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Contouring helps to define the structure of your face by creating a contrast of dark and light. Unlike concealer which is used to brighten the skin, contour darkens it and creates shadows in your face. By adding a contour cream or powder to your cheekbones, nose, forehead and jaw, you really can completely transform the appearance of your facial features.
To jump on this highly popular makeup trend, you need to find out which products suit you best. In this article, we will show you some of the best contour sticks, creams, powders and palette kits by drugstore and other popular brands like Barry M, Fenty, NYX and Sleek for both beginners and contour pros. Find them all on Boots, Amazon and eBay and get ready to transform your routine!
A qualified Beauty Therapist and Makeup Artist. I provide professional makeup services for all occasions, whether it be for a bride on their wedding day or backstage at a photo shoot. I also enjoy teaching through hosting live talks on my social media, masterclass events, and 1-1 training. My favourite style of makeup is most definitely vibrant. I love a colourful eyeshadow palette... or 10!
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Claire is a qualified Beauty Therapist and Makeup Artist; she provides professional makeup services for all occasions from bridal to backstage at photo shoots. Claire also teaches masterclass events as well as 1-1 training, and when she gets the chance, enjoys sharing her expertise hosting live talks on her social media. She's a big fan of the vibrant style and loves a colourful palette... or 10!
Keep up-to-date with Claire through her Facebook and Instagram page where you can learn the latest tips and tricks when it comes to makeup application and also get inspired to try new looks!
Let's take a look at the next section of this article where we will guide you through the ins and outs of choosing a contour product that can work wonders for you. We'll talk about what type of product you need and how you can benefit from different types.
When scrolling through our list, you'll see a variety of different styles of contour. This next section will guide you through the tips and explain what works better for you and your makeup routine.
If you often wear creamy makeup products like liquid foundation and cream concealer, you'd most likely prefer to use a cream contour too. Cream contour has a thick texture and can be applied with a brush, a sponge or your fingers.
It's easy to blend and it has a very natural-looking finish; you can even apply it over freshly-washed skin for a dewy, sculpted transformation.
If you're looking for a simple, easy-to-use solution for chiselled cheekbones, a cream contour is something that can be applied anywhere at any time throughout the day for an even, subtle shade.
Cream contour is perfect for all levels of makeup abilities. It allows you to map out your desired shape and give you a clear visual prior to blending. By doing this, if you make any mistakes, cream products are easier to remove and reapply (especially if you’re contouring your body).
A great tip is to use a makeup sponge to soften the edges where your contour meets your foundation, to create a softer more natural finish.
A powder contour, on the other hand, is a product that you can use to build on your powdered, matte look. Applied with a big, bristly brush or an angled applicator, this type of concealer provides a completely shine-free finish that's great for selfies.
Powdered cosmetics products are known to last much longer than cream-based products, so a matte look can suit the office, a nightclub or even a trip through the airport.
As a powder has a substantially lighter consistency than a cream contour, you can build up as much product as you want to get the darkest colour to shade your face.
Powder contour is perfect for all-day wear and it doesn’t need setting in place afterwards. Compared to other formulas, this is what makes powder an ideal product for those who are prone to an oilier complexion or have a long day ahead on the cards.
Building on intensity is achievable, and you can also blend different shades of cool and warm together to create further definition. To avoid being left with a “muddy” finish, hold your brush closer towards the opposite end of the head. This allows for lighter strokes and more control.
With so many different options of contour available online, we want to show you what to look out for on your hunt for the best one. From shades to applicators, we'll make sure that you know everything you need to know.
When it comes to contour tones, you can choose darker shades for heavier makeup looks or lighter shades for a subtle shadow – it all comes down to your preference. Once you've found the shade that works well with you and your style, you'll know straight away.
However, if you like to experiment with different looks or you want a contour palette that will see you through both winter and summer, you could benefit from multiple shades in one palette. This gives you the freedom to try out new looks and get a true understanding of how to contour, which also makes palettes a good call for beginners.
When looking for a contour palette, you will notice the contrast of colours they will have to offer. With this, you can adjust your look accordingly by occasion and change of season. As the months go by, our skin can lose or gain more colour and this is when a variety of different shades will come in handy!
