That Contour Thing

I don't know about you but this whole "sculpted face" contouring thing that's taking over lately has me a little confused.

Now don't get me wrong, I like a bit of shape just like anyone else. As you can clearly see my collection of products and tools for the purpose is certainly not lacking. I'm just not certain that I need a palette of shades that may or may not work for my skin or a collection of cream colors that can be mixed.

I am not a makeup artist and therefore do not need to make my contour work for all kinds of people...just me. 

So what do I reach for when I want to carve out a little space on my face?

In terms of the actual contour shadow I do tend to favor cream products. I've spoken about this before but the two that I love for the purpose are Illamasqua's Cream Pigment in Hollow. It's a beautiful grey-toned brown color in a waxy but blend-able cream formula. I followed this purchase with the Kevyn Aucoin The Cream Glow Sculpt and Candlelight Duo. This is a slightly warmer contour shade but it has a translucency that makes it look oh so natural and oh so foolproof. The formula here is also lovely. It's creamy to the touch but seems to blend and set so it never feels tacky or mobile once applied.

 As a bonus you get the highlighter (Candlelight) in the same lovely cream formula. My only beef is that I wish the product were closer to a 50/50 split in the compact. I'm not using that much more highlight than contour.

The only powder contour I've ever reached for regularly is Benefit's Hoola. I do find it's not my favorite  but in the warmer months when you couldn't pay me to use cream products this is the one I reach for. It's just the right balance of warm and cool but it's still primarily a bronzer. I've had my eye on the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting powder in Medium for a while but since contouring is not something I do to my face too often I haven't taken the $44 plunge yet. 

Now the highlighting department is a much more well established one in my collection. These two are just lovely options. 

The Balm's Mary Lou-Manizer is a beauty blog and bag staple. It's not the most durable powder but it leaves a warm golden glow and a high shine finish. It can be manipulated into subtlety but it really sings when applied generously. It's an almost metallic finish and leaves a highlight that can look otherworldly...but in a good way. 

For shimmer on a budget the Maybelline Master Hi-light powders are actually lovely. The shade featured, Natural, was actually a limited edition but I've found it here and there across the internet for not too much money. It's got more of a bronze tone than the Mary Lou-Manizer and isn't as metallic but it is finely milled and casts a beautiful glow. 

There is a whole host of ways to get a more structured look to your face shape, these are just a few of my favorites. My advice is to look into contouring products individually before you commit to a whole palette of shades that may not even work for you. 

Have you jumped on the contour bandwagon or are you still sticking to the basics?