The Best Contouring Palette EVER + The New Lock-It Blotting Powder // Kat Von D Beauty

If there is any makeup trend that has taken the beauty industry by storm and managed to convince even the most basic of girls to master its art, it’s contouring! Let’s just take a minute to discuss THE best contour & highlighting palette currently on the market; the Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette. This has been raved about for years, and yes all the hype is totally on point. It is undoubtedly the crème de la crème of contouring and highlighting palettes, suiting a wide range of skin tones – this is the only palette you will need in your collection to sculpt like a pro.

First off, how beautiful is Kat Von D’s packaging? It’s so edgy and sleek and looks strikingly beautiful displayed out on your vanity. It comes with a full-sized mirror and six matte powders; three are for highlighting (2.3g) and three for contouring (4.5g). Compared to other contouring palettes I’ve seen & used, all of the shades in this palette are all are distinctively different and versatile.

A quick rundown of the shades:

Lucid ::: A pale slightly pink/beige toned powder suitable for pale/fair skin. It has a radiant finish and doesn’t leave skin flat or dull.

Lyric ::: A yellow/beige toned powder suitable for light/medium skin. I love this shade to set my under eye concealer, it adds a touch of brightness without looking cakey or overdone in the least.

Levitation ::: Deeper beige with a pale peach undertone that would work well for deeper skin tones. Even though I’m a medium skin-tone I find that this works well to deepen a stark light concealer and color-correct any dark spots or uneven areas.

Sombre ::: The lightest of the contour shades, a gray cool-toned taupe powder that closely mimics a “shadow” so well. It’s amazing at helping define your cheekbones and contouring your nose while still appearing very natural. While this works best for pale/lighter skin tones, I also find myself using this as eyeshadow as an all-over lid color and/or transition color.

Shadowplay ::: Deeper and slightly warmer than Sombre, this works best for my skin tone (light/medium) and doesn’t look “muddy” or orange at all like many contour shades tend to do. It gives a chiseled contour and can also be used as bronzer for a warm healthy look. This is the best contour shade I have ever used and motivates me to not skip this important step in getting ready!

Subconscious ::: The deepest shade suitable for deep skin tones. While this shade is too dark for me, I find that it works well as a brow powder. I am making sure I get the most amount of use from this palette and reach for this for so much more than just for contouring & highlighting.

My verdict: I absolutely love this palette. I am making use of each shade and love that this was created with every skin tone in mind. And their new packaging makes this palette refillable as well as customizable. Each powder is soft, finely milled and very pigmented. I really love the consistency and formula; it’s buildable, blendable and so easy to work with even if you’re not a pro at contouring. The powders are long lasting on the skin without accentuating any dryness or disappearing throughout the day. I prefer to set my makeup first with the blotting powder then go in with the highlighting and contouring shades after. It leaves my skin flawless & sculpted with a subtle sheen and radiance that no other palette has yet to accomplish for me. If you’re searching for a high-quality amazing contour palette, look no further.

AND, let’s not forget, the brand new Lock-It Blotting Powder. It’s not too often I come across a product that I get this excited over and have nothing bad at all to say about it. This is one of KvD’s latest releases, and if you’re unsure whether or not you need it in your life, I am here to tell you that you most definitely do! If you have combination/oily skin I cannot recommend this enough. I’ve probably used 7-8 different setting powders; loose powders, pressed powders, from high end to drugstore brands and NOTHING compares to this. Not even close. Don’t get me wrong some of the loose setting powders do a good job of setting your foundation/concealer and keeping everything semi-matte and intact, but sometimes I feel like they can look a little cakey, or oil starts to peek through. This applies SO lightly, and it offers just a light tint of color and keeps your skin completely matte for hours. I prefer to apply it overtop of my foundation with a big fluffy brush (KvD 20) all over my face. It doesn’t look heavy or change the color of your foundation, it just keeps everything completely matte and locked in place. It does come with a little pad applicator which is great for touch-ups throughout the day. While it’s not sweat-proof this the perfect product to tame oily skin and even more so appreciated this time of year when most of us notice our oily-ness even more. It comes in 4 shades (fair, light, medium and deep), and has gained “holy-grail” status with me!

Have you tried either of these? What are your favorite Kat Von D beauty products?!

http://www.katvondbeauty.com

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FYI ** As always, my reviews are not paid and are based on my own opinion, personal use and results.