I am not all about contouring my face every time I put on makeup; sometimes I just need a little fluffing up & out the door and can't be bothered by it. While other times, its nice to shape my more round face into...not as round? And when I do contour, I don't go in heavy-handed because for me, a little does go a long way. I'm not opposed to others doing it that way, if it works it works, you know?
Anyway, it's small, but here's my contour & highlight stash.
NARS 'Olympia': This may not have been my very first contour palette, but I consider it to be due to the fact that I've used this one for so long, so often. It's a very basic, yet well made palette. I could have probably gotten away with going a shade darker than this one but, I wanted to play it safe. Needless to say, I've loved Olympia & I'm surprised I haven't hit pan yet! I've put it to the side for the time being; I think some NARS products have been irritating my skin suddenly, & I don't know why. Until my skin decides to figure its fuss out, I won't be using this for a while.
On the other hand, its not the worst thing to have happened...
Lancome 'Le Duo Contour & Highlighter Stick' in 'Buff': Out of them all, this probably is the one where you can accidentally go in a little heavy. I don't know if its to take into consideration that its a creamy-stick formula but what have you, I still really dig this. It blends in quite nicely, with a few strokes of a brush buffing it in (fingers do the job well, too), you get a very nice, deep contour & lovely, slightly shimmery highlight. Honestly, I love the contour end more than the highlight end, thats not to say that its rotten, it just doesn't WOW me as much as I thought it would. This is a clever idea to do with contour, the size is absolutely perfect for traveling and with its very sleek black and gold packaging to add a bit of luxury and style, Lancome gets the nail on the head.
Charlotte Tilbury's 'FilmStar Bronze & Glow': 2 words, absolute perfection. If there ever was a perfect contour palette, this is it; but I wouldn't say this is perfect all across the board because it isn't too adaptable for every skintone to use. Now, if Tilbury decides to come out with more shades of this, than yes, this would be the most best contour in all the land, seriously. UPDATE: Oh happy day! Tilbury announced recently that they are coming out with a darker shade of this. I don't know when or where it will be released just yet, though keep your eyes peeled for that if this one wasn't the right match for you!
The shades and formulation in this palette are absolutely divine, they come out beautifully on the skin and are buildable, as well as blending into the skin perfectly. You can never go too heavy handed with this but even if you do, you just end up looking better & better. The highlight is SPECTACULAR, with more highlight than shimmer. This is just a great compact to own and invest in and the packaging, hold me back. Just a rose-gold beauty, as is most of Tilbury's line. I have seriously promised myself I wouldn't be purchasing anymore makeup (HA!) for a while until I am able to get more of Charlotte Tilbury's, she knows what she's doing. With every product I have tried & own, she has blown me away with how great they are. I'm CT obsessed, & can't wait to continue to get & try more of her line in the months & years to come.
Honorable Mention - Urban Decay 'Naked Illuminated Shimmering Powder for Face and Body' in 'Luminous': This is strictly a highlight, so to speak. Its very much glittery in every single way but, what I love about this is that it does highlight and accentuate where you put it noticeably well. I usually put this on my collar bones & shoulders to give off that gleam & lean kind of look/highlight. I find it too strong and glittery for my face, so I just stick to using it on the body with this one. If you're into the glitter and the shimmer in a highlight, this will not disappoint.
