Battle of The Contour Palettes

MAYBELLINE Master Contour VS RIMMEL Sculpting Palette VS AUSTRALIS Contouring and Highlighting Kit

Hello beautiful ladies,

So, I’ve been sticking to emptying my 17 by 2017 and have finished off 2 so far. There are a couple I’ve fallen back in love with and 1 I realised why I stopped using in the first place but those reviews are coming.

Today, we take a look at three contour powder kits readily available from chemists and supermarkets Australia wide. There’s contour sets from every brand so why these three and not L’Oréal or Revlon or NYX? I’m sure in the future I will have to test these brands’ contouring kits out but for now, these are the three powder kits I have bought.

• MAYBELLINE Master Contour by Face Studio in Medium/Deep (2 shades available)
• RRP – $19.95

This palette contains an angled brush that can be used if you’re desperate and away/travelling for contouring and highlighting your face though I do discourage this as the result was not blended well at all. The actual colours were flattering for my colouring (medium) and the blush is the most natural and best suited for me. I will say though, that the contour is well pigmented and you don’t need a lot, so why is it twice the size of the highlight section? The highlight is going to be finished long before the contour and blush.

PROS

• Includes a brush so you could leave this at your boyfriends/mothers/friends house as a backup for when you’re staying over or even travelling.
• The brush is small enough to contour the nose perfectly.
• The colours are flattering and would suit a wide range of medium to deep complexions with a yellow undertone or neutral undertone.
• Very subtle highlight with light shimmer.

CONS

• The contour and blush sections are twice the size of the highlight section.
• The brush requires a lot of blending to get a decent result (for my liking anyway) and even then I ended up using my full size contour brush.
• It doesn’t last through the day even with setting spray.

• RIMMEL Sculpting Palette in Coral Glow
• RRP – $16.95

I have had a bit of a love/hate relationship with Rimmel over the years – I’ve loved some products but then absolutely hated others (and I mean not just dislike, there have been some shockers) so for a long time, I wouldn’t even consider buying Rimmel when the L’Oréal or Maybelline stand is right beside it and I’ve never had the same issues with those brands. Then, I saw Rimmel had 50% off one day in the supermarket and thought why not, for $8.50? I must say that I have been surprised by this little palette. I probably reach for this one the most when I can’t be bothered getting my highlighter palettes, then the blush and then the contour out. It’s all here in a handy sized palette.

PROS

• The size is so convenient for travelling and can be used with just a BB cream to look ‘natural’ when your on holidays/weekends away.
• The highlight has a good amount of shimmer so that it actually does highlight the parts you want highlighted from all angles.
• It is well pigmented but also buildable so I can use it for a quick ‘no makeup’ look (literally) to a ‘natural’ look to full makeup.

CONS

• The blush is quite pigmented and even though I love peachy colours, too much makes me look like a clown so go easy. It is better to build the colour than have to start again (past experience).
• The contour does stick to dry patches so moisturise well beforehand.

 

• AUSTRALIS On Tour Contouring & Highlighting Kit
• RRP – $16.95

This was the first contour kit available in Australia (from a chemist) so I’ve had it awhile and I’ve used it a lot. Well, 3 of the colours anyway. Two of the contour shades  are so pigmented, that even a little bit turned into a nightmare to blend. One of the highlight colours highlighted dry patches and had a horrible matte finish. The three I did use, 2,3 and 6 achieved a good result for quite some time until the market caught up and every brand released contouring products. Australis has since released the AC on Tour Kits in medium and dark versions as well as cream versions.

PROS

• Has a choice of 3 contours and 3 highlighters to choose from so you’ve got more of a chance to find one that will suit your skin colouring.

CONS

• The formula is quite chalky and isn’t easy to work with.
• The palette is bulky compared to the other two (twice the size).
• There isn’t a blush included so that is an extra you’ll be pulling out of the drawer.
• For the effort required to get a good result, the pigment had disappeared by the end of the day.

So, which one do you buy?  Well, my Australis kit is going back to the bottom of the drawer where I pulled it from once I’ve taken the photo required for this post. This kit had everyone in a frenzy because it was the only one we could get and we had to take it, but now that there’s so many to choose from, it is defunct.

The Maybelline palette will be used, occasionally and it’s by no means a bad palette but in my makeup collection, it just doesn’t stand out. So, that makes Rimmel the winner! Some people would be shocked by this if they’ve ever heard my disappointment in their products but there you have it. It is the most compact, practical and flattering of them all.

Until next time,

Nyobie

*Disclaimer*

Please note that this is my opinion only and what works for me won’t necessarily work for you, and vice versa.  I have dark brown hair with neutral undertones of an olive complexion that tends to prefer beige and nudes in foundations. I also have combination skin so my cheeks do get dry while my t-zone can get oily.