So I guess contouring has been an obsession for a lot of women out there this year (probably a lot to do with those Kardashian's) and it was something that took me a while to get into. I have very fair skin so was always worried it would never work for me. Contouring for me consisted of very little Benefit Hula bronzer on my cheekbones then a little bit of Mac soft & gentle to highlight... Very basic and probably not very noticeable.
Last month I was in debenhams picking up some Too Faced Born This Way foundation and the lady at the counter was opening up boxes with new stock they had just got in so of course I asked if there was anything exciting. She then pulled out this palette and let me have swatch of the colours. It was exactly the kind of this I'd been looking for as a contouring amateur.
The palette cost £32 at debenhams so I decided to treat myself!
In the palette you get 4 different shades and to be honest I only really use the light cocoa and medium cocoa. There is a mirror in the top of the palette, also a cute little contour buki brush which is lovely and soft it also works very well.
The first this I fell in love with was the smell of the powders! Too Faced have used cocoa powder in this palette which they do with a few of there other powder products and it smells amazing. It's a very slight smell of chocolate so not sickly or overpowering and once it's on your face you don't really smell it but I'm a sucker for something a bit different.
All the shades are soft and silky in texture easy to apply, easy to blend and buildable. 3 of the shades are matte and the pop of light shade has a sparkly finish.
I use the light cocoa shade under my eyes, in the middle of my forehead and down my nose to set my concealer then use the medium cocoa around my hairline and under my cheekbones.
I feel the medium cocoa is a perfect shade for contour as it has a cool tone to it (natural shadows on your face would tend to be cool) however I don't find the dark cocoa much darker in colour I just find it has warmer tones... This shade hasn't worked as a contour for me but I do love it as a bronzer.
As for the pop of light shade.. this shade just doesn't work for me I feel the flakes of glitter in the powder are too large to give a natural highlight. I will be sticking with my Mac Soft & Gentle as it really is a must have for me. But this shade would probably work as a lovely eye shadow colour so I'll make sure to put it to good use.
There is quite a handy guide in with the palette which I think is a great idea, although I think we've probably all seen enough about contouring online these days to be aware of how it's done.
I am really happy with my purchase, this palette may not be suited for everyone and may not be right for those who are experts at the contouring thing but for someone like me who wants it to be straightforward without taking too long this is perfect.
I love how well the powders apply to my skin and how they feel, they last well and look natural (which was very important to me) I was also impressed with the quality of the brush that came with the palette however I have been using a Real Techniques Bold Metals 300 brush as I find it a lot easier. Also the guide that comes with it is a great touch and I found it helpful. I think I will definitely be replacing this when I run out.
Thanks for Reading
Eilidh x