Just imagine you are an artist, these products are your paints and your face is the canvas. By mixing and adding colours you can discover the desired intensity and suitable undertones in order to create a work of art.
In addition to finding the perfect shade for contouring with, you might want to spruce it up with a highlighter. The goal of contouring is to make your facial structures pop, so the way to see the best results is to apply shading to areas like beneath your cheekbone, around your forehead, and down the sides of the nose.
Then, apply a highlighter on places that should catch the light, such as the top of the cheekbone and the tip of the nose. You can use any cosmetic highlighter for this, so don't worry if you already have one. That said, there's no harm in trying a new style and what better place to start than a duo pack of contour and highlight?
As important as is it to shade and sculpt for the illusion of depth, it’s also essential to highlight areas of the face you want to push forward. Highlighter is a great way to draw the eyes of others into focusing on these sharper points.
A great starting point is to apply your highlight where the sun hits the higher points of the face. Use this as a guide and you will effortlessly achieve a natural glow to the skin. From there you can apply highlight to any part of the face and body that you wish to further enhance.
All the time, we hear influencers promoting a new brush set, a celebrity designing a beauty blender, or someone using their hands and telling us that it's the new way to apply makeup.
So what really is the best way to do it? The truth is, it depends on what you prefer as an individual. Brushes are great for stacking up layers of liquid and powder whereas a blender offers a light, natural finish. Meanwhile, a stick applicator can closely replicate the accuracy of using your fingers.
For quick application, I recommend using a powder or a liquid. With a touch of powder, feather on the product in as many light layers as required (using a fluffy brush in circular motions to avoid harsh lines). When blending liquids, use the fingertips in soft upwards pat and rolling motions.
Cream palettes or sticks require more attention, but the results are worth it. Straight from the palette, there’s freedom regarding the choice of tool; just make sure to apply and blend the product first before starting on a new section. Solidified cream can also be warmed on the hands prior to skin contact, making them easy to blend.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Price | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Barry M Cosmetics Chisel Cheeks Contour Creams | £8.69 Mid | A Popular Classic Inclusive to Many Pale, Light and Medium Skin Tones | ||
2 | Fenty Beauty Match Stix Trio | £46.00 High | The Best Cream Stick Contour Kit for Dark Skin | ||
3 | Sleek MakeUP Makeup Face Contour Kit, Dark | £6.99 Mid | A Luxurious Rosy Powder Contour for a Natural Finish | ||
4 | Rimmel London Sculpting Highlighter Palette | £5.00 Low Mid | Shimmery Sculpter, Highlighter and Blusher in One Palette | ||
5 | L'Oréal Infallible Sculpt Contour Palette | £3.08 Low | Compact, Pocket-Sized Contour Corrector | ||
6 | e.l.f. 16 Hr Camo Concealer | £5.00 Low Mid | A Long-Lasting Cream Contour in 27 Shades | ||
7 | KIKO Milano Sculpting Touch Creamy Stick Contour | £9.99 High Mid | The Easy-Use Sculpting Stick for Angled Perfection | ||
8 | COLLECTION Contour Kit | £4.18 Low Mid | A Cheap and Simple Duo Contour Box | ||
9 | NYX Professional Makeup Wonderstick On-The-Go Highlight And Contour Stick | £11.00 High Mid | A Double-Sided Contour Stick for Perfect Sculpting | ||
10 | NYX Professional Makeup 3 Steps To Sculpt | £11.00 High Mid | Streamline Your Makeup Bag With This Handy Three-Step Kit |
Earning points for practicality and effectiveness, this duo pack of contour products comes as a retractable stick for easy usage and clean, sharp lines. They're pocket-sized and they come with a handy lid that can protect them from getting damaged in your handbag or makeup bag, too.
The cream itself is thick and buttery, gliding on like a dream and getting your face ready to blend. This contour set is one of the most versatile options on the list and it's also super affordable, which is always a win.
This palette includes rich, deep shades for dark skin tones alongside warm, lighter shades for adding a glimmering shine to highlight the accents. Often paired with a damp beauty blender, this magnetic stick trio is patch-free as the formula melts into the skin for a completely flawless finish.
