Highlight & Contou Palette Showdown
Highlight & Contour Palette Showdown- which one is worth buying?
There are quite a few high end palettes out there but I always love focusing on affordable brands so I'll be talking about one high end palette that I love and the rest are easy to find, very affordable drugstore brands. Also, these products are not necessarily all new but they're ones that I have tested
out thouroughly and ones that are easy to find at any drugstore.
Smashbox Shape Matters palette
($69.00)
This palette is a complete eye, brow and face palette but I had to include it as my high end choice because the quality is just amazing. This palette comes with 4 face powders- a contour, bronze, highlight and glow. The formula is so silky and blends beautifully. The contour and bronze shades aren't too dark, which I always prefer, so perfect if you have a light skin tone like myself. The highlight shades are nice and subtle so I like to use them as a base an just add a more intense highlight on top, if I want a more dramatic look. So many reasons to love this palette. It's pricey but for all that you get it's well worth the money.
swatches:
NYX Strobe of Genius illuminating palette
($27.00)
I did a full review on this palette so if you want more details go check it out. Obviously, as the name suggests, this palette is solely for highlighting. It comes with 4 highlight shades as well as 3 definition shades. Gorgeous palette, very pigmented, a nice variety of highlight shades depending on the effect you want. All in all, it has become one of my holy grail products. Ah-ma-zing!
swatches:
NYX Highlight & Contour Pro palette
($27.00)
This palette by NYX is a typical contour palette which many high end brands offer so it's nice to have a more affordable option. This palette comes with 8 shades ranging from highlight shades to light and darker contour shades. I think this palette is good for a few skin tones unless you have a darker skin tone. The really nice thing about this palette is that all pans are removable and can be re purchased individually. To be totally honest, I have mixed reviews on this product. The product itself blends very nicely and are nicely pigmented, not chalky at all. However, upon application I find the highlights are very subtle so I use them as a base and to set my under eye concealer. As for the darker contour shades, they provide a nice subtle contour. Overall I do like this palette but I tend to use it on my more casual makeup days since it doesn't provide a more dramatic effect. I would recommend this palette if you're new to highlighting and contouring or if you prefer a more subtle look.
swatches:
Hard Candy Contouring Face Trio in 3 X A Charm
($9.00)
This product is a nice little compact palette that comes with a highlight, a blush and a contour shade. It's nice and affordable and is a nice little package, if you're looking for something smaller. I personally adore the highlight shade. It's highly pigmented and offers a nice glow without being sparkly. Also the blush can be combined with the highlight for a nice subtle glow. As for the contour shade, it's ok but to be honest I really only use the highlight because it's just so pretty. For that alone I highly recommend this product.
swatches:
Essence Contour Powder in 01 Light
($3.99)
This is a super affordable drugstore highlight and contour duo. It comes with a matte bronzer used for contouring as well as a highlight shade to illuminate. Essence is a brand that has many great products but can also be touch and go. Unfortunately this is one of those products that is a fail for me. The shades are chalky and don't provide much color payoff. Not impressed at all.
swatches:
Wet n Wild Illuminating palette in Catwalk Pink
($4.99) light
This is a new product from Wet n Wild that offers a range of 4 highlight shades that have a sparkly shimmer to them. You can use only one or a few strips or lightly run your brush along all 4 shades with a nice fluffy highlighting brush, which I tend to do. The shades offer a nice sparkle without being too over the top but I will say that the product needs to be worked with a little bit unless you want a very light hand with it. Despite that, I really like this palette. I think it's really pretty and offers a very natural looking highlight. And it's super affordable with is great! I definitely have to see if Wet n Wild comes out with more of these because I really like using this palette as an every day highlight.
swatches:
swatches:
NYX Highlight & Contour Pro palette
($27.00)
This palette by NYX is a typical contour palette which many high end brands offer so it's nice to have a more affordable option. This palette comes with 8 shades ranging from highlight shades to light and darker contour shades. I think this palette is good for a few skin tones unless you have a darker skin tone. The really nice thing about this palette is that all pans are removable and can be re purchased individually. To be totally honest, I have mixed reviews on this product. The product itself blends very nicely and are nicely pigmented, not chalky at all. However, upon application I find the highlights are very subtle so I use them as a base and to set my under eye concealer. As for the darker contour shades, they provide a nice subtle contour. Overall I do like this palette but I tend to use it on my more casual makeup days since it doesn't provide a more dramatic effect. I would recommend this palette if you're new to highlighting and contouring or if you prefer a more subtle look.
swatches:
Hard Candy Contouring Face Trio in 3 X A Charm
($9.00)
This product is a nice little compact palette that comes with a highlight, a blush and a contour shade. It's nice and affordable and is a nice little package, if you're looking for something smaller. I personally adore the highlight shade. It's highly pigmented and offers a nice glow without being sparkly. Also the blush can be combined with the highlight for a nice subtle glow. As for the contour shade, it's ok but to be honest I really only use the highlight because it's just so pretty. For that alone I highly recommend this product.
swatches:
Essence Contour Powder in 01 Light
($3.99)
This is a super affordable drugstore highlight and contour duo. It comes with a matte bronzer used for contouring as well as a highlight shade to illuminate. Essence is a brand that has many great products but can also be touch and go. Unfortunately this is one of those products that is a fail for me. The shades are chalky and don't provide much color payoff. Not impressed at all.
swatches:
Wet n Wild Illuminating palette in Catwalk Pink
($4.99) light
This is a new product from Wet n Wild that offers a range of 4 highlight shades that have a sparkly shimmer to them. You can use only one or a few strips or lightly run your brush along all 4 shades with a nice fluffy highlighting brush, which I tend to do. The shades offer a nice sparkle without being too over the top but I will say that the product needs to be worked with a little bit unless you want a very light hand with it. Despite that, I really like this palette. I think it's really pretty and offers a very natural looking highlight. And it's super affordable with is great! I definitely have to see if Wet n Wild comes out with more of these because I really like using this palette as an every day highlight.
swatches:
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