Favorite Highlighting and Contouring Products

You can binge watch highlighting and contouring videos until your brain melts but when it comes to choosing the right products, it can be like starting back at square one! No worries girl-I got chu. I’ve tried lots, and I mean lots of products. I’ve found a handful of contour creams far too orange and several highlighters to be mega frosty. You won’t be hearing about any of those fails here. Now take my hand, and off we go to highlight and contour land!

Revlon PhotoReady Skinlights Face Illuminator: This is a liquid highlighter with a nice, thin consistency that isn’t at all glittery. I like Bare Light most days and Bronze Light for a subtle tan glow.

Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer It’s like Touche’ Eclat for us regular-monied folks!

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer This works really well as a non-shimmery highlight due to it’s medium-to-thick consistency. I use the yellow-toned Neutralizer shade.

Benefit Cosmetics Watt’s Up! This is a cream/stick highlighter that is well-loved by many! I don’t like to apply directly to skin though, because if you’re dry like me-it’s Ru Paul’s Drag Race. Instead, I swipe this brush over the surface and buff onto skin in circular motions.

Stila All Over Shimmer Duo This might look too pink or bronze in the pan, but when you swirl the two shades together, trust me-it’s one of my favorite powder highlights for almost anyone.

theBalm theBalm ‘Mary-Lou Manizer’ Highlighting Powder I think this is my favorite powder highlighter if we’re giving someone the crown here. It’s the perfect champagne and a tiny bit goes a long way! I put it to good use here!

Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Creme Bronzer This is one of the first cream bronzers that I ever really liked. Go with the darker shade though as the lighter one does very little and it’s a bit too warm.

theBalm theBalm ‘Bahama Mama’ Bronzing Powder This is just cool enough to be a true contouring powder and not a warm bronzer. This is quite excellent and the price isn’t bad either! I’ve used it here.

Benefit Cosmetics Hoola This is a great medium contour color that works for many skin tones and blends lovely! A little tip-the brush it comes with isn’t totally useless! I like to think of it as the poor woman’s NARS Ita Brush!

Sonia Kashuk Chic Defining Contour Stick This is like the Undetectable Creme Bronzer in a more precise, stick format and I love it! This cream contour applies like a jumbo crayon! Here it is in action.

 The most pricey, the most perfect. I didn’t want to love this. It’s tiny and expensive. However, Mr. Aucoin, God rest his soul, nailed the perfect powder contour color. The color is perfection.

Tools of the Trade
The Original Beautyblender This is one of the best ways to soften and blend out your cream contours!

e.l.f. Studio Stipple Brush This is my favorite tool for blending out cream contour products under the cheekbones.

Real Techniques 4-pc. core collection makeup brush set There are several great brushes in here that will help you on your contouring journey. There’s a contour brush that fits perfectly into the hollows of your cheeks for powder contouring and the buffing brush can soften out any hard lines. The tiny brush is great for applying a nose contour and thin highlight down the bridge!

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