Review| Smashbox Step-By-Step Contour Kit

The Smashbox Step-By-Step Contour Kit ($45) is, for lack of a better analogy, a 4th round draft pick of a contour palette. Everyone (and their mom, and their grandmom, and their mailman) loves the Kat Von D Shade and Light palette for good reason. This one lurks and hides in the corner of every Smashbox display hoping for someone to give it a chance. 

Polarizing pro/con: It's compact. 

This means that you don't get 6 options...and it's not really a contour kit or palette for a multitude of skintones. It's for light-medium people (there's a medium/deep kit sold as well) who want something compact and hard to f*ck up. 

It also comes with a leaflet of instructions for contour/highlight powder placement depending on your face shape. I've taped up the guide for oval/square/round to my vanity, simply because I don't know my face shape. (It's most likely a giant squoval.)

There's a semi-passable brush included that's good in you're in a pinch. 

So far, I have no complaints. I was at Ulta and between the Lorac contour palette and this, the Smashbox version swatches with a much smoother consistency and buttery texture. These powders don't skip or apply patchily on the back of my Saharan desert torn hands. 

I still think that the price point could be lower (maybe $32-$39 range) if they could be honest and ditch the brush. It's a very solid palette that won't overwhelm users who are new to contouring/those who don't need 10 bronzers to contour at one time. 

And last but not least....swatches! (Indoors v. Natural Sunlight) 

Contour swatches from left to right: Smashbox Contour, Sephora Tranquil blush, Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder in Medium, KVD Shade and Light in Sombre, NYX Taupe

Bronzer swatches with: Smashbox Bronzer, KVD Shade and Light in Shadowplay, Benefit Hoola Bronzer,Too Faced Chocolate and Milk Chocolate Soleil,  

Highlight swatches with: Smashbox Highlight, KVD Shade and Light Contour in Lyric and Lucid

Review| Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour Palette

Has an irrational hatred of packaging ever stopped you from purchasing an otherwise stellar product? For example, clunky and bulky cardboard packaging really irks me because they often dent easily in the corners, take up a lot of space, and grab onto loose powders flying through the air easily. 

In this case, the Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour Palette ($44) was that AND ultra tacky. I mean, the aesthetic is just not for me. I refused to even take a picture of the front of the palette because it is hideous. 

In every other aspect, however, this palette exceeded expectations. The huge mirror? Awesome. A contour shade for every skintone? Nice. A banana and peach shade for under the eyes? Awesome. 

If you're familiar with the original contour kit from Anastasia Beverly Hills (the one BEFORE the contouring kit trend blew up in Sephora...) you'll be disappointed to find that there are no sparkleh, shimmery, iridescent highlight shade in this palette. Rest assured, if that's not a concern for you, you'll really love the fact that these powders are much more softly milled, silky to the touch, and much more blendable once on the skin. 

Here are swatches of ONE swipe with no primer underneath, in natural indoor lighting. 

I expected ultra-pigmented powders, which I got, but they aren't hard to blend out on the skin. Heavy handed Snickers bar contouring is a viable option, but I can also use a natural hair brush and a light hand to achieve the most flawless (and natural) contouring that's daytime appropriate. 

The Shadowplay shade (warmer brown) sticks out like a sore thumb in a contouring kit. Here's where naysayers step in and take a massive dump on the streets of my parade. "It's orange! That's not the color of a shadow!"

Well no shit. But it's perfect for bronzing up the perimeters of the face after you've slapped an obvious stripe of GREY underneath your cheekbones. By the way, Sombre is perfect for that very technique and could fit anyone from NC20 to NC35. If you're deeper or like dramatic contouring, the Subconscious shade is a good option as well. 

Here's my technique: contour with Sombre, blend out with a small amount of Shadowplay, and concentrate Subconsccious on the very back of my contour (toward the ear) if I want to amp it up for nighttime. 

As for setting and highlighting the undereyes, I actually reach for Levitation (the peachy shade) because it helps hide my purplish dark circles. If you use a light hand, they're no heavier than your average setting powder. I didn't notice any major creasing into fine lines which is a huge plus for my dry under-eyes. 

A few negatives: 

The highlighting powders may blend straight into your skintone or be way too stark to use. My arm is currently at NC30 or so and you can see the starkness of the white powders. 

Also, nothing is shimmery! There's no true "cheekbone" highlight in this palette.

Those on extreme ends of the color spectrum will find the color selection lackluster and exclusive. 

There are a lot of contour kits out there that will fit your budget, criteria, or skin tone range. I didn't think I would like another "pro" palette like this one, but it actually condenses a lot of products I would use on a semi-daily basis into one ugly packaging. (I will probably depot into a smaller Z-palette for future usage.)

