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But overall, the makeup didn’t oxidize as the hours passed, keeping her face looking snatched all day long. When you’ve got fair skin, a hella-pigmented contour stick is actually a bit frightening. Instead, try this sheer one from Anastasia Beverly Hills, which comes in three buildable shades to help create a natural-looking shadow on very-light to medium skin.
What to Look for in the Best Contour Sticks
We created the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval to help you find the very best products for your life. We use our unique methodology to test products in three labs across the country and with our network of home testers to determine their effectiveness, durability, ease of use, and so much more. Based on the results, we rate and recommend products so you can find the right one for your needs. Cream products often deliver a satin, shimmery, or radiant finish because of their emollient texture.
Em Cosmetics So Soft Multi Faceplay Bronze + Sculpt
The product didn’t pick up our tester’s foundation when she buffed it into her skin, either. In the world of contour, we’ve got palettes, powders, as well as liquid and cream sticks. Contour sticks are the easiest to use, especially for beginners, as you can easily dab them onto your skin and even blend them in with your fingertips. In fact, contour sticks have changed a lot over the years, especially since we last saw Kim Kardashian release her viral KKW contour stick collection (though we’re sure more are on the way with her new line). The category is now experiencing a rebirth, as it’s more popular than ever before with a slew of recent launches.
Fenty Beauty Match Stix Duo
To apply a contour stick, draw or dot the product “on the outer perimeter of your forehead, slightly below your cheekbones, underneath your jawline, and on the sides of the nose,” says Harris. But you can also play around with where you place your contour depending on your face shape, Allen notes. Fenty Beauty actually created a helpful TikTok filter as a guide on where to contour based on different face shapes. Once the product is on your face, dab it out with a sponge or angled brush to just diffuse any sharp edges.
The 13 Best Contour Sticks for a Lifted, Defined Look
You can blend out contour in a variety of ways, but you will get a different result depending on the tool you use. When you want a more subtle contour, Greenwood suggests starting with your hands. “Using your fingers to blend melts the product better, whether you have mature, textured, or youthful skin,” she says. Michelle Phan, one of the original YouTube beauty vloggers, started Em Cosmetics in 2015 to create quality makeup for beauty novices and professionals alike. Though the line features over a dozen products, the So Soft Multi Faceplay Sticks are a serious standout. If the kit you’re adding to your cart doesn’t include a bronzer shade, consider buying a separate one.
Best Contour Stick for Dry Skin
It comes with a mini warm-toned contour stick, highlighter, and blush, all of which have a lightweight feel and dewy finish that basically blend right into each other. Just draw them all on at the same time (like this TikTok tutorial), then blend with the same brush or your fingers to melt all of the creams into your foundation or skin tint underneath. If you’re new to contouring, this foundation stick will make the process so much easier, says makeup artist Britty Whitfield. “It blends seamlessly with your foundation underneath, especially if they’re the same texture,” she says.
The 10 Best Contour Sticks That Will Snatch Your Face - Refinery29 Australia
The 10 Best Contour Sticks That Will Snatch Your Face.
Posted: Wed, 22 Mar 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Consider the shade range
The airy and whipped formula comes in four hues and is enhanced with emollients like squalene and vitamin E to strengthen and hydrate the skin. These hydrating ingredients don’t just make skin feel great, they also prevent the contour from becoming patchy throughout the day. Honestly, it was difficult to find a downside for this product because it performs beautifully, but we do wish it was more widely available — it’s currently only sold on the brand’s website. Black considers the Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Palette the OG for super a super glowy contour and highlight.
Best Contour Stick for Dark Skin Tones
When you blend it out with a beauty sponge, it diffuses into a radiant, iridescent sheen with no visible shimmer or glitter—just sculpted, glowy cheeks. The palette helpfully offers cool and warm counterparts to cater to different undertones. And since the creams are super pigmented, you don’t need a lot of product to achieve Hollywood-level contour. When applied lightly, our tester achieved a glamorous sculpt that left her skin with Instagram-filter results IRL.
Contour Palettes
"You have probably seen it worn on every red carpet in the past decade," she says. It can be hard to identify the shade of contour and highlight that works best for your skin tone just by looking at a palette, which is why it’s important to have lots of shades to choose from. Including matte highlight and contour shades as well as two shimmer options, this palette from Smashbox plays the full glam game well. No matter which shade we went for, each swipe was pigmented and smooth, dusting over imperfections and smoothing fine lines. Even the highlighting shades made a noticeable difference, which is where many other palettes fell short.
Both the E.L.F. Putty Bronzer and the Huda Beauty Tantour Contour & Bronzer Cream are what creamy contour dreams are made of. The Putty Bronzer is made with argan oil that moisturizes skin and vitamin E that nourishes it. On the other hand, Tantour has dimethicone to moisturize the skin without clogging any pores.
If you’re looking for a more dramatic sculpt, you can build up the intensity with a few more swipes but know that building the product can sometimes result in a drying effect as the day wears on. To avoid this, stick with two to three swipes for a dramatic, comfortable contour. The beauty of a contour stick lies in the creamy, buildable formulations housed in packaging that is portable and foolproof.

We like that it comes in four shade combos, helping you achieve a more customized look. Iman Balagam is a freelance writer with over five years of experience covering the beauty industry. Her work has been featured in outlets like Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Byrdie, and Harper’s Bazaar.
Compared to other contour sticks on our list, this one has a velvety finish (making it look a bit-more skin like). While we love the overall softer finish, it also lessens the staying power of the product, so be sure to top it off with some setting powder to ensure your contour lasts all day. Beloved by makeup professionals and consumers alike, Fenty Beauty continuously makes headlines for its innovative products — but our tried-and-true favorite has to be the Match Stix Contour Skinstick. The weightless, long-wear formula creates the perfect sculpt every time, but the smart design goes beyond the easy-to-blend formula.
Although not technically a stick, the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Contour Wand comes with an easy-to-use cushion applicator that pinpoints application areas (like a stick) for a seamless sculpt with every use. Crafted with treated pigments, the liquid formula reflects light and also creates realistic shadows depending on the placement. I used to spend eons blending my jawline contour down my neck in the morning…until I met this bb. Its ultra-creamy formula seamlessly melts with my foundation or tinted moisturizer underneath. I just draw little dots wherever I want to sculpt (a lil goes a long way), then buff it out with the attached brush.
Totally get it, but there’s still more to consider before you buy that contour stick, like the undertone, the blendability, and the creaminess for easy blending. Apply it directly to the skin using the cushion applicator, which evenly dispenses product onto the cheek hollows, nose, temples, and jawline. Overall, I am delighted with the Charlotte Tilbury Contour Wand and I recommend it to anyone looking for an easy-to-use contouring tool.
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