The end of contouring? Sales of STROBING make-up boom as women continue their quest for the perfect selfie... inspired by Kim Kardashian

Contouring, it seems, has had its day.

According to new figures, beauty giants are seeing a boom in sale of 'high definition' make-up ranges - the sort used for the strobing technique - with sales up by 14.3 percent so far this year to £390 million.

Popularised by the likes of Kim Kardashian, strobing involves layering highlighters on the face to create an illuminated complexion and increase the definition of features and the jawline.

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Popularized by Kim Kardashian, pictured demonstrating the technique, strobing involves layering highlighters on the face to create an illuminated complexion and increase the definition of features and the jawline

The figures come from retail analysts NPD Group, which said sales of highlighter, which are key to the strobing trend, were up by 48.5 percent in the first eight months of the year. 

NPD’s director of beauty for the UK, June Jensen, said: ‘Make-up is really driving growth in the prestige beauty market fuelled by the popularity of the selfie.

‘Pioneered by celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, it’s a trend we see across the board and make-up is essential to creating the perfect look.

‘At the same time strobing, which emerged in early 2015, is the years’ hot new make-up trend which is driving consumers to spend more on highlighters so they can experiment with this new way of accentuating the face.’

She added: ‘Strobing has been a huge topic on social media, on beauty blogs and in the mainstream press. Brands have capitalised on this with new launches and focusing marketing on existing lines to drive sales in store and online.’

Miss Jenson added: ‘Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Beyonce and Cara Delevingne have inspired a generation of women to post selfies on social media channels such as Instagram and Facebook.

Strobing is easier to master than countouring, pictured being displayed by Kim, and requires less products

NPD’s director of beauty for the UK, June Jensen, said, ‘Make-up is really driving growth in the prestige beauty market fuelled by the popularity of the selfie. Pictured (left) Gigi Hadid and (right) Miranda Kerr

‘Face, eye and lip make-up is vital to achieving a photo-ready finish and brands have responded with foundation and primers that reference the look people want to achieve using terms like photo-ready, camera-ready and HD. It’s spurned a new sub-sector and is driving sales.’

Best-selling ‘high-def’ products include Givenchy Photo Perfexion Fluid Foundation, Lancôme Photogenic Lumessence Foundation, Makeup Forever Ultra Definition HD range, Revlon PhotoReady Makeup, Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream and Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer.’

NPD said the total value of face make-up is £206 million, up 17 percent on a year ago. The figure for eye make-up has risen 13 percent to £101 million, and the lipstick market is up by 16 percent to £54 million.

Best-selling ‘high-def’ products include Givenchy Photo Perfexion Fluid Foundation (left) and Lancôme Photogenic Lumessence Foundation (right)

Other popular products in the sector include the Makeup Forever Ultra Definition HD range (left) and Smashbox's Camera Ready BB Cream (right)

A number of beauty bloggers have amassed millions of followers through their video make-up transformations giving apparently ordinary women a supermodel look, often mimicking the celebrities own selfies.

Kim Kardashian has even produced her own video guides to her strobing make-up technique.

Celebrity make-up artist Justine Jenkins, who has added a luminous glow to the faces of Fearne Cotton and Whitney Port, said: 'I have been using the technique of strobing for many years on my clients. It's about illuminating areas of the face that naturally catch the light to create that elusive lit-from-within glow.

'Instead of the darker pigments in contouring, it relies on highlighting the face where light hits, using products with a subtle shimmer formulation.

'It's a much easier and quicker technique and so is a great choice if you are not a pro.'