This set of hugely popular contour products by Fenty was designed by Rihanna herself to provide a long-lasting finish that feels super lightweight. Maintaining its soft, polished, refined finish, you'll look fabulous all day long – and the gorgeous containers mean your dressing table will too.
This dreamy palette is enough to make you swoon with its delicate shimmers and bold colourings. Its compact design makes it perfect for small clutches when you want something with you to top up throughout the day or night.
A popular feature of this product is the high pigment which means that just a little bit of powder can go a long way. It also means that you can create a more natural-looking finish as you don't need to stack up layers of powder.
If you just want to find a product that you can use for your whole face without having to swap between different brands, this is exactly what you need. This sleek, flat container holds three different powders; contour, highlight, and blush.
For someone who wants to try contouring without spending too much money, this bargain is the best deal you'll find. Not to mention that there are two other shades that are suitable for medium-to-dark skin!
This classic by L'Oréal is a well-known favourite across the UK. With two available shade options, one for light/medium skin and one for medium/dark skin, this is a very inclusive product for a drugstore brand.
It has a natural creamy finish, giving you a dewy glow fit for any occasion. Inside the pack is a small leaflet tutorial too, showing you how to perfect the contoured look using this palette. With a number of reviews saying that it's easy to apply, it blends nicely and that it's long-lasting, it's impossible to not trust this product.
A handbag essential for staying fresh-faced throughout the day, this velvety soft contour cream comes with its own precision applicator for the best results. While there's only one shade in this bottle, there are 27 more shades to choose from on Amazon if you don't feel like this one is right for you.
However, while this shade is marketed as a contour product, there is no specifying whether you're using a contour or a matte highlight so you can experiment with what's best for you. With such a low price, trying a few won't hurt!
With a curved top and sharp edges, this contour stick is ideal for sculpting immaculate lines. The thin shape makes it a useful tool for targeting areas like the nose and the temple without applying too much at once.
In addition, we noticed that there are matching highlighters in shades of gold and rose to add a pop of shine to your finished look. They're sold separately but it's always good to know that there are variations of your product so you can build up a set once you've tried the contour.
This contour kit is a fantastic place to start if you're new to powder contouring, as it's the base of a wide range of products to illuminate your complexion and sharpen your features. The pearlescent shimmer highlighter can be applied after using a brush to apply the medium-shade contour.
Though it's certainly not only for people with a big budget, we find it important to note that this product lacks inclusivity in other areas as there is only one available shade that won't appeal to those with darker skin. That said, if you have fair skin or even light-to-medium, this should be fine for you.
This Wonderstick is available in four different shades, ranging from light to dark. The formula is velvety smooth and creamy, but don't panic, NYX made it clear that this product won't look cakey when you blend it!
It's highly pigmented and blends flawlessly to create a really nice dewy, high-coverage finish. One downside to this product is that again, there isn't actually much formula despite the oversized plastic packaging. If you're looking for something to test the water with or you're an NYX fan, it may well be worth it, though.
This three-step contour kit has a dark shade for shadowing, a lighter shade for mattifying the upper side of the cheek and a pearlescent illuminating finish. This allows you to complete your look without using more than one product.
While the fact that you get multiple shades for the price is appealing, they are only in fairly small amounts and the space that could've been used solely for contour has been divided into three. This means that if you don't want a new highlighter, you're better off buying a product that doesn't waste space on unnecessary extras.
Need a little guidance on how or where to apply your contour products? Check out this video from Boots, who have enlisted Stacey Lacey MUA to show you how.
You've added a new contour stick or kit to your basket, but what about any other products or tools you might need to achieve your new look? Scroll down for more advice on the best brushes, beauty blenders and highlighters to help you nail it.
Whether you want a photoshoot-ready matte look or you'd prefer a subtle shadow with a dark contour cream, we hope that you found what you need on this list. There are so many different options to choose from – hopefully you didn't feel too spoiled for choice!
Author: Annie Speight
No. 1: Barry M |Cosmetics Chisel Cheeks Contour Creams
No. 2: Fenty|Beauty Match Stix Trio
No. 3: Sleek MakeUP|Makeup Face Contour Kit, Dark
No. 4: Rimmel London |Sculpting Highlighter Palette
No. 5: L'Oréal|Infallible Sculpt Contour Palette
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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