Contouring isn't going away anytime soon. If you asked me years ago what contouring was, the look of confusion would register on my face - after all, it was a trade secret that only beauty professionals knew about. However, when media star Kim Kardashian shared her beauty technique of shading and highlighting, everyone went crazy and jumped into the bandwagon. That was years ago, and up until now, beauty influencers are still doing it. The market right now is saturated with tons of contouring products - even the drugstore scene is picking up! - but one that still stands out is the Kat Von D Shade & Light Contour Palette.
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| Price: $46 Bought from: Given as a gift Expiration: 12 months after opening
Net Wt.: Light shades - 2.3g each || Shadow shades - 4.5g each
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The palette is housed in a box that shares the same design. The logo is embossed and the color scheme is black and silver. It definitely screams Kat Von D to me.
It also comes with a guide card which contains the palette information, the shade names, and tips on how to contour the face. I think the guide card is very useful for beginners. Kat Von D created a complementing shade and light makeup brush but you have to buy it separately.
PACKAGING
Again, the logo is embossed and has a matte black and silver scheme. I honestly love the design - it's classy but it isn't your typical pretty packaging; it has a badass feel that suits it so well specially since Kat Von D always gives off that vibe. It's also important to note that the packaging is made out of cardboard; however, it doesn't feel flimsy despite the material used. The only downside is that the palette tends to become dirty pretty fast.
At the back, you will see the corresponding shade names and other product information such as net weight and expiration date.
The mirror is quite big and of good quality, too. I don't normally use it though as the mirror always gets dirty from the powders.
PRODUCT
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| Top (L-R): Lucid, Lyric Levitation Bottom (L-R): Sombre, Shadowplay, Subconscious |
There are 6 matte shades in the palette - 3 for highlighting and 3 for contouring. Each have different undertones which means that it'll will work for a lot of people. In my opinion, it's a very versatile palette - it contains shades that are great for contouring as well as bronzing. I can't speak for every skin tone out there but from what I see, the colors are easily sheered out or built up to suit even the darkest or lightest of skin. Still, if the other colors won't work for you, they work great as eyeshadow.
As for beginner makeup artists, this would be a nice palette to add to your collection because it caters to all types of skin tones and this is good to bring with you if you're packing light.
As for beginner makeup artists, this would be a nice palette to add to your collection because it caters to all types of skin tones and this is good to bring with you if you're packing light.
Above is a swatch of the Light powders. As you can see, they are very pigmented and creamy. You'd think that they'd be so hard to blend out due to the amount of pigmentation but the powders do just the opposite and they highlight the face beautifully.
They tend to have a lot of fallout but it isn't an indicator of chalkiness; rather, I believe it's like that because the powders are so soft and finely-milled.
Above are swatches of the powders. I love that the shade names either start with an S (for shading powders) or an L (for highlighting powders). It makes remembering the shade names easier.
Lucid - Lucid is your typical neutral pink highlight. This works well for those who have very fair skin and for those who have cool-toned, light skin.
Lyric - Lyric is the perfect banana shade that suits medium to dark skin and warm-toned, light skin. What I love most about it is that it isn't too yellow but is still able to brighten the undereye.
Levitation - Ahh, this will highlight deep skin tones beautifully. It has a salmon tone to it which means that it will also work as a dark undereye corrector in a pinch.
Sombre - This shade is your cool-toned taupe brown, perfect for chiseling out the cheekbones. I personally don't like taupe colors for my face because they make me look muddy so I only concentrate this on the hollows of my cheekbones and on my nose.
Shadowplay - Shadowplay is your true medium brown - it can work as a bronzer when applied lighthandedly or as a natural-looking contour shade. I personally like to use this to contour my forehead and use this underneath Sombre to tone down the taupe-ness of it.
Subconscious - This shade is too dark for my NC35-NC40 skin but I see myself wearing this if I become tan over the summer. It is the deeper, warmer-but-still-close-to-neutral version of Shadowplay. It is perfect for skin tones NC42 and above. I also like to use this as eyeshadow.
OBSERVATIONS
The highlight shades are indeed brightening. However, I do not recommend using them to bake or set the undereyes. Rather, I would use these powders to wipe off excess powder from baking. As for setting the undereye, it's better to set your base first with a transluscent powder and then layer this on top. I find that the powder tends to cling on to certain areas of my undereye if I use it immediately on top of cream products. I also suggest that you apply with a light hand as these powders tend to become cakey - anyway, you don't need that much in the first place.
As for the contour shades, I have no complaints about them. They're pigmented, buildable and blendable.
They last for a long time, considering I have oily skin. I can't say as to whether it accentuates dry patches or whatnot, but for people who have oily skin and/or for those who are looking for a contouring product that can last all day, this palette is highly recommended! Unfortunately, this seems to break me out so people with sensitive skin might want to swatch them first at the stores or do research before buying.
Overall, I think this palette suits medium skin tone best as they are the ones I see that are able to make use of all the shades. Extremely fair or deep-skinned people may say they are not able to use the other shades. Personally, I still think they work extremely well as eyeshadow if you can't find any use for the other shades; other than that, I strongly believe that they are still workable when used with a light hand (for fair skin) and are easily buildable for darker skin tones.
They last for a long time, considering I have oily skin. I can't say as to whether it accentuates dry patches or whatnot, but for people who have oily skin and/or for those who are looking for a contouring product that can last all day, this palette is highly recommended! Unfortunately, this seems to break me out so people with sensitive skin might want to swatch them first at the stores or do research before buying.
Overall, I think this palette suits medium skin tone best as they are the ones I see that are able to make use of all the shades. Extremely fair or deep-skinned people may say they are not able to use the other shades. Personally, I still think they work extremely well as eyeshadow if you can't find any use for the other shades; other than that, I strongly believe that they are still workable when used with a light hand (for fair skin) and are easily buildable for darker skin tones.
THE GOOD
reasonably-priced for the amount of product that you get
caters from beginners to professionals
good selection of shades
highly pigmented, blendable, and buildable
convenient packaging
lasta all day
reasonably-priced for the amount of product that you get
caters from beginners to professionals
good selection of shades
highly pigmented, blendable, and buildable
convenient packaging
lasta all day
THE BAD
not available in the Philippines
fallout (I don't mind but I put it here anyway)
packaging becomes dirty really easily
broke me out
not available in the Philippines
fallout (I don't mind but I put it here anyway)
packaging becomes dirty really easily
broke me out
OVERALL...
If this didn't break me out, I would have given it a perfect score. However, this is still a product that is worth the buy and definitely something that I would recommend (if you don't have sensitive skin)!
RATING:
4.5/5
Hope you liked this review! Have you used this palette before? What was your experience with it? If not, what is your go-to contouring product? Let me know down below in the comments section! x
Hope you liked this review! Have you used this palette before? What was your experience with it? If not, what is your go-to contouring product? Let me know down below in the comments section! x
