Contouring is the one beauty trend that never seems to go out of fashion, with people avidly applying highlighter in an attempt to create the illusion of razor-sharp cheekbones.
Opening up about her beauty routine, Joan Smalls revealed that she too is a fan of the trend, however, her methods are somewhat more unconventional than one would expect.
Speaking to US Weekly, the Puerto Rican supermodel explained that she uses SPF as a highlighter, applying it to her cheekbones and nose, in order to leave certain parts of her face exposed to the sun and create a naturally-contoured appearance.
“It makes the skin lighter because you’re not tanning as much there,” she said.
Smalls added that she typically uses 30 SPF on her face.
Despite her avant-garde tactics, the model revealed in a recent video with Vogue that she usually doesn’t contour her face at all, via sunburn or otherwise, because she has naturally high cheekbones and therefore doesn't feel the need to accentuate them.
“I don’t need that much contour,” she says in the short clip documenting her beauty routine, before teasingly referring to herself as “Joan ‘she was born with it’ Smalls”.
While the strange selective sunburn method might be the 30-year-old’s go-to beauty hack, exposing parts of her face to UV rays without sun cream puts her at a higher risk of skin cancer.
It also goes against almost every piece of advice given by dermatologists regarding skincare, which is rooted in avoiding sun exposure.
"Selectively applying sunscreen will result in some areas not being covered, and therefore at risk for sun burn, sun damage, and pre-mature aging," explains New York-based dermatologist Dr Francesca Fusco.
"It is critical that board spectrum sunscreen be applied to the whole face and body to ensure adequate coverage and protection," she told Mail Online.
According to the NHS, the risk of sunburn in the UK is highest between March and October between 11am and 3pm.
While everyone is vulnerable to the sun’s rays, those with pale skin and a family history of skin cancer are most at risk of sunburn and should be extra vigilant in the sun.
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