How to Fake Abs

Last Updated: May 11, 2020

Summer is just around the corner, and the beaches and swimming pools are calling out to you. Unfortunately, you are feeling self-conscious about the lack of contour in your abdominal area. Do not let this dissuade you! You can still enjoy the warm sun and sport your new swimsuit. With a little makeup in the right places, you can define your abdominal muscles to give yourself a more contoured look. This article will show you how to use a makeup technique known as "contouring" to create the illusion of a well-toned abdomen.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Preparing Yourself and Your Supplies

1
Choose a foundation, tinted moisturizer, or sunscreen to use as your base. Before you can start creating your fake abs, you need to have some sort of canvas for the makeup to hold on to. This base or "canvas" can be a foundation that closely matches your skin tone, a tainted moisturizer, or sunscreen. You can also use a tinted sunscreen, or you can create your own by mixing little bit of liquid foundation that is close to your skin tone with your sunscreen. Choose something that suits your needs:
- Foundation will give you the most coverage and will help even out your skin tone. A cream foundation will be more opaque than a liquid foundation.
- A tinted moisturizer will help moisturize and condition your skin, as well as even out your skin tone. It will not have the same coverage as foundation, however.
- Sunscreen will protect the tender skin on your abdomen against sunburn. If you add some foundation to it, it will also help even out your skin tone a little.
2
Choose a powder bronzer. You want the bronzer to be about two shades darker than your skin tone. Do not use a shimmering bronzer, as shimmer causes things to pop out—use a matte bronzer instead.^{[1]
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Research source} You will be creating fake shadows to give the illusion of a toned abdomen, so you want something that looks natural.
- If you cannot find a non-shimmering bronzer, you can substitute a brown eyeshadow or pressed powder foundation instead, as long as it is no more two shades darker than your skin tone.
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3
Choose a powder highlighter. You want the highlighter to be a shade lighter than your skin tone.^{[2]
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Research source} This powder can be shiny, as shine causes things to pop out.
- If you cannot find powder highlighter, you can substitute with pressed powder foundation that is several shades lighter than your skin tone, or a pale ivory eyeshadow.
4
Find a powder brush and two creasing brushes. You will need two types of brushes: a large powder brush, and a creasing brush. If you cannot find a creasing brush, you can substitute with a small, round-tipped makeup brush. You will need two of these creasing (or round-tipped) brushes: one for the bronzer, and one for the highlighter.
- If you cannot find a second creasing brush, you can use the same brush for both the bronzer and highlight. Just make sure you clean the brush by swiping it over a tissue until you cannot see any more bronzer on it.
5
Choose a well-lit area. Having a bright light above you will make it easier for you to see your muscles and the shadows they cast.^{[3]
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6
Expose your abdomen. While it is recommended to take off your clothes to prevent staining them with makeup, you can wear an old swimsuit or workout outfit instead. You want your abdomen to be exposed.
- Do not wear the same outfit that you plan on wearing later with your fake abs. Not only do you risk staining your outfit, but the makeup stains might give your secret away.
7
Decide how much muscle you want to add. Do you want a six pack? A four pack? A two pack? Consider this before applying your makeup.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Applying the Base and Shadows

