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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I like the sound of the Collection stick, I will definitely be picking that up! The KA one sounds brilliant. I've hit pan on my munched loved Kat Von D shade and light palette, and it seems a bit silly to re-buy the whole palette for one shade so I might invest in it xxLPage Beauty
Great post! I want to check out the collection stick and feel like I seriously need to jump on the Rimmel sculpting palette hype. I hate bronzers that are too warmed tone. Benefit Hoola is perfect for being a more cool toned bronzing shade that works well for pale skin xLauren | itslaurenvictoria.blogspot.co.uk
I love the Maybelline Master Sculpt Contouring Palette, but I definitely agree about the shade, I actually tend to use it more as a bronzer than a contour shade! That's also the reason why I really want to try the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder in Light: the shade just seems perfectly adapted to my pale skin tone! Lovely post 🙂 http://fannyanddailybeauty.com
I do think you have to invest a little bit in contouring products. I absolutely love my Benefit Hoola have been using it for years now and lately I've also been loving the Kat Von D contour palette. I need to try Kevyn Aucoin next xBeauty with charm
You have such a good collection of contouring products! I think it can be so tedious trying to find the 'perfect' contour shade for your skin tone.. I have and love the Anastasia Beverly Hills powder contour kit, its amazing!www.amberatlanta.blogspot.co.uk
I love the idea of this post with the save, spend or splurge! I have wanted the Kevyn Aucoin sculpting powder for the longest time but can never justify the price haha xoLove, Catherine
These sound like some great product, I will definitely have to try some out as I am in the need of a new contour product :)Lotte | http://www.lottebeautybox.blogspot.co.uk
The Sleek contour is one of my favourites, but its time to splurge I think and use something better!Parie xClass and Glitter
Ever since picking up the Hoola Bronzer I forget about my Sleek contour palette completely. I actually love the highlighter, although I have to be more tanned for both the highlighter and the contour! The Rimmel sculpting palette will forever be my 'on the go' face palette as it's just so handy! xxwww.iridescentplaces.com
The Collection contour stick sounds lovely but we don't get the brand here in Canada 🙁 I was planning to purchase the Clinique Contour stick but won't now that I read your thoughts on it.Shireen | Reflection of Sanity
I used to love the Sleek contour kit but then I moved onto the Smashbox contour/highlight kit and it is probably my holy grail! The shades are perfect for my skin tone. I also love my Anastasia cream contour kit when I wanna go really out with my makeup!https://jessiechats.blogspot.co.uk/
This was such a handy post – its nice to compare lower end contour to higher end!Lucy | Forever September
I picked up the Rimmel palette in the lightest shade and I've been using it constantly! All three shades are gorgeous!xx Dany | The Queens Empire
I love the sound of the collection contouring stick and I also recommend the maybelline contour stick too!www.lilymyaxo.blogspot.co.uk
I've been wanting to try the Kevin Aucoin sculpting power for so long now! I have just to pick it up now xxAmanda | http://www.dreamingxprettyblog.co.uk/
Loved this post! I really really want to try the Kevyn Aucoin sculpting powder, the colour looks so perfect for a contour shade! My favourite thing to use is MAC Harmony or Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow! xxLaura | http://www.mylauralife.co.uk
I reaaaally want to try the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder, every person who tries it loves it! | http://www.noirettediary.com |
I've been after the Kevyn Aucoin sculpting powder for so long but always back out last minute, this has definitely encouraged me that it's worth the pennies!The Makeup Directory
The Kevyn Aucoin one sounds amazing! I'm supposed to be on a spending ban after my last haul (it was a big one!) but I'm sure my bank account could stretch to the Collection stick, which also sounds great! xxwww.fridayfaye.com
i think its worth splurging on contour kits especially when being very fair skinned. most drugstore contour powders are for medium skin tones and look very dirty on me.❥www.elenaisabelle.com
This post has really tempted me to buy the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder – it looks like the perfect contouring shade! I also like the look of the Rimmel Sculpting Palette xoChar | http://www.charslittleblog.blogspot.co.uk
I love the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder, it is out of this world even if it is a splurge!Danielle xxhttp://www.fashionbeautyblog.co.uk/
I normally opt for spend on everything…but I must admit, I don't see the point with conturing for some reason!Annabel ♥Mascara & Maltesers
I'm not really into contouring (or bronzing for that matter) but I do it on some special occasions or nights out. I'm using Prime and fine professional contouring palette by Catrice and I absolutely love it!!! And it's quite cheap too :)xo Honey – blog Royal Lifestyle – Twitter – Instagram
I'm dying to pick up that Kevyn Aucoin powder now, I have pale skin so it sounds perfect for me! I love the photos for this post too, so gorgeous xoGemma Louise
Loved this post Jodie. So many gorgeous products and I've added so many to my wishlist now! xLily | http://www.pintsizedbeauty.com