The Contour Edit: Save, Spend or Splurge?

Contouring has been around for a while now but it's something I'm only just getting the hang of. It was only the other day I realised just how many contouring palettes/ products I have, ranging from £3.99 right up to £35, and there is a definite favourite!

SAVE

Collection Contour Stick - LIGHT £3.99

I picked this up after seeing Fleur De Force rave about it, it's the most affordable in my collection and one of my favourites! I love this particularly for contouring my nose, I don't do anything too heavy but the bullet is small making it really easy to be precise. The shade of this is also spot on, it's a cool toned pale brown with almost a hint of purple to it which works well to give the look of a natural shadow. The formulation is also a winner for me, it isn't too creamy so it stays put on my oily skin throughout the day. If you are new to contouring or want to try something a little different to a powder I really recommend this!

Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour - LIGHT £6.49

I think this was the first contouring product I picked up a fair few years ago now (probably needs to be chucked in all honesty...). This isn't my go to option anymore, the powder which is meant for sculpting is far too dark for my complexion so it just doesn't work. Having said that I do like the bronzer in this and the powders are soft and blend well. One to avoid if you have a pale complexsion but worth looking into if you want your contour and bronzer in one place and have a darker complexsion.

SPEND 

Sleek Contour kit - LIGHT £6.99

Like the Barry M kit this is another old product which doesn't see much love anymore. I don't think much of the highlighter, but I do like the contouring shade for bronzer. Being so pale I don't tend to go for really warm bronzers as they just look orange on my skin, the shade in this palette is a fab neutral/ slightly cool toned brown which just seems to work better as a bronzer for me.

Maybelline Master Sculpt Contouring - LIGHT MEDIUM £6.99

This is a more recent addition to my collection which I definitely didn't need... However, out of all the contour and highlighting kits mentioned this is my favourite. The formulation of the powders reminds me of highend products, it blends so well and lasts on my skin. The only issue I have with this is the shade, it's a great matte brown but it just isn't quite cool toned enough to really give the illusion of naturally contoured cheeks, like some of the other products. I think this may work better for me in the summer when I'm not so pale.

Rimmel London Sculpting Palette* - 002 CORAL GLOW £6.99

I've had this for couple of months now and I tend to reach for it when I'm in a rush because it's so easy to use. I like all of the shades, but like the majority of the kits mentioned above I don't necessarily use the contouring shade for contouring, more of an all over complexsion boost. The powders are soft and tend to last well on my skin throughout the day, so it is a nice addition to my makeup collection, and doesn't break the bank!

SPLURGE

Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Contour £19

I loved this at first but after trying so many other contouring products I've realised it's pretty much a waste of money! I use it to bronze my complexsion from time to time but I find that it blends out so much that there is almost no point in applying it in the first place. To me contouring is supposed to be precise, and having it in chubby stick form makes that impossible. For a night out I will sometimes layer this and apply a powder bronzer on top and I definitely notice that my bronzer lasts longer, but considering it's supposed to be for contouring and it set me back £19, it's really not worth it!

The Sculpting Powder Kevyn Aucoin - LIGHT £35

Lastly is the product that really spurred me on to write this post, out of all contouring bits and bobs mentioned this is my absolute favourite. There are so many things that makes this contouring powder better than the others mentioned. Firstly the packaging is gorgeous, it comes with it's own little velvet pouch! It's the shade and formulation of this that make it worth the splurge, it's the only product I've found that can actually recedes areas of my face in a natural looking way. The powder is so soft and pigmented I only need a tiny amount and it blends beautifully too. The price tag put my off buying this for years, but nothing more affordable compares for me!

THE VERDICT

If you are on a budget, I don't think contouring is something you need invest in for your makeup routine. However, the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder is my favourite without a doubt! It really does manage to fake the appearance of cheek bones and shadows like no other powder I've tried. From one extreme to the other, the Collection Precision Contouring pencil is an absolute steal and a fab way to test a really cool toned contour and whether it will work for you.

1) Barry M Contour Kit - Shade 2 2) Barry M Contour Kit - Shade 3 3) Clinique Chubby Contour Stick  4) Collection Precision Contouring 5) Sleek Contour 6) Rimmel palette 7) Maybelline Master Sculpt 8) Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder

Do you have a holy grail contouring product?

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