1
Apply your foundation, tinted moisturizer, or sunscreen to your abdomen. Using your fingers, rub the foundation, tinted moisturizer, or sunscreen onto your skin. Be sure to cover any areas of your abdomen that will be exposed, and to blend in the edges if you are using foundation or a tinted moisturizer.
- If you are using foundation, you can use foundation brush or a cosmetic wedge instead of your fingers.
2
Wait for the base to dry out. To avoid ruining your brushes in the next few steps, wait for the foundation, tinted moisturizer, or sunscreen you have just applied to dry out. You can tell if it has dried out if your skin no longer looks shiny, moist, or dewy.
- When in doubt, you can always touch your abdomen with your finger. If your finger comes away with makeup, moisturizer, or sunscreen on it, then you need to wait longer.
3
Flex your abdominal muscles. Flexing your abdomen will help you find those muscles and highlight them in the next steps. You do not have to flex your abdomen the entire time, but it is a good idea to do so before drawing each line to ensure that you are placing the shadows in their proper locations.
4
Apply some powder bronzer to your creasing brush. Swivel your brush in your powder bronzer and tap the brush to get rid of the extra. You can also blow lightly on your brush to dislodge any extra powder.
5
Draw a vertical line down the center of your abdomen. Take your brush, and create a single stroke down the center of your abdomen. You want the line to extend from just below your ribcage to your belly button.
- If the line is not dark enough, you may go back over it again, but try not to use too many layers. You want the line to be light. If it is too dark, it will look fake and unnatural.
6
Apply more bronzer to the area just below your ribcage. Load up your brush with more bronzer, and create two more lines just below your ribcage. You are drawing something that looks like an upwards-pointing arrow.
7
Create two more vertical lines. Flex your abdomen again, if necessary, and find the vertical grooves to either side of your belly. They begin just below your ribcage and extend down towards your belly. Once you have found them, draw a line down each one using your bronzer and brush.
- If you flex your abdomen, you may find some horizontal grooves to either side of your belly button. They extend from the belly button and connect with the vertical lines you have just drawn. If you wish to have a more defined abdomen, you can fill them in with bronzer, just as you have the other lines.
8
Use a powder brush to blend the lines. Take a powder brush, and brush it over the lines you have just made using brisk, up-and-down motions. You may also have to brush side-to-side to blend further. This blends the lines in, and makes the shading less harsh.
- If the lines appear too dark, do not panic! Simply take some pressed powder foundation that matches your skin tone, load it up onto your powder brush, and brush it over your abdomen. This will help lighten the shading and blend everything together.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Applying the Highlights and Finishing Off

1
Look at your abdomen. You have just applied the base and added some shading, creating something that looks like an upward-pointing arrow and some boxes. These boxes are your muscle, and will need some more defining.
2
Take a fresh creasing brush and apply powder highlighter to it. Simply swivel your brush in the highlighter, and then tap the brush to get rid of any extra powder. You can also blow on the brush to dislodge any excess.
3
Fill the boxes in using the powder highlighter. Take the brush, and lightly apply the highlighter to the muscles. Using a tapping or dabbing motion at first, then blend in the edges using a brushing, left-to-right and up-and-down, motion.
4
Blend, blend, blend. Pick up your powder brush, and using a circular motion, go over the lines you have made.
5
Finished. Look at yourself in the mirror, and be sure to examine your work from every angle: front, left, and right. If necessary, apply more bronzer or highlighter, but be sure to blend it again. To make it mostly waterproof, you can spray a layer of hairspray on top of the makeup.
- If your highlighter is too light and your bronzer is too dark, and blending did not help, you can further soften it by going back over it with pressed powder foundation. Simply swivel your powder brush into some pressed powder foundation that closely matches your skin tone, and dust it over your abdomen.

Warnings

Do not use too much makeup, as you risk creating lines that are too dark or too light, which in turn will look fake.

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Helpful 27 Not Helpful 8
If you are using foundation, tinted moisturizer, or tinted sunscreen as your base, be sure to match your skin tone. Anything that is too dark, too light, or too orange will look fake.

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Do not put on the makeup while wearing your swimsuit. If you get the makeup on your swimsuit, you may not only stain your swimsuit, but you might risk giving your secret away.

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Helpful 26 Not Helpful 10
Going swimming with your fake abs will result in all your hard work washing away.

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Helpful 25 Not Helpful 11
A hot, sunny day may cause your makeup to melt off.

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Things You'll Need

Foundation, tinted moisturizer, or sunscreen
Powder bronzer, dark pressed powder foundation, or brown eyeshadow
Powder highlighter, pressed powder foundation in a pale color, or ivory eyeshadow
Large powder brush
Creasing makeup brush (or any small, round-tipped makeup brush)
Foundation wedges (optional)
Foundation brush (optional)