Contouring 101

Everybody seems to be getting into contouring these days, and every brand has a different contouring product on offer, that it can be hard to know which ones to go for. I have chosen a few of my favourite contouring pieces to hopefully help your decision making process. 

Most of my products are powder, but I do have one creme bronzer I like to use for a natural contour in the summer time and that is the CHANEL Soleil de Tan. For me this contours as well as bronzes as I have fair skin, but I definitely need to be as light handed as possible when using this, but it is great for a natural looking bronze and contour. A highlighting product I like to use with this is the MAC Prep and Prime in the shade Light Boost. I don't only use this product when contouring, but it definitely brings out any contouring done. This is a yellow based highlighter and is great to use on the under eye area.

One of the first contouring products I bought was the Daniel Sandler Sculpt and Slim. This is another natural looking product, and I do find the contour shade to be more of a bronzer shade. I do really like this product, but it has definitely been neglected since I upgraded to the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow. This is a very similar product but the finish is just like nothing else I have used. I cannot get enough of the highlight shade in the palette, and the contour shade is perfect for fair skinned girls like myself. 

Another much raved about contouring powder is one that left me a little disappointed when I first started using it. It is the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder. This is formulated with brown, grey and red pigments so is definitely more of a contour shade than a bronzer shade. This creates natural looking shadows and looks great in photos, but I do find it a little harder to blend compared to other products.

The final product is the most recent in my collection and it is the Anastasia Beverley Hills Contour Kit in the shade light. I have been really enjoying this palette, but I have to say that the contour shades are much better than the highlight shades. I don't know if the highlight shades show enough on fair skin, but the contour shades are perfect. I mostly use the middle shade and the shade on the left side to build on top of this. The shades are really natural looking and blend perfectly. I apply this with the new Real Techniques Bold Metals 301 Flat Contour Brush, and then blend it in with the Real Techniques Contour Brush. 

My Favourite Eyeshadows

I know what I like when it comes to eyeshadows, so all in my collection are pretty similar. I like browns and neutral shades and love golds. I never really venture outside of these shades I know I like. I have dark blue eyes so golds really compliment them. My first favourite is the B-E-A-utiful Charlotte Tilbury Golden Goddess Palette. I adore this palette for so many reasons. Firstly, in true Charlotte Tilbury form, the packaging is sleek, and also perfect for travel. All four shades are beautiful, and you can find a highlight shade and a crease shade as well as a neutral shade and a glittery gold. The quality of these are also amazing. They blend perfectly, there is no fall out and they stay put all night. What more could you ask for?

Another palette I love is the Make Up Revolution Iconic II Palette. This is a great dupe for the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette but for a fraction of the price. Although there is a teeny tiny bit of fall out, the general quality of these is really good and they stay put. You get twelve great shades for just £4! 

The last powder shadow I love is from MAC and it is the shade Honey Lust. I don't have too much to say about this other than it is another great shimmery golden bronzed shade, but we all know how great MAC eyeshadows are anyway don't we.

One of my favourite cream shadows is the CHANEL Illusion D'Ombre in the shade Initiation. This isn't as dark as some of the other shades in my bronzed collection, and it is slightly more sparkly and really brings out blue eyes. I love the consistency of this shadow and I really really love the shade. I had never really looked at CHANEL eyeshadows before purchasing this one but I am now definitely keen to try some more. 

Next is another Charlotte Tilbury shade, but this time in pencil form and it is the Colour Chameleon in the shade Champagne Diamonds. This is another gold rather than bronze shimmery shade. It feels really smooth and doesn't drag or scratch your skin at all. My one and only bugbear with this product is that it seems to run out really quickly. You can see how tiny my one is now, and I just find this getting smaller and smaller rather quickly.

Last is one of my most used shadows, the By Terry Ombre Blackstar in the shade Bronze Moon. This also goes on so smoothly and blends really nicely. It is slightly darker than the other eyeshadows mentioned but stays put all night long. These are pretty pricy but well worth it I think.

February Favourites

Okay so I just have to start this post of by saying, where the hell is this year going, how are we in March already?! Crazy. Anyway, time is running away and it is already time for my February favourites. I have definitely been loving make up products this month, probably because I was so unable to enjoy them last month!

First up is something I fiiiiiinally managed to get my hands on after being on Cult Beauty's waiting list for what felt like forever. Obviously I am talking about the Anastasia Beverley Hills Contour Kit. I have only used this a handful of times as I don't see it is an every day wear-to-work kind of product, but when I am going out I have been reaching for this every time. I definitely prefer the contour shades to the highlight shades, as I do have individual highlighters I prefer, but I do like the banana shade for setting my under eye concealer. The middle contour shade is my favourite, and then I use the one on the left to build my contour a little more. The best thing about this is how buildable and blendable the product is. I was worried I would be covered in harsh lines but that is just not the case with this. I think it is definitely worth the splurge. My only criticism is that the highlight shades are a little light for mega pale girls.

Next are two eyeshadows I have re-discovered in my stash and they are the By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Bronze Moon, and CHANEL Illusion D'Ombre in the shade Initiation. Both of these shades are quite similar, but I would say the By Terry is a little darker and less shimmery. I have actually been enjoying wearing them both alone or blended together. Everyone raves about the By Terry Ombre Blackstar's, and I know they are eye wateringly expensive but I really think they are worth it. They go on so smoothly, blend perfectly and stay put all night long. I find the same with the Chanel shadow, but I do love the ease of the pen applicator you have with the By Terry.

A lipstick I have been loving this month is the Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in the shade Bitch Perfect. This is the perfect pinky nude which is the kind of shade I love. I also really love the formula of these, and of course the rose gold packaging is to die for. I already have a few more shades from this range on my wish list.

Finally I have another rediscovery, but this time a hair product. I have been loving the Charles Worthington Volume and Bounce Texturising Spray. I went off this for a while, as it does leave my hair a little crunchy and knotty. However, the volume and oomph this gives my hair is worth the crunch. When my hair is looking a little flat and lucklustre (which is most of the time) this is my go to product to bring it back to life. I have never tried the Oribe version, the price tag just puts me off massively, but I have heard through the grapevine that this is a pretty great dupe for that but at a fraction of the price.