your contouring looks so natural! The only other time I’ve encountered such a technique was when I was watching a BeautyQQ video on YT but she used different shades of foundation instead.

    • http://www.glittergeek.ca Arianne

      Hi Beauty Box! Yes, you can definitely use several shades of foundations for this contouring technique. :)

  • Kristi C. (@lov2read68)

    I’ve been intimidated by contouring. I think I just need to take some time to play. Your pictures show clearly where to place the color though. I love your after pic – still natural but better!
    I agree with you – Xiao has stunning cheekbones!

    • http://www.glittergeek.ca Arianne

      Glad you found it helpful, Kristi C. :) Good luck!

  • http://twitter.com/BEAUTYGEEKS/status/253828828055609344/ @BEAUTYGEEKS

    Great how-to on sculpting your face (ie: emphasizing your bone structure): http://t.co/1t4snnsP http://t.co/edvBjod8

  • http://pinterest.com/bluereview Alison

    Benedict Cumberbatch AND Messywands? Sexy!

    I really like the look of these. The finish is so clean, somehow. Loving the before and after shot. You can really see how this adds so much definition to your face. I love contouring but I think its often overlooked because people don’t realise the difference it makes.

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  • http://MyLuciteDreams.com/ MyLuciteDreams

    I wish I could get pure sculpture. The one avail now is so light! This is a fabulous tutorial and your just gorgeous. What else are you wearing on your skin, it’s so glowy!! Xiao is so gorgeous .. Xx

    • http://www.glittergeek.ca/ Arianne

      Thanks @Mylucitedreams:disqus! You are so sweet. :)

      The glow is probably from my foundations. :) My base lately has been a mix of Giorgio Armani Maestro and MAKE UP FOR EVER Face & Body. Under the eyes I wear MAC Pro Longwear concealer, then MAC Prep+Prime Highlighter in Bright Forecast.