If you're looking for the perfect grey tinged contour powder similar to Sombre, may I suggest Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting powder in Medium, NYX blush in Taupe, and Dolce & Gabbana blush in Tan? All of these come in much more compact packaging. 

xo Be

Collection| Bronzers and Contour Powders

I'm a huge fan of bronzing and contouring, especially when the summer comes around and a tanned face doesn't look out of place. On the other hand, contouring is reserved for night time affairs. I can't be walking around in broad daylight with two stripes down my nose!

I have a pretty sizeable collection that I want to share with you, just to show you that not all bronzers and contour powders are shimmery, matte, red toned, or yellow toned, or anything in specific. It really depends on what purpose you're trying to achieve and what flatters you best. 

Let's go from right to left, bottom to top, left to right (mindf*cked yet?) and see what I have. 

Benefit Hoola bronzer: Perfect for NC20-30s who want to contour or bronze up the face. Either way it's a matte brown that's neutral enough for all over or in the hollows of your cheeks.

Sleek Face Contour Kit in Light: This kit comes with a champagne highlighter and is PERFECT for contouring. It's very cheap but not too accessible (I got mine only in a swap...) 

Urban Decay Naked Flushed palette: I always get compliments wearing this palette on my cheeks, and the contour color is very light and can't look harsh. However, the highlighter and blush requires a light hand. 

Bobbi Brown Bronzer in Natural: This is a very red toned bronzer that I find perfect for when I'm NC35-NC45. It looks great all over as it mimics how my skin reacts to being sunburnt. It also looks great as a contour shade as it is on the cooler side. 

Bobbi Brown Blush Palette in Pale Pink and Tawny: Next to Pale Pink, Tawny seems to be a bronzer, at least with my terrible eyesight and lighting in the bedroom. In broad daylight, it's actually a lovely ...tawny color blush. FML. Do NOT use this to contour. 

Dolce and Gabbana blush in Tan: Now this is what you use to contour. It's like a grown up version of NYX Taupe (which I didn't care for and swapped away) but much more flattering and cool. It's almost grey, very subtle, and could probably work for NC/W15 to NC30. I always choose this one to contour my nose. 

Too Faced Bronzer in Chocolate Soleil (Medium/Deep): I used to own its sister Milk Chocolate but found the smell too sweet for my taste and gave it to my mom for a contour. It really does work for a contour, but the scent was diabetic... This one works great for NC30-NC40 me all over or in the hollows of the cheek. Love!

Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Bronzing Veil Tropical Nights (what in the actual hell) bronzer: I like this one, but I haven't had a chance to play with it. I will definitely have to pull it out for this summer. It gives off a "reddish burnt sparkly summer beach babe" vibe. 

Guerlain Terracotta La Selection de L'Ete (another rech betch name eh?): This one is a little too light for my liking, and honestly it looks too fancy for using. I tried it once and it reminded me of a profesh summer cocktail party look or something O_O ...sort of pretty but nothing wild. 

AND LET THE SWATCHES BEGIN: 

From left to right: Hoola, BB Natural, Choco Soleil, KA Celestial, Guerlain, BB Tawny blush (silence! lol), Naked Flushed, D&G Tan, Sleek in Light.

The following pictures were taken in either direct or indirect sunlight. I think it does matter to see how a bronzer will look in dimmer lighting, but it's also a false representation that won't help you choose a good color that looks "non-insane" in sunlight. 

All colors were swatched twice. You can always build color up as desired. No primer. My inner forearm is about...NC25 (the back part is crispy at NC45.) 

This is indoors, with the sunlight behind my arm. Everything is actually hazy to the point where it would work as either bronzer or contour, but the red toned shades are looking cray cray.

This is indirect sunlight, I'm standing right in the doorway under a patio. 

This is another view. I'm indoors, but there's more sunlight. I just wanted you to see the various texture and tones of the bronzers just to get a feel of what could work for you.

Final one, this is outside. See how natural the D&G looks, like a shadow? It's definitely very faint in pigmentation but for good reason imo. Everything else looks absolutely orange in comparison.

I'm pretty happy with my collection at the moment; I don't think it's necessary to expand. After all, I don't even do bronzer on a daily basis especially now in the throes of winter. Well there is sunlight but come on, bronzer in the office doesn't sound right to me. 

My favorite at the moment for contouring is TF Chocolate Soleil, since I think they've taken the scent down a notch since I've last purchased. I also really enjoy Benefit's Hoola at the moment for an all over color, since I find that the new Garnier BB cream I'm trying (while great for oil control) is a tad too light ...so I've been liberal with the bronzers.  

Can't wait for summer when it's appropriate to just be dark. I love both the pale princess and beach babe look on myself. Plus, being tan for me definitely gets more attention from men. Interesting right?

xo Be.