Makeup can work magic – as long as you know how to use it properly. Highlighting and contouring are two of the most valuable beauty techniques any girl can master, because they allow you to enhance and define your features and completely transform your face. If you want radiant skin, sculpted cheekbones, or even a more slender looking nose – it’s all possible with these tactics. It’s no wonder Kourtney Kardashian deemed them essential to her makeup regimen, as did Victoria’s Secret model Toni Garrn.

Intrigued? Here’s everything you need to know to become a highlighting and contouring pro:

Step 1
First, even our your skin tone so that you have a perfect base for your bronzer and highlighter by applying a cream, liquid or powder foundation. For extra credit, use an alternate foundation that’s just one to two shades lighter and dab it along the middle of your forehead, along the bridge of your nose, at the outer edges of your eyes and on the center of your chin.

Step 2
Next it’s time to reach for your bronzer. Be sure that the formula isn’t overly shimmery, as too much distracting sparkle could compromise the effectiveness of your contouring. After swirling your brush in your shade of choice, choose areas that you would like to visually hollow out. For example, you could sweep your brush under your jaw-line to make your neck appear more slender, or slim out your nose by dabbing some bronzer on either side, from just below the bridge to right over the nostrils. You can also contour your cheeks by sucking them in, dusting bronzer in a circular motion in the hollow under your apples and then extending and blending toward the hairline.

Step 3
Now that you’re ready to highlight, you need to choose the right shade. Cooler complexions should opt for a pale hue with iridescence, while those with warm skin will look best with a slightly more golden highlighter.

While contouring is meant to make areas of the face recede, highlighting does the opposite – it draws them forward. Do you want to draw light to your peepers and make them really pop? Then you should dab highlighter at the inner corners of your eyes and underneath them. Highlighting under the eyebrows will have a lifting effect, thus causing you to appear more alert and awake. You can also highlight right underneath the cheekbone contouring you just did to give your face healthy looking dimension.