Makeup lovers are now raving about the viral 53 method, which some claim is a game-changer for contouring your face.
According to beauty lovers on social media, this simple hack requires minimal effort but can have a significant impact when it comes to creating a chiselled jawline and concealing a double chin.
Racking up hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok, influencers are combining their favourite concealer and bronzing cosmetics to pull off this beauty hack and many seem thrilled with the results.
“Wasn’t sure how this would blend or if it would just look like a mess… but honestly? I’m not hating it,” wrote one beauty fan on the social media platform. “The lift and brightness it gave was actually super pretty. Have you tried this yet? I’m curious what you think—hot or not?”
Another wrote: “why blend for hours when you can sculpt in seconds?”
So what exactly is the 53 method, and how does it work?
What is the 53 contouring method?
Contouring gained popularity in the late noughties, coinciding with the rise of reality stars like the Kardashians and the growth of social media.
The ‘Instagram-ready’ definition of blending lightening products like highlighter with darker shades like bronzer led to a generation of chiselled cheekbones that has stuck around till this day.
While many makeup fans swear by the art of contouring, the practice has also evolved throughout the years, with the 53 method being touted as one of the latest hacks to make contouring even easier.
The premise is simple: draw a number three in bronzer around the outside of your face and create a number five with concealer under your eyes and down around the outside of your mouth.
Then, take a blending brush and repeatedly blend them, usually in an upward motion to bring further lift to your face.
“Blend Like Your Life Depends on It!” wrote one influencer, who also recommended using two brushes to achieve the best blending results.
Does it work?
With more than 30m hashtags on TikTok, it’s clear that the viral beauty hack is making waves in the makeup world. Beneath the videos themselves, there are even more followers who have vowed to try the hack and agreed that it works wonders.
A lot of influencers have jumped on the bandwagon and attest to its impact. But at the same time, the jury is still out.
According to one lifestyle journalist, it also requires a lot of product and may not be worth it as a daily makeup trick.
“It takes a lot longer than the speedily edited TikTok vids would have you believe,” she wrote in The Sun.
