Over the last few years, celebrities have gravitated to a different style of makeup known as contouring. Using a few select products and learning the right techniques, you can sculpt your face by giving the appearance of more striking cheekbones, a narrower nose and other features. Kim Kardashian is arguably the poster child for this look.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve tested out some of the best products on the market and our results are in. If you do decide to buy a contouring kit, remember that practice makes perfect. (My first few attempts were downright embarrassing.) It also helps to watch Youtube tutorials from the experts, one we watched a lot is here.
The product I was most skeptical of, but ended up being most impressed by, was Smashbox’s Step-By-Step Contour Stick Trio. The sticks resemble chunky lipliners, but the consistency of the product is super creamy and glides on very nicely. Each stick has a different purpose. The darkest one is the contouring stick that you apply from your ear towards your mouth, which amplifies your cheek bones, and also used on the sides of your nose to create a shadow. The golden brown stick is a highlighter that helps you blend the contouring. The last stick is very light and works as a highlighter to create a lighter contrast under your eyes, down the center of your nose and the bottom of your forehead. This highlighting stick was a gamechanger for me. It created the perfect light look, especially under the eye, and when I use it, I don’t even need a concealer.
The one con I could find with the set, which costs $45, is that is doesn’t come with a tool to blend it. Overall, we highly recommend the trip, especially the highlighting stick.
We tried Senna Cosmetic’s Face Sculpting Kit ($48) which comes with three shades and a stipple brush that helps you blend. I stumbled using this kit until I watched the video on the company’s site, and then it all came together. The palette has a great texture with the colors going on as a silky cream but drying into a powdered look. It worked best for me when I first applied a layer of my own foundation and then used the kit to brighten up features or slim down others. The stipple brush is a true star that you can use for other looks as well.
We also tried another contour system from Smashbox which was the powder version of the sticks. Whether you use powder, liquid or cream to contour comes down to personal preference. This kit came with three shades, plus a fanned brush for $45. We found this kit super easy to use and the fanned brush is perfect for the contour and highlighting parts of the process. For highlighting, we found the shade to be harder to apply than in the stick version, above. We also noticed that the highlighter wore off a few hours into the day, whereas the stick lasted at least twelve hours without having to reapply. Overall, we rate this set highly, but if you were two buy it, keep two things in mind: first, you will need to buy a brush to apply the highlighter and secondly, you will need to apply concealer before putting the highlighter on, and you may want to set it with a finishing spray.
One of the most essential tools for contouring is a Beautyblender. Believe the hype, this little egg-shaped tool is a game changer. Wet it and then use it to apply a layer of foundation to your face by bouncing it on your face, not rubbing. It gives an airbrush finish and doesn’t apply the foundation too thickly. I also used it to blend in the different colors of the contour, because the key to contouring is to blend, blend, blend.
Looking for more beauty articles? Check out our guide to our favorite matte foundation here.
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