Is face gloss the DIY contouring we’ve been waiting for?

Listen, contouring is a great concept and indispensable for photo shoots. In everyday life, though, it runs the risk of leaving you with tiger face and can take over your entire morning makeup routine. But just as our makeup bags started to overflow, along comes face gloss to simplify our lives.

Face gloss, despite it’s plastic-y name, is actually a great way to create a contouring effect with far fewer products. Instead of using highlighter and a shadow in two fairly close shades, you use a slightly glossy highlighter that contrasts with your natural skin color, thus giving you the same results with half the product. Perfect for rushed mornings!

Now, anyone who survived the glitterific ’90s might be hesitant, as “highlighter” often translated to “unicorn-level amounts of micro-shimmer,” but fear not: face glosses were developed to combat the over-shiny look of older highlighting products. Instead of creating a shimmer or a glitter effect, they create more of a natural, dewy look, enough that you notice the highlights of your face without feeling like you’ve put reflective tape on your cheekbones.

According to makeup artist Laramie, who recently spoke with Good Housekeeping about the trend, there are three simple steps to achieve ideal gloss contouring.

1. Dab onto the center of eyelids to lift and accent.

2. Dot across cheekbones and tap to blend in.

3. Put a drop on the center of your bottom lip to make your lips look fuller, with or without lipstick.

A beauty routine that seems refreshingly simple? What a great way to achieve a natural look without spending an hour doing unnatural things to get there! Face glosses are becoming a big beauty product in 2016, with brands like Milk makeup, MAKE cosmetics, and MAC all offering different formulas. If you tend toward oilier skin and don’t want to put additional liquid formulas on, you could also probably get the same effect with a very slightly shimmery powder eye shadow in a neutral shade or with an illuminating powder.

Any way you work this trend, one thing is clear: the future of beauty is simple DIY fixes, and we couldn’t be happier!