To say I was excited when the Anastasia Contour Kit in Light/Medium was handed to me by my postman is an understatement. I dropped everything else on the table for later inspection – bills, junk mail, bleurgh – and ripped open the Cult Beauty parcel with my barehands (a skill I learned back in my retails days when I did delivery shifts and opened hundreds of boxes a night). Inside it was just as I imagined. A sleek black, slim case that inside held six buttery formulations ranging from a shimmery highlight to a grey-ish contour and everything in between. Did I need it? Absolutely not. Did I want it? Well that was a different story…
The American beauty gals have been banging on about this palette for months, but in the UK it’s been a bit tough to get hold of. After missing multiple ‘back in stock’ emails from Cult Beauty, I caught the last one just in time and a few days later I had this piece of cosmetics gold in my hand. It promises to do everything from setting to sculpting and so far so good with this family of six. I do have two niggles that I need to address before the rave review mind you. Firstly the packaging. The inside is just crying out for a mirror. I do love a good mirror as they always come in handy when travelling or when I’m feeling lazy and applying my makeup when lying down on the bed (I can’t be the only one?). Secondly, the colour palette is a tad bit warm, which is the main reason why I still love the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder; but more on that later.
The powders tick all the right boxes. Long-lasting. Pigmented. Not patchy. Blendable. All the usual good stuff, so let’s chat shades. The top row is the lighter of the two and contains from left to right: Vanilla, Banana and Sand. Vanilla is like a highlighter, but without the shimmer which means it’s a nice one to pop under the brow bone or down the centre of the face where sometimes you just don’t want to place shine. Given that I haven’t fake tanned since last year it’s also a good all-over face powder for me right now. A yellow-toned powder, like Banana is something that I’ve wanted to try for ages. It sets under-eye concealer well (I just like to use something super creamy so things don’t get too dry under there) and dims down the redness on my cheeks and nose when I’m looking like Rudolph. Vanilla is a really subtle highlight. Sure there’s shimmer in there, but it’s real, real fine. Instead of being laced with a metallic edge like gold or silver, the sheen it gives off is more peachy which makes it look über natural. On the bottom row are the colours that lend themselves more to contouring: Java, Fawn and Havana. Java is the one colour that I haven’t quite worked out yet. It’s a warm matte brown so I think I’ll end up using it best as an eyeshadow, but suggestions are welcomed. The one that’s going to end up my most used of the six is Fawn, which is the stand-out contour. Colour-wise it sits in-between the Kevyn Aucoin Contour Powder and the contour from the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow Palette; there’s a hint of grey in there, but it’s pretty warm as contours go. It actually looks nice and natural when I’ve had a go with it, but if push came to shove then I’d pick Kevyn’s offering as it’s a little more shadow-like. Havana is way too warm for me to use on my cheeks but as a crease colour on the eyelids I love it. Actually, I really love it. It’s got a MAC Texture vibe and looks good with Java on the lid as an eye look to don when rocking bright lipsticks.
Is it a must-have palette? Unless you’re a Kim K-ish everyday contour kinda gal then probably not. But if you’re like me and look a bit like Hey Arnold and like to experiment with the illusion of cheekbones from time to time then it’s a good one to have in your stash to have a play with. Plus bonus points are awarded that it not only sorts out contouring and highlighting, but setting, concealer stay-putting and a matte eyeshadow look too and you know I love a good multi-tasker.
P.S) I had a word with the babes at Cult Beauty and for one week only they’re giving VDM readers 15% off. Just enter the code VIVIANNA15 at checkout anytime before midnight GMT on 19th March 2015. Sweet! One use per customer, minimum spend £20 and it cannot be used in conjunction with any other other. Brand exclusions apply, see the full list here.
P.P.S) Apologies for the recycled ‘on my face’ picture but I’m currently growing out my brows for a threading session – it’s for your own safety. In it I’d used Vanilla to set my base, Banana under my eyes and Fawn to contour